"BLOAT" (2025) Does No Favors For Screenlife Horror (REVIEW)

Say “Found Footage” to a horror fan, and you’ll get a lot of opinions. Some might even be good. But say “Screenlife Horror” to those same fans, and we’re sure you’ll get a better reaction. Found Footage seems to be transitioning nicely into Screenlife and moviegoers are showing appreciation. “The Blair Witch Project” was a landmark cultural moment, no one can argue that, and there are countless examples of stellar Found Footage films, “Lake Mungo,” “Cloverfield,” or “REC,” are prime examples. These films had ingenuity and creativity. Still, the format has far too many limitations, almost always circling back to, “Why wouldn’t you just put the camera down and run?” Screenlife Horror expands the format exponentially. By using the screen as a hub for various video formats, filmmakers can now incorporate the elements of motion and frame used in everyday life. It’s familiar and eliminates the need to justify why the protagonist would still be filming. “Searching,” and “Unfriended” are great examples of what can be done in this new sub-genre, but it was Rob Savage’s “HOST” from 2020 that put Screenlife on every horror fan's radar. Here was a new, exciting take on a fear formula we’d been watching since we were in braces. Bold, inventive, unique, and exciting, we were experiencing a moment that comes along so rarely for a horror fan, something new! 2025 has its first Screenlife entry with “Bloat,” directed by Pablo Absento. Starring Ben McKenzie (“Gotham”) and Bojana Novakovic (“Drag Me to Hell”), this is a take on cryptid J-Horror, which, on paper, seemed very exciting. The question is, did that excitement translate to the screen?

SYNOPSIS:

From a producer of Searching and Unfriended, Ben McKenzie and Bojana Novakovic star in this chilling tale of horror and suspense. After a near-death drowning accident, a young boy’s family is horrified to discover he has become possessed by a legendary demon from the depths of the lake. As the family races against time to save the boy’s soul, the evil monster inside the child tears the family apart as it seeks to destroy everyone in its path.

WHAT WORKS:

It can’t be said that the cast isn’t game. Everyone throws themselves into this film, especially Ben McKenzie, who has the burden of carrying the story forward, via his online quest to uncover what’s happened to his youngest son Kyle, (Sawyer Jones) and how he can save him before it’s too late. The dramatic tension works well, escalating appropriately, and culminating in a third-act showdown. The screenlife elements of the movie are handled deftly, and realistically. As the family prepares for a family trip to Japan, husband Jack (MacKenzie), who's in the military, is called back to base indefinitely, due to a situation in the Middle East. This establishes Jack as our surrogate audience and it’s not forced, it makes sense. After the drowning, McKenzie’s searches become more frantic as the film progresses, but never become muddled or confusing. The idea of using a Japanese Kappa is inspired. For those unfamiliar, a Kappa is:

A vampirelike, lecherous creature, Kappa are credited with teaching humans the art of bonesetting. They are depicted in legend and art as the size of a 10-year-old child, yellow-green in colour, and resembling monkeys, but with fish scales or tortoise shells instead of skin. On the top of their head they have hollow indentations filled with water; if the water is spilled, they are said to lose their supernatural powers. 

Cryptid lore is a goldmine for horror and can result in fascinating stories if handled with skill. Unfortunately, “Bloat” fails to incorporate anything close to interesting in this legend. Which brings us to…

WHAT DOESN’T WORK:

Absento does solid work in the film's first act, setting a brisk pace and establishing dramatic stakes after the accident. However, this uncovers the first issue; McKenzie almost immediately begins searching for a supernatural explanation after his son displays odd behavior. We can certainly appreciate getting to the point of the film, but it needs to feel earned. This feels unrealistic at best, and sloppy at worst. We’re supposed to track the passage of time by timestamps and exposition, but the film's pace makes this almost impossible. What happens over the span of weeks feels like the span of days. Absento fails to show us much of anything to keep the dramatic tension alive after the accident. Most of Kyle’s “behavior” happens offscreen, relayed to Jack, and the audience, by Hannah (Novakovic), who has precious little to do besides complain about Kyle’s erratic behavior and the lack of support she’s getting. 

There are allusions to infidelity, alcoholism, and drug addiction that are tossed aside almost as quickly as they’re introduced. It’s as if the film is looking for higher dramatic stakes when right in front of them is a universe of Japanese folklore to mine. The introduction of Ryan (Kane Kosugi) is almost comical. Jack reaches out and tells him what he suspects. No questions are asked, and  Ryan is immediately onboard with the supernatural premise and gets to work uncovering all there is to know about Kappas. None of the actions or decisions in this film feel earned. It’s bizarre that, while Absento seems dedicated toward racing to the third act conclusion, nothing remotely interesting happens during the journey. This film is entirely devoid of shocks, scares, drama, or emotion. The last ten minutes make little to no sense and the final few minutes feel like they’re from a completely different film. We couldn’t find any evidence of reshoots, but the end seems tacked on and is jarringly disjointed compared to the previous 90 minutes before it.

SUMMARY: 

“Blaot” is the perfect example of Screenlife shortcuts that leech a film of any stakes, drama, or tension. Just as Found Footage had its pitfalls, so too does Screenlife. Filmmakers need to be wary of these trappings and avoid them if they want to make a film that resonates with an audience. 

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