2008 Found-Footage Film, Bryan Loves You, Should Have Remained Lost

MVD entertainment brings to Blu-ray this month the 2008 film, Bryan Loves You, written and directed by Seth Landau.

Bryan Loves You is a found-footage movie told from the point of view of the main character, Jonathan (played by Landau), thru the lens of his camcorder and various security cameras positioned thru ought the film. Copying the style of The Blair Witch Project film that was insanely popular at the time, and packed with an all-star cast of horror and B-movie icons (George Wendt, Tiffany Shepis, Tony Todd, Brinke Stevens, and Lloyd Kaufman), this movie was sure to be a hit…right?

The premise at the start of the film was really good. Tony Todd opens as the narrator to give the viewers a warning of what they are about to see, and sets a creepy tone to the movie ahead. We then jump to a man and his two friends who have recently moved to a small Arizona town, where they discover the citizens are a little, shall we say, "offputtingly weird." Jonathan uses his camcorder to document the strange happenings around him and the people who are pledging their undying love to the mysterious Bryan that has a cult-like grip over the townsfolk.

If the movie would have just stuck to this, and fleshed it out with more about the town and the cult itself, it really could have been a hit. But halfway thru the film it loses its focus, steers way off track, and becomes a jumbled mess of a movie that is barely watchable going forward. By the last scene of the film (by the way was heavily ‘inspired’ by the Blair Witch), most movie watchers will be thinking to them selves “What’s going on? What just happened? Where are we and who are these people?” -- things that we should not be thinking of when trying to enjoy a suspenseful thriller.

Totally giving up on what could have been a great mystery-filled thriller about a town filled with crazy cult followers packed with jump scares, it becomes an allegory of ‘Big Brother is watching’ surveillance footage. The first half and the second half of the movie seem like two completely separate films, cobbled together poorly to make a 90-minute production.

However, the redeeming quality of this release and, quite frankly, the only reason you should get this Blu-ray is for the amazing interviews in the special features section. George Wendt, star of Cheers and House reminisces on his days working in Second City comedy troupe, his time at SNL as one of the members of the hit sketch the ‘Superfans’, and memories of working on Fletch with Chevy Chase; this interview alone is worth watching more than the entire movie.

Bryan Loves You is a found-footage film that should have remained lost.

Bonus Materials

·         NEW! 2022 Audio Commentary with Writer / Producer / Director Seth Landau

·         2008 Commentary with Writer / Producer / Director Seth Landau, cast and crew along with JoBlo Writer/Critic James Oster, Elissa Dowling and Professor / Religious Expert Dr. Phillip Baker

·         NEW! Interview with star George Wendt (HD, 44:50)

·         NEW! Interview with star Tiffany Shepis (HD, 50:49)

·         NEW! Interview with star Daniel Roebuck (HD, 59.35)

·         NEW! Interview with star Brinke Stevens (HD, 31:46)

·         NEW! 2022 Theatrical Trailer (HD)