I’m a fan of found-footage movies. Feels like that needs saying upfront given the eye rolls this subgenre usually induces. I get it; they have a low entry level for budding filmmakers, the aesthetic lending itself to non-existent budgets. That then leads to the landscape being deluged with entries and the quality being a total coin toss.
But I like their immediacy, throwing you into the middle of the flailing, handheld chaos rather than the viewer being a more passive observer on a meticulously crafted journey. And, also, nothing can fire up creativity like not being to pay your way out of problems, so they can sometimes be pretty inventive.
So, I didn’t press play on Its Name Was Mormo with any trepidation. In fact, knowing that the setting was Greece made it more enticing, dangling the prospect of a different flavour. You know, maybe something other than haunted houses or abandoned anywheres. The opening act fulfils that promise, taking full advantage of its setting. Our family goes on a walk to a wonderfully crumbling village that appears uninhabited save for the semblance of one shadowy onlooker. But then we’re back at the family’s home and that’s when things get spooky. Because of the increasing number of unexplainable incidents, Mark, the father and husband in this family, sets up several security cameras throughout the house and, just like that, we have Paranormal Activity: Greece. It’s such a lazy parallel for me to draw, but in this case, I think it’s valid.
Everything you’d expect from that comparison is present and accounted for; long shots where nothing happens, a menacing low rumble preceding any happening, doors opening by themselves, people being dragged off by things unseen… It’s all here, even some flourishes that the sequels added. For example, we have our version of the camera that was placed on the fan in PA3.
All this might not have been so glaring had the movie even tried to add a little twist to affairs. We learn very little about the antagonist saving the fact that it wants to take the couple’s preschool daughter, Mia, to ‘the village’. Even the film’s synopsis references Greek folklore, but it’s never explored.
The film also has the framing device of a detective investigating the family’s disappearance after the fact. The entire movie is screened from this person’s computer and also felt like a missed opportunity as far as sprinkling some plot into the proceedings as the results of the investigation could have illuminated some facts. Instead, all the film offers us is loud banging, screaming and night vision stalkings. A sliver more plot would’ve gone a long way here, helping to mask some of Mormo’s obvious influences.
The other main issue I had with the movie was on a technical level. The sound was pretty bad at points, with the acoustics of the family’s villa causing some issues with the dialogue. It was here that I wished the DVD at least had subtitles; parts of it became difficult to understand once things kicked off and people started talking in panicked stutters. But on the other side, I can see that this lends an air of authenticity to proceedings. It’s filmed on gear available to the characters versus the cinematic polish of something like Cloverfield, which never felt authentic to me. But, ultimately, authenticity needs to give way to the audience being able to follow what is going on…
All that said, if you enjoy movies in the vein of the PA franchise, you’ll find a good time here. There’s a cool little moment in the kitchen involving hair, and Mia’s insistence that there’s a monster under her bed pays off in a moment that’s predictable but chilling all the same.
Overall, Mormo isn’t a terrible movie; it just lacks an identity of its own. If it had leaned into the lore or locale (or, even better, both) more, it would have been a much more successful venture.
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