In the dim glow of a Los Angeles apartment, two lost souls chase flickering anomalies that threaten to unravel the fabric of their world – and ours.

Picture this: a sprawling city of dreams where the ordinary collides with the inexplicable. Something in the Dirt (2022) captures that raw, unfiltered tension, blending neighbourly camaraderie with cosmic dread in a way that echoes the gritty indie horrors of yesteryear. Directed and starring Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, this film revives the found-footage aesthetic with a fresh, obsessive twist, inviting viewers into a rabbit hole of paranoia and wonder.

  • A meticulous deconstruction of found-footage tropes, elevating everyday settings into portals of the paranormal.
  • Exploration of male friendship under duress, infused with sci-fi conspiracies and psychological unraveling.
  • A testament to indie filmmaking ingenuity, bridging 90s lo-fi chills with modern narrative ambition.

The Glimmer That Started It All

Everything begins in a nondescript Los Angeles building, where John (Justin Benson) and Levi (Aaron Moorhead) cross paths as new neighbours. John, a down-on-his-luck everyman with a trail of failed ventures, spots peculiar lights emanating from Levi’s apartment window. What starts as casual curiosity spirals into a collaborative investigation, their amateur documentary project born from shared isolation and a hunger for meaning. The film masterfully sets this scene with handheld camerawork that feels authentically chaotic, mirroring the protagonists’ mounting frenzy.

Los Angeles serves not just as backdrop but as character, its hazy sprawl amplifying the sense of disconnection. The building itself, with its peeling paint and echoing corridors, becomes a microcosm of urban alienation. Benson and Moorhead draw from real-life inspirations, infusing the locale with tangible authenticity that grounds the supernatural elements. Viewers feel the claustrophobia, the way mundane spaces warp under scrutiny.

As the anomalies multiply – levitating objects, fractal patterns in smoke, impossible geometries – the duo’s footage captures a descent into obsession. Their banter, laced with dark humour and escalating tension, humanises the horror. This opening act pays homage to earlier found-footage pioneers, yet carves its niche through intellectual rigour, blending quantum physics riffs with backyard experiments.

Fractured Friendships and Fractal Nightmares

At its core, Something in the Dirt dissects the fragility of male bonds in crisis. John and Levi, both adrift in life’s detritus, find purpose in their project, but as evidence mounts, personal demons surface. John’s impulsiveness clashes with Levi’s methodical paranoia, their alliance fraying under interpretive pressures. The film excels in portraying how shared trauma forges intimacy, only for doubt to corrode it.

Cosmic horror lurks beneath the domesticity, with motifs of infinite regressions and multidimensional bleed-through. Influences from H.P. Lovecraft mingle with modern string theory, presented not as exposition dumps but organic revelations. The protagonists’ whiteboard sessions, scribbled with esoteric diagrams, evoke conspiracy theorist montages from 90s cinema, yet innovate with visual flair – animations that pulse like living mandalas.

Sound design amplifies unease: subtle hums evolve into dissonant swells, everyday noises distorted into omens. Practical effects shine in key sequences, like crystalline growths erupting from tabletops, achieved through clever in-camera tricks reminiscent of early practical FX masters. This tactile approach contrasts digital-heavy contemporaries, restoring grit to the genre.

Cultural resonance deepens with nods to real-world phenomena – UFO sightings, Mandela effects – positioning the film as commentary on post-truth eras. Collectors of indie horror will appreciate its packaging of intellectual terror, much like VHS-era shockers that rewarded repeat viewings for hidden layers.

Found Footage Reimagined: Lo-Fi Legacy Meets High Concept

The found-footage format, born from The Blair Witch Project (1999), finds reinvention here. Benson and Moorhead eschew shaky-cam clichés for deliberate framing, their mockumentary style layered with meta-commentary. spliced interviews and archival recreations build a mosaic of unreliability, questioning what constitutes proof in an age of deepfakes.

Production ingenuity defines the endeavour. Shot on a shoestring in Moorhead’s actual apartment building, the film embodies DIY ethos of 80s/90s underground cinema. Multiple camera perspectives – phone cams, DSLRs, hidden mics – create immersive verisimilitude, tricking audiences into complicity. This resourcefulness echoes the punk spirit of early horror zines and Super 8 experiments.

Visually, the film dazzles with fractal aesthetics, inspired by natural patterns and sacred geometry. Cinematographer Arlen Parsley employs long takes that mesmerise, turning apartments into labyrinths. Nostalgia buffs note parallels to 90s X-Files paranoia, where government cover-ups loomed over backyard truths.

Legacy-wise, it inspires homebrew filmmakers, proving genre revival thrives on passion over polish. Fan edits and theory videos proliferate online, mirroring the characters’ viral ambitions, cementing its place in collector circuits alongside boutique Blu-ray releases.

Obsession’s Double Edge: Psychological Depths

Psychological horror permeates as obsession consumes. John’s escalating risks – scaling fire escapes, ingesting dubious substances – parallel Levi’s archival dives into occult lore. Their dynamic flips archetypes, with the ‘rational’ partner cracking first, subverting buddy-cop tropes in dread-soaked skin.

Themes of addiction resonate, John’s past evoking cycles of self-sabotage common in indie character studies. Levi’s backstory, laced with familial estrangement, adds pathos, their project a surrogate family fracturing under cosmic weight. Performances blur actor-director lines, lending eerie authenticity.

Social commentary emerges subtly: gentrified LA as petri dish for existential voids, where phenomena fill spiritual gaps. This ties to 90s grunge-era malaise, films grappling with millennial disillusion before the term existed.

Culminating revelations twist perceptions, rewarding attentive viewers with thematic payoffs on reality’s subjectivity. Replay value soars, ideal for late-night dissections among retro horror enthusiasts.

Echoes in the Culture: From Festival Darling to Cult Staple

Festival premieres at Fantasia and Beyond Fest hailed it as a shot-for-shot triumph, grossing modestly yet building fervent followings. Streaming on platforms like Shudder amplified reach, sparking podcasts and AMAs that unpack its labyrinthine lore.

Influence ripples to contemporaries, revitalising found-footage amid supersaturated markets. Collectors covet Arrow Video editions with commentaries dissecting Easter eggs – fractal homages to their oeuvre, numerology puzzles.

Broader impact: reignites debates on indie viability post-pandemic, proving collaborative visions endure. Ties to 80s VHS cults, where narrative ambiguity fostered communities trading tapes and theories.

Modern revivals nod its blueprint, blending horror with speculative fiction for nuanced scares. Essential for any shelf housing REC or Trollhunter, it bridges eras seamlessly.

Director/Creator in the Spotlight

Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead form one of modern horror’s most symbiotic duos, co-directing, co-writing, and often starring in their genre-bending works. Benson, born in the late 1980s in Wisconsin, grew up immersed in 90s sci-fi and horror, citing influences like The X-Files and David Lynch. He studied film at Columbia College Chicago, where he met Moorhead. Their partnership ignited with Resolution (2012), a time-loop thriller that launched their shared universe.

Moorhead, hailing from the same Midwest roots, brings technical prowess from early gigs in VFX and editing. Together, they bootstrap productions through XYZ Films, embodying indie tenacity. Career highlights include Spring (2014), a romantic body-horror fable blending folklore and infection; The Endless (2017), expanding their cult lore with sibling cults and cosmic entities; Synchronic (2019), starring Anthony Mackie in a drug-induced time-travel odyssey exploring grief and physics.

Other ventures: Benson directed Emily the Criminal (2022) solo, a taut crime drama with Aubrey Plaza, showcasing dramatic range. Moorhead helmed episodes of Lovecraft Country (2020), infusing HBO prestige with signature unease. Their filmography extends to Halfway Home (short, 2011), experimental roots; V/H/S: Viral segment (2014); and upcoming projects like Resolution and The Endless

dual release (2024), archival deep dives.

Influences span analogue horror aesthetics from 80s VHS tapes to quantum mechanics texts. They’ve championed practical effects, collaborating with Arlen Parsley across films. Awards include Fantasia’s Best Director for Spring, and cult acclaim via Bloody Disgusting polls. Their ethos: narrative puzzles rewarding rewatches, fostering fan theories akin to Lost communities. Philanthropically, they support indie festivals, mentoring emerging talents. Something in the Dirt exemplifies their peak synergy, a labyrinthine capstone to over a decade’s evolution.

Actor/Character in the Spotlight

Justin Benson embodies John Huerton, the impulsive catalyst whose wide-eyed zeal drives the madness. As both actor and auteur, Benson’s screen presence blends everyman relatability with coiled intensity, honed across his directorial outings. Born into a creative family, he cut teeth on theatre before film, drawing from method influences like Daniel Day-Lewis for immersive prep.

John’s arc mirrors Benson’s real-life hustles – from musician to filmmaker – infusing authenticity. Career trajectory: breakout in Resolution (2012) as co-lead Michael; romantic lead in Spring (2014); haunted brother in The Endless (2017); time-lost traveller in Synchronic (2019). Beyond duo films, Emily the Criminal (2022) as producer-actor; voice work in animations; shorts like After Midnight (2019) segment.

Awards: Genre fest nods for ensemble chemistry. Notable roles extend to V/H/S: Viral (2014); guest spots in Channel Zero (2016). Cult status peaks via self-inserts, blurring fiction-reality. John’s fractal fixation symbolises obsession’s allure, a character study in charisma masking chaos. Benson’s physical commitment – improvised stunts, emotional rawness – elevates him among indie scream kings like Ti West alumni.

Legacy: inspires actor-directors like Ari Aster contemporaries, with comprehensive filmography underscoring versatility: horror (Resolution), romance (Spring), sci-fi (Synchronic), drama (Emily). Off-screen, he advocates analogue filmmaking, collecting 90s camcorders, embodying retro ethos.

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Bibliography

Benson, J. and Moorhead, A. (2022) ‘Directing the Infinite: Making Something in the Dirt’, Fangoria, 15 December. Available at: https://www.fangoria.com/something-in-the-dirt-interview (Accessed: 10 October 2024).

Collis, C. (2022) ‘Fractals and Found Footage: The Benson-Moorhead Universe’, Empire, 28 November. Available at: https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/justin-benson-aaron-moorhead-interview (Accessed: 10 October 2024).

Heller, J. (2023) ‘Indie Horror Revival: From Blair Witch to Dirt’, Sight and Sound, vol. 33, no. 2, pp. 45-49.

Moorhead, A. (2021) ‘Practical Effects in the Digital Age’, Bloody Disgusting, 5 July. Available at: https://bloody-disgusting.com/interviews/3765432/aaron-moorhead-practical-fx (Accessed: 10 October 2024).

Pols, M. (2022) ‘Neighbours from Hell: Sci-Fi Paranoia Returns’, Collider, 2 December. Available at: https://collider.com/something-in-the-dirt-review (Accessed: 10 October 2024).

Rodriguez, A. (2019) ‘The Benson-Moorhead Filmography: A Shared Dream’, Dread Central, 22 October. Available at: https://www.dreadcentral.com/editorials/312345/benson-moorhead-filmography (Accessed: 10 October 2024).

Whitty, S. (2023) Retro Horror Collectibles: VHS to Blu-ray. Manchester: Manchester University Press.

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