178. We're All Going to the World's Fair; movie review

 

WE'RE ALL GOING TO THE WORLD'S FAIR

Cert 15

86 mins

BBFC advice: Contains disturbing scenes

I'm getting too old for this sort of movie.

Apparently, We're All Going To The World's Fair has been lauded by horror fans as an original, unsettling drama.

But I lost it at the reference to Paranormal Activity. It falls into the same category of found-footage-style nonsense.

Jane Schoenbrun's movie stars debutante Anna Cobb as Casey - a loner who announces through her digital channel that she is going to take The World's Fair Challenge.

Thus, she says: "I want to go to the World's Fair" four times and smears some blood on her laptop screen and says she will update viewers with any personality changes.

The thing is that nothing particularly riveting happens thereafter except a few nightmares, a bit of sleepwalking and recollections of dark episodes in younger days.

Meanwhile, one of her followers (Michael J. Rogers) becomes concerned for her metal health and they begin a platonic cyber relationship.

I guess there is a modicum of interest over why this much older man wants to be involved with her but that isn't enough to sate a cinematic appetite.

Anyway, the online relationship moves forward slowly and she progressively goes further off the rails.

In the meantime, we learn of other young people who have fallen foul of the supposed curse of The World's Fair Challenge.

Mrs W and I were neither horrified not unsettled by Schoenbrun's film. If anything we were bored. 

There was nothing we hadn't seen before and could not understand why it had been acclaimed. 

On the plus side, there is a competent debut by Cobb but I can't say she was overly stretched.

Reasons to watch: Acclaimed low-budget film

Reasons to avoid: neither scares nor satisfies

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: Yes

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 3.5/10

Did you know? The origins of the world's fair lie in the Industrial Revolution. Beginning with London's Great Exhibition in 1851, a series of world's fairs were held in Europe to showcase advances in manufacturing, science, and technology and gradually spread to other parts of the world, including the United States and Australia. 

The final word. Jane Schoenbrun: "We were working with real people in a very collaborative way – there are entire scenes in the film shot by essentially Youtubers... If this film is going to work it has to feel like a transmission from the genuine Internet." Horror Cult Films

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