Intensity: 🩸🩸 out of 🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸
Directed by Anthony Cousins
Written by John Karsko and Anthony Cousins
The Frogman is back! The first Frogman was something of a found footage cult hit. Now, both the actual film and the film within the film have a bigger budget this time out, and the results go gonzo crazy. Forget the cryptids; this sequel takes the concept into cosmic insanity. See this in a full theater, as the audience I saw it with went completely bananas. It starts out like a natural extension of the first film, but expands the story into realms practically unthinkable. This feature won the Horde Award at the Portland Horror Film Festival as the audience choice for best film of the festival.
I’ve got an admitted soft spot for Frogman. It was an unassuming found footage horror film that played at the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival two years ago, and it really captured my imagination. This is based upon a true cryptid in Loveland, Ohio. Director Anthony Cousins utilized the found footage conceit really well, and utilized audio clues, fleeting glimpses, and a terrific story build to make a truly frightening experience. When in doubt, count on the chaos! This time, Cousins is armed with the success of his first film, and is able to really push some adventurous ideas. He has the budget to fully develop his monsters this time, and the Frogman does not disappoint.
For me, this is a little indie horror feature that feels like a growth stock. The first movie established a solid premise with solid character building. This sequel ups the ante. It looks better. And, it picks up the pace. The comedy works. The new supporting cast is fun. It also embraces the zaniness of being a cryptid chaser.
Two years after encountering and proving the existence of the Loveland, Ohio cryptid monstrosity, the lure of the frogman draws the survivors back. Proving the Frogman is real hasn’t made life easier for Dallas and Amy. Dallas has been left traumatized, but now empowered as a celebrity cryptid chaser. So who’s back for this second trip to Loveland?
The Cast of Frogman Returns
- Nathan Tymoshuk plays Dallas Kyle, a cryptid chaser who proved the existence of the Frogman of Loveland, Ohio. Now he is the reluctant star of a TV show, Chasing Cryptids.
- Chelsey Grant plays Amy Mathison, the other survivor from the trip to Loveland. She is haunted by the Frogman’s voice in her head and is not obsessed with killing the creature.
- Natalie Olivia Tran plays Lucy Campbell, the camera crew for Chasing Cryptids, herself a cryptid chaser, and a fan of Dallas.
- Alexis Allotta plays Bridget Sauer, the assertive and demanding producer of Chasing Cryptids.
- Brian Villalobos plays Travis, a cryptid chaser, an expert on the Fresno Night Crawler.
- Andre Kogelenok plays Vaughn, a former cult member and a descendant of the Frog Man.
- Eleonore Turner plays Piper, another former cult member devoted to the downfall of the Frog Man
A Synopsis of Frogman Returns:
Success has been hard on Dallas Kyle. He proved the existence of The Frogman, at least to an audience who are into conspiracies and cryptids. In what should be a time when he bathes in the fame of what he found, he is still haunted by the loss of his good friend Scotty and the estrangement from his other bestie, Amy. Following the success of his found footage proof of the Frogman, Dallas is now the star of a TV series, “Chasing Cryptids.”
We find Dallas on a shoot, looking for the Fresno Nightcrawler, a legend said to be a pair of animated, ghostly pants roaming a golf course in Fresno. Accompanied by his bossy producer Bridget and fellow cryptid fanatic camerawoman Lucy, they successfully get footage of the Nightcrawler… which is a lot creepier than you might expect for an animated pair of pants. Dallas is something of a cryptid whisperer, but rather than enjoying another successful cryptid hunt, he is consumed with protecting Amy. He has seen footage of other cryptid chasers who had a deadly encounter with what became of Scotty, who transformed into a mutant frog-human hybrid.
Amy has been far less fortunate than Dallas. She was a struggling actress before the Frogman incident, but at least she was enjoying doing movies with Dallas. He got to move up the ladder in show business, but after the Loveland incident, she can’t get any work. Making things worse, she is receiving messages from the Frogman, telepathically. She is determined to kill the creature and is returning to Loveland. When Dallas gets word of this, he flies back to Ohio to protect Amy, even if she wants nothing to do with him.
Both Bridget and Lucy are excited to go looking for the Frogman, as Bridget sees this as TV gold, and Lucy is thrilled to see the Frogman herself. Dallas insists that he’s only going to try to save Amy. But when he reunites with Amy, it’s hardly a warm welcome. She has connected with other former “Children of Frogman” cultists, and they believe they have the tools to defeat the monster. Dallas is armed with something extra: The Frogman’s wand. It’s a powerful weapon that channels emotions into physics-bending magic.
Once more… back into the tunnels. Madness and cosmic insanity await.
Evaluation
Anthony Cousins is walking in the footsteps of Sam Raimi. While I believe you should watch Frogman and Frogman Returns in sequence as one big story, it’s clear that Cousins has gained much more confidence and creativity since the last film. Having decent success with the first movie allowed better production value, meaning MORE MONSTERS, and some really ambitious special effects. This is reminiscent of the jump of Evil Dead to Evil Dead II, or even Army of Darkness. The first Frogman was a straightforward cryptid-found-footage feature. For the follow-up, go big. Go crazy!
Does it make a ton of sense? No. Does it entertain? Hell yeah! Exploding heads! Mech suits! Magic wand battles! Aliens! Robots! Alien Robots! And you get a real good look at the Frogman this time out, and he looks fantastic. Frogman is ready for his close-up. The audience at the Portland Horror Film Festival went absolutely nuts on at least three occasions, bringing some people to their feet. Nathan Tymoshuk looks the part of the leading man, but Dallas, as in the first movie, is a reluctant hero. However, he has a much better hero’s arc this time out.
The addition of the two foils of Bridget and Lucy is well utilized. Bridget is a charmer, but also a bit of a snake. Alexis Allotta makes the most of her time on screen, and the festival attendees loved to hate her. Lucy is the carrot to Bridget’s stick. Chelsey Grant is easy on the eyes, but the charm she had from the first film takes a hard right turn to cranky Amy, and her performance went over the top at times. I rather missed the goofy Amy from the first movie.
Go into this movie with an open mind. Listen to Anthony’s interview with me, and you’ll find out what he wants to do with this franchise. This could become an indie funhouse ride, and I’d be 100% behind it.
Concluding Thoughts:
Stylistically, this movie is different from the first one. I appreciated that Cousins recognized that just going back to find the Frogman again might not have been a particularly interesting move. The premise that cryptids are all from another time and dimension wasn’t what I expected, and I really enjoyed it. Frogman was humorous in the character interactions. Frogman Returns gets ridiculous in all the right ways, extending the humor to preposterous situations, and it bathes in the craziness.
Go find Cousin’s short films “Every Time We Meet for Ice Cream Your Whole Fucking Face Explodes” and “The Bloody Ballad of Squirt Reynolds”. Once you watch those silly nuggets, you’ll know a little of what you can expect from Frogman Returns. It’s an action-horror-comedy, and this time the production value is so much better. Another film featured at the Portland Horror Film Festival, Grind, featured the Frogman. Cousins and Brea Grant are friends, and he was a sound Grip for Grind. Indie horror filmmakers working together. It’s all an interconnected community!
This film is still moving through its festival run, showing at the Chattanooga Film Festival this weekend. The movie has some gory moments, but it isn’t particularly disturbing. This movie would be fun for teenagers, though there is plenty of language and violence that would make the movie R rated if the MPAA Got their hands on it.
An Interview with Anthony Cousins at the Portland Horror Film Festival:
Here is my interview with Anthony, prior to my seeing the film. We follow with the Q&A session, and I realize that Anthony’s microphone wasn’t working well in the theater, so you may have to strain to hear him.
If you want to hear me interview Cousins about the first Frogman, check out my post HERE.
