The Glenarma Tapes has some solid acting and sound design, and you might not see everything that is going on, but you will hear it.
Synopsis
In Spring 2020, five students and two faculty members from the Mid Ulster College of Art went missing in a forest on the north coast of Ireland. What happened on the day they disappeared has remained a mystery – until now.
My Thoughts
The Glenarma Tapes follows Gordy and Jimmy, a couple of art students who look and act exactly how you’d expect. Jimmy is filming some class project, which is mostly just Gordy rambling about Romeo and Juliet and getting in trouble with the police, so standard student behavior.
Then they overhear their drama teacher planning a secret rendezvous with a married colleague in Glenarma Forest, and instead of minding their own damn business like normal people, they decide, “Let’s grab some cameras and film it.“
Fantastic idea, lads, what could possibly go wrong?
So, off they go with a couple of friends and some cameras they “borrowed” from the school, and while it all starts off as a fun time for them, the mood shifts into something else when they stop at a shop, and some old fella tells them about a local legend, Harry Halfaheadow.
Now if a creepy old man in a tiny village tells you a ghost story, you should probably turn the hell around, go home, and live to tell the story.
But do they do that? Of course not, instead they march straight into the woods, where they accidentally stumble into something way worse than ghosts, as they encounter a bunch of psychos playing a real-life version of The Hunger Games.
This is where the film gets tense, and we get some pure, primal terror as they realize they’re being hunted.
The sound design is fantastic, and you might not always see what’s going on (because, you know, it’s dark and they’re in a forest), but you hear everything, with every snapped twig, every panicked breath, and every “oh sh*t” moment adding to the tension.
And the acting is surprisingly good as well, and I say surprisingly as I am always surprised when a found footage horror film has good acting.
When they’re scared, you believe it, when they joke around, it feels real, and when everything goes to hell, you genuinely don’t want them to die….Or maybe you will, you sick bastard.
The found-footage gimmick actually makes sense in this film as well, as the cameras play a role in the story right up until the end, and you’re never sitting there wondering, “Why the hell are they still filming?”
I found The Glenarma Tapes quite intense, and it avoids most of the usual found-footage pitfalls, as it tricks you into thinking it’s another Blair Witch clone and then smacks you upside the head with something completely different.
It’s got horror and thriller elements, and just enough humor to make you care before things go completely off the rails, and if nothing else, it teaches an important life lesson: when a creepy old shopkeeper tells you not to go into the woods, LISTEN TO HIM.
The Glenarma Tapes Trailer
The Glenarma Tapes on IMDB
Good Points
Genuinely Suspenseful – The tension builds naturally, and when the horror kicks in, it’s properly terrifying. No cheap jumpscares, just real dread
Great Sound Design – Even when you can’t see much, the sound keeps the fear alive, with every rustle, snap, and whisper adding to the paranoia.
Solid Acting – The cast actually looks and acts like real students, which makes their reactions believable instead of melodramatic nonsense.
Bad Points
Dark as Hell – Yeah, it’s a night-time forest setting, but at times, it’s too dark. Some scenes are basically an audio play.
Found-Footage Purists Might Complain About the Ending – Some hardcore fans of the genre might not love the way it wraps up because it steps outside the usual found-footage rules.
Could Have Gone Even Deeper into the Mystery – The backstory and conspiratorial elements are cool, but they’re only lightly touched on.
Is It Worth Watching?
Yes, The Glenarma Tapes is worth watching in my opinion.
It’s got real suspense, likable characters, and a twist that makes it stand out from other found-footage films.
Plus, it’s a solid reminder to avoid dark forests.
Where To Watch
Director and Cast
Director – Tony Devlin
Main Cast – Warren McCook, Rían Early, Colette Lennon Dougal, Declan Rodgers, Sophie Hill, Emily Lamey, and Charlie Bonner
Found Footage Horror Movies 
Let Me Know Your Thoughts!