Familiar Found Footage Thrills Can Be Found in Creature of the Pines (PANIC)

Title: Creature of the Pine

First Non-Festival Release: TBD

Director: Chris Ruppert, Tyler Transue

Writer: Chris Ruppert, Tyler Transue

Runtime: 82 Minutes

Starring: Ian Anderson, Sugey Cruz, Austin Greene

Where to Watch: Check out where to find it here

This film’s review was written after its screening at the Panic Film Festival in 2026.

Every year people go missing. The circumstances are usually mundane, and plenty are found. The rest are shrouded in mystery with varying degrees of clues, resources, and urgency dedicated to finding them. Amateurs get involved when the professionals cannot close a case, which often ends up poorly for everyone.

When Solo Hiking Youtube Personality Emily Marsh (Candace Livingston) decides to hike into the New Jersey Pine Barrens, she doesn’t heed the warnings that the specific trail she is taking is unsafe. She has plenty of experience but that is no match for what lay hidden in the woods. Months later, a documentary team follows her trail into that same area of the Pines. They soon discover what Emily Marsh found too. This time, however, someone does make it out alive.

Generic paranormal found footage film Creature of the Pines delivers uneven frights and story progression.

Like many found footage films with similar stories, Creature of the Pines starts with a lore dump, both on the legends allegedly related to the area along with the missing hiker that prompts it all. From there, the same typical approach is conducted in telling this paranormal mystery. The missing footage is collected, the investigation doesn’t lead much of anywhere until the crew goes in, it falls apart, and one person is left to blame. This story has been told time and again, but Creature of the Pines does its best to make it different. Much of this falls under its story within a story framework. By using the entirety of the missing hiker’s footage as a catalyst for the investigation, Creature of the Pines allows itself to make some breathing room for the characters that will inevitably search for her.

Subverting expectations in a minor way, Creature of the Pines focuses on shaping its central antagonist more than the stories of those it hunts. This leaves the cast relatively underdeveloped past their most basic descriptors. Leaving them to fend for themselves in the woods, Creature of the Pines does take its time toying with them, even if it doesn’t strike the right chord to make it menacing. This leads to the ways it manipulates and haunts to feeling ineffective and silly. It takes some buildup once they enter the specific part of the Pines but as soon as the mechanics are unveiled, it does give Creature of the Pines enough energy to take on its scarier sequences. 

Despite a few unsettling scenes, Creature of the Pines disappoints with its familiar brand of found footage frights. Disembodied voices magnified across the forest, digitally enhanced camera glitches, unexpected possessions, and more are all common tropes used in Creature of the Pines. There’s nothing inherently wrong about including them but the sheer number implemented gets exhausting. Lacking originality, Creature of the Pines works harder in its night scenes, letting the chaos unfold organically. It’s messy but it does end up working half of the time. It’s reminiscent of the greatest hits from The Blair Witch Project, Exists, and Extraterrestrial mixed with every generic monster in the woods found footage films.

There’s an earnestness to it, and the attention to detail, that does make parts of the otherwise underwhelming found footage flick charming. The cast, while uneven, take it seriously with appropriate glee. The development of the legend itself is interesting and leads to quite a few scary moments. Creature of the Pines has all the right ideas and has the ability to execute them but is derailed by its weak plot.

Far from the worst found footage film, Creature of the Pines is a thoroughly capable supernatural horror mystery. It’s clear that there is care in the attention to little details in the film, impassioned performances, and well-crafted atmosphere. It fails mostly in developing a clear plot within the world of these haunting missing persons cases.

Overall Score? 5/10