Some horror films shake you. Some unsettle you. Some linger in your bloodstream like a fever.
And then there’s In Our Blood, a movie that’s less “horror” and more “annoying home video your friend forces you to watch even though you just wanted nachos.”
Found footage is supposed to feel raw — gritty — like you stumbled across something you probably shouldn’t be watching. Instead, In Our Blood feels like watching film school students fight over who forgot to charge the camera batteries.
Let’s dive in, scalpels out. Not because the movie is deep, but because it deserves a proper autopsy.
The Premise: A Documentary About a Family Reunion… Because That’s What Everyone Wants In Their Horror
Our main character, Emily Wyland (Brittany O’Grady), decides she wants to film herself reconnecting with her estranged mother. Already we’re off to a thrilling start. Nothing screams “horror setup” like emotionally blocked family therapy filmed in shaky 1080p.
Emily recruits cinematographer Danny (E. J. Bonilla), whose job is:
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hold the camera
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remind Emily she’s making a documentary
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ask no important questions
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and mostly look confused
This duo has all the chemistry of two wet socks in a washing machine. Their big dynamic? Emily being vague and Danny being gullible.
Then Emily’s mother disappears — which in any other horror film would be the inciting event, but here feels more like a mercy killing.
Found Footage Rule #1: Always Cut the Camera… Unless You’re In This Movie
Every time danger strikes, the characters do NOT put down the camera. It’s like the director told them they’d explode if they stopped recording for even a second.
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Someone screams?
Keep filming. -
A creepy figure appears in the dark?
Zoom in, don’t run. -
Your estranged mother has vanished into thin air?
Time to capture B-roll!
If they had found Emily’s mother turned into a demonic footstool, Danny would STILL ask, “Can you say that again? The mic didn’t pick it up.”
The Characters: Missing Depth, Missing Logic, Missing Persons
Emily Wyland — The Human Red Flag
Emily desperately wants to reconnect with her mother, but only on camera, which already tells us she’s not emotionally well. But the film wants us to think she’s sweet, vulnerable, and tragic.
She is, instead, the type of person who would vlog her house fire before calling 911.
Danny — The Cameraman With the World’s Lowest Standards
Danny’s job is to follow Emily around as she:
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spirals
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ignores basic safety
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reveals nothing
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and wanders into danger like a Roomba with a death wish
Danny has no instincts, no sense of self-preservation, and no lines as memorable as “Why are we still filming this?”
Sam Wyland (the missing mother) — Off-screen for most of the movie, probably out of shame
Played by Alanna Ubach, Sam vanishes so early in the film I suspect she read the script and escaped.
Ana Stuart, Isaac Kozlov, Beth Kozlov — The Suspicious Neighbors With Suspicious Nothingness
These characters exist solely to:
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stare too long
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offer cryptic comments
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leave clues
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and absolutely fail to create tension
The Kozlovs give the vibe of “we’re cult members” but unfortunately never deliver on that promise. Watching them act sinister is like watching milk slowly expire.
The Horror: More “Mildly Concerning” Than Terrifying
If you came here expecting scares, may I redirect you to literally any other film? Even the screen dimming due to your phone battery is scarier than In Our Blood.
The film’s attempts at horror include:
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creepy static noises (ooh, the terror of bad Wi-Fi)
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slightly opened doors (my cat does this every night)
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people whispering (probably saying “why did we make this film?”)
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characters staring into the middle distance (relatable, honestly)
There’s one moment — ONE — where the movie accidentally stumbles into something unsettling, and that’s when the camera captures a shadow moving behind the characters.
But like everything else in this film, it’s never explained, never developed, and forgotten in five minutes.
The Mystery: A Puzzle With Half the Pieces Missing and the Other Half Covered in Tomato Sauce
Emily’s mom disappears. That’s the whole mystery.
Clues appear. The filmmakers chase those clues. The clues lead… nowhere.
Nothing connects. Nothing adds up. It’s like watching people assemble IKEA furniture using instructions for a completely different table.
Every time something vaguely interesting happens, the movie changes direction — abruptly — like a student film edited by committee.
By the time the “twist” arrives, you don’t care, you don’t understand, and you’re mostly impressed that you made it this far without pressing fast-forward.
The Ending: A Masterclass in Losing the Plot Completely
Without spoiling too much (though honestly spoiling it might improve the experience), the finale includes:
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a bizarre confrontation in the dark
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a reveal that raises far more questions than it answers
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a camera dropping dramatically
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and a final shot that thinks it’s profound
The movie ends like it ran out of budget, ideas, and respect for the audience simultaneously.
It’s the cinematic equivalent of tripping during a speech and pretending you meant to.
What Does Work? Shockingly Little
Let’s be generous and highlight the positives:
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Brittany O’Grady tries REALLY hard
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the sound design is occasionally spooky
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found footage fans might enjoy the format
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the runtime is mercifully short
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and the poster looks nice
But even with these crumbs of positivity, the movie plays like diet horror, lite mystery, and off-brand emotional drama bundled into one confused package.
Final Verdict: Bloodless, Brainless, and Bound to Be Forgotten
⭐ 3/10
(One point for the acting, one for the poster, and one because I didn’t get a migraine — which is more than I can say for many found-footage films.)
If In Our Blood really wanted to scare us, it should’ve shown us the moment the producers realized the script wasn’t finished. Or the moment the editor noticed none of the clues connect. Or really just the moment they decided to greenlight yet another found footage film in 2024.
When the scariest part of your horror movie is the battery warning on your camera footage, you’ve failed.
But hey — at least it’s short.
