‘The Upper Footage (Upper)’ Review: So THIS Is Affluenza

The film The Upper Footage (Upper) is not your average horror film. There’s no masked murderer, no supernatural beings, no one that can see spirits and no huge twist at the end. It’s the kind of horror movie that is so real and visceral that you’ll have to look away because you know the true nature of of humans are being explored…and it’s a dark, nasty place.

Upper is touted being an edited 90 minute version of 393 minutes of found footage covering the events of one night in the lives of a group of affluent young socialites who have a wild night out and bring a new girl named Jackie home with them to party. Lots of coke and mischief commence and all is well (relatively speaking) until Jackie overdoses on cocaine. What happens after is a snowball of misfortune and bad decisions and the audience is given a look into the depths of the human mind and soul.

The friend-group almost immediately begins to implode once Jackie dies, with some wanting to go to the police, while others are only concerned about their reputations and just want to dispose of Jackie’s body and forget. The dynamics of the group as they decide how to deal with the death that’s on their hands are explored throughout the film with the ultimate decision ending in a high price for all involved.

The unique thing about the film is that it blurs the lines between reality and fiction, using clips from real news outlets reporting on the death of Jackie in the film, as well as real celebrities who were thought to be associated with the footage at one point in time. The kind of marketing that the director Justin Cole employed is as impressive as the film itself, if not moreso and I look forward to seeing more from him in the future.

Before the untimely death of Jackie, the film is a little slow and gives the audience more rich-kid partying than I think we need, but I get it…it’s to build up the characters (all of which are either bullies or spineless wimps tagging along for the ride). Once Jackie’s body is found in the bathroom, the stakes are raised and so was my level of interest in the film. It’s definitely a new take on an age old trope, however, and Justin Cole is a horror director I’ll be keeping my eye on.

Check out the official trailer below:

If you’d like to order The Upper Footage, click here.

Grade: C+