I'm a pretty paranoid person in general. But I've never been a conspiracy nut. While do I think there are probably a lot of evil, powerful people out there, I don't really trust in the competence of the machine to pull off any of the Big Time Conspiracies. No doubt there's some shady stuff going on. But I just kind of feel like I have to roll with the punches... cueing Bruce Hornsby... that's just the way it is.
The Conspiracy starts out as a standard mockumentary about a guy who doesn't roll with those punches. Terrance has an apartment full of newspaper clippings, and has a detailed theory connecting the evils of the powers that be to many major catastrophic events throughout history, from the sinking Lusitania to 9/11. Terrance is the kind of guy that feels obligated to spread "the truth" and he sets up shop on street corners or in parks to yell at people through a megaphone while they are on their lunch breaks. Filmmakers Aaron and Jim approach him from a distance - they don't outright mock him, but they occasionally shoot questioning glances at each other and the camera. The doc is going well, until one day when Terrance mysteriously vanishes.
Jim and Aaron can't find him anywhere. When they go to his apartment, they find it's been ransacked, and the landlord is having all of his furniture removed. Aaron decides to take all of Terrance's news clippings to see what he may have been getting up to. As Aaron starts to put all of the pieces together, he begins to get obsessed, and starts to think that he's really onto something. The gist of it? A shadowy secret society full of world leaders holds secret meetings/rituals to plan out the fate of the world. Usually quite evilly. Jim thinks his friend is nuts, but knows a good documentary when he sees it. And when Aaron's apartment is broken into, they think they may be a victim of something more sinister that a standard breaking and entering. And then they see people who *may* be following them around. Eventually, Aaron decides he must try to infiltrate the secret society, and Jim reluctantly agrees. With the help of the man who wrote one of the only published articles on the group, they set out to be the first people to ever get actual footage of one of the secret meetings.
For me, The Conspiracy worked like gangbusters. The documentary angle is well used... it's not only informative (I feel like I learned some interesting things about conspiracy theories/theorists), but genuinely creepy at times. You do feel like you're along for the ride with Jim and Aaron (and their nameless camera crew), and it's easy to feel tense and nervous whenever anything goes awry. And unlike the recently watched The Houses That October Built, this faux-documentary has an rather ingenious reason for existing.
Also, the film feels very grounded. While the subject matter is occasionally out there, it really feels as though it's something that could actually happen. I'm a lot more scared of shadowy dudes that are above the law following me around than ghosts, monsters, or crazed killers. I think the desire for power is much more of a real world threat than someone who just likes to kill people.
The Conspiracy is a really well put together film too - and manages to be engaging throughout. The first act works because you are learning about the characters but also conspiracy theories in general - it feels like a legit documentary. The second act is where it starts to come together, and you get some solid creepy aha-moments as Aaron starts to piece together the puzzle of the secret society. And the third act/climax is just plain tense. The whole film is really well-structured and paced. (Rest of the paragraph is a mild SPOILER, I guess.) I loved the ending too. If you listen to some of the posts on imdb, I'm one of the dumb ones who couldn't figure it out. So while it was kind of irritating at first, after I did a bit more research I "got" it - and yeah, it's pretty sweet. It's the kind of film that I just want to talk to someone about - so if there's anyone out there who talks to me regularly, please watch The Conspiracy!
Horror-wise? There isn't really any gore to speak of, although the secret society does have some pretty rad robes and masks. But there is a continually escalating sense of dread throughout the film, and honestly my heart rate increased during the final 15-20 minutes. And it's hard not to get into disturbing territory when talking about conspiracies - especially when you get footage of the JFK assassination and the 9/11 attacks. It feels a little exploitative at times, but ultimately this footage fits in with the documentary-style content.
Overall, I really dug The Conspiracy. I thought it was a well-made and smart film, and has definitely been rattling around in my head since I checked it out.
I would recommend this film.
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