The Dark Tapes
A found footage anthology of four linked horror segments.
The Dark Tapes is a 2016 American found footage horror anthology. Michael McQuown wrote and directed the film, while Vincent J. Guastini directed one segment, *To Catch a Demon*. The movie is made up of four segments: *To Catch a Demon*, *The Hunters & The Hunted*, *Cam Girls*, and *Amanda's Revenge*, plus a short opening called *Wrap Around*. The plot is built as a series of short horror films connected by a frame narrative that itself functions as a short horror film. Each segment is linked by the found footage concept.
In *Wrap Around*, a couple discovers a mysterious tape and begins experiencing haunting phenomena after watching it.
*To Catch a Demon* (Part A, directed by Vincent J. Guastini) follows Dr. Martin Callahan and his graduate student Nicole. They believe night terrors are caused by transdimensional entities that become visible under specific conditions. They hire cameraman Jason to film an experiment using a special camera designed to capture these entities, which are only visible in certain states.
*The Hunters & the Hunted* follows a couple who move into a new home and hear mysterious sounds from the roof and around the house. They record events like objects moving on their own. After the husband is attacked by an unseen force, leaving a visible handprint on his back, they call in paranormal investigators. The team sets up equipment and leaves the cameras running overnight. Reviewing the recordings, the investigators see a girl standing in a hallway. The couple reveals they previously lost their daughter. The investigators hold a seance, and the daughter seemingly confirms her presence. Distraught, the wife leaves. The lead investigator deduces the daughter is stuck in the downstairs floor, with another spirit blocking her exit. As the investigation continues, the team members are picked off one by one by an unseen force, leading to a supernatural or psychological twist rather than a serial killer reveal.
Quick Facts
- Director
- Michael McQuown / Vincent J. Guastini (To Catch a Demon)
- Writer
- Michael McQuown
- Starring
- Cortney Palm / Emilia Zoryan / Brittany Underwood / David Hull / Denise Faro / David Roy Banks
- Cinematography
- Michael McQuown / Matt Shapira
- Distributor
- Epic Pictures Group
- Released
- 22 April 2016 · Phoenix Film Festival · 2017 · 3 · 17
- Runtime
- 98 minutes
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Budget
- $65,000
- Producer
- Michael McQuown / Nicola Odeku / Amon Mahmud / Haldane Morris / Vincent J. Guastini
- Production Companies
- Thunder Road Incorporated
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Cam Girls features Caitlin, a cam girl in a lesbian relationship, who experiences unexplained blackouts. During a special cam session, she and her girlfriend Sindy manipulate a viewer named Gerry into cutting himself and then slitting his throat, after which they are revealed to be vampires who feast on his body. Amanda's Revenge follows Amanda, who was abducted for four months and seeks revenge. She uses a camera and a supernatural entity to exact her vengeance, setting up a confrontation that involves the entity rather than telekinesis or traps. The final part of To Catch a Demon shows Martin and Nicole performing the experiment again with higher radiation, resulting in Martin confronting the entity and Nicole expanding a time dilation bubble, leaving her alone in a frozen world.
Reader's Guide
The Dark Tapes represents a notable entry in the found footage anthology subgenre, weaving multiple horror narratives through a shared concept of time dilation and transdimensional entities. Its significance lies in its ambitious structure, linking seemingly unrelated stories through the idea that demons or entities become visible during altered time states. The film's release pattern—premiering at the Phoenix Film Festival in April 2016, followed by a US theatrical release in April 2017 and VOD availability—reflects the typical distribution path for independent horror films. The cast includes actors such as David Rountree, Cortney Palm, and Brittany Underwood. The film's legacy is modest, serving as an example of low-budget horror that attempts to innovate within the found footage format by incorporating scientific concepts like time dilation and radiation experiments. Its anthology format allows for varied horror themes, from paranormal investigation to vampire mythology and psychological trauma.
Did You Know?
- The segment To Catch a Demon was directed by Vincent J. Guastini, while the overall film was written and directed by Michael McQuown.
- The film premiered at The Phoenix Film Festival on April 22, 2016.
- In The Hunters & the Hunted, David and Karen are revealed to be serial murderers who kill paranormal investigators.
- The Cam Girls segment ends with the revelation that Caitlin and Sindy are vampires.
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