I just watched
"The Tunnel" last night. I've been following its development for a
long time now. Not because the early trailers looked particularly awesome, but because of the unique way it's been funded and distributed. The film was largely financed by people "purchasing" frames as it was filmed. Now that it's finished, it's been released in torrent form for widespread distribution, with the option of buying a DVD copy to support the crew. It's a bold move, one which Hollywood would never be intelligent enough to take (in any way, shape or form).
Anyway... The film itself is of the horror/suspense genre, but is presented as a documentary of sorts. It's not too different than other "found footage" type flicks. Think of it in line with
The Blair Witch Project or
Paranormal Activity. I'm not usually a fan of the style (with exception to
The Last Broadcast), but if you are you'll find plenty to like. The production value are pretty good, though nothing to rave about simply due to the handheld style. There were some legitimately creepy scenes, and the pacing was general suspenseful.
That said, the creature ultimately wasn't given enough context to be scary. I appreciate them going subscribing to the "less is more" school of horror, but I think they might have taken it a bit too far. Also, you know exactly which two characters are going to survive because they give post-incident interviews throughout the entire film. One or two scenes of the creature quickly swooping past or towards the camera looked kind of cheesy.It's not a perfect film. It's not a revolutionary film. I don't regret having watched it though, and I applaud the filmmakers insightful approach to financing and distribution.