Bennett began, and still works, in television. His wheelhouse of animal documentaries served The Dinosaur Project well. For starters, there’s a visual admiration for nature that even the pressing POV format can’t undo. Bennett, plus cinematographer Tom Pridham, put a welcome coat of gloss on those scenic parts. Another thing to consider is the fact that some of the characters are professional cameramen. That means the found-footage genre’s necessary evil of shaky cam is, at least in a comparative context, kept to a minimum.

The South Africa-shot The Dinosaur Project seems pretty groundbreaking for found footage, but at its core, this, too, is another movie about people dying in the unforgiving outdoors. Of course, this more singular instance saw an official expedition taking a turn somewhere in the Congo, as opposed to everyday folks getting lost in the deep, dark woods of Anywhere, America. Nevertheless, the ingredients are indeed different here, but the recipe is roughly the same.

As things tend to go in these kinds of movies, one’s profound curiosity soon turns into deep regret. Yet in The Dinosaur Project, there is more than just pure speculation that spurs a voyage to the Congolese forests; the British Cryptozoological Society is responding to worldwide news of a not-so-hidden cryptid. It’s found footage within found footage.

Who better to lead that journey of a lifetime than renowned adventurer Jonathan Marchant (Richard Dillane)? He’s this universe’s Josh Gates, albeit way less cheery and not drunk on his own wanderlust. But to keep Marchant from becoming a basic man of action, the movie gives him something of a foil; his teenage son, Luke (Matthew Kane), demonstrates more attention-seeking behavior by crashing the trip and causing trouble at every turn.

Luke’s youthful presence, along with the potential for father-son drama playing out in between dino chases, smells of a family movie being passed off as a toothless creature-feature. Yet as the Jurassic Park franchise has proven time and time again, there’s no need to sacrifice thrills or carnage just because there are young characters among the cast. If anything, including kids fuels the dread. The story is also wise not to draw focus away from the main attraction. You came for dinosaurs, and that’s essentially all you get here. I mean it as a compliment when I say the human characters take a back seat to their larger-than-life co-stars.

Regardless of their extinction status, surviving dinosaurs are often more plausible than the most common subjects in horror found footage, which includes a variety of paranormal entities and mystifying monsters. In the same breath, that’s where this movie runs into an issue—are living dinos that much more scary than the unknown?

It goes without saying that Jurassic Park put dinosaurs on everyone’s radar well before Bennett and co-writer Jay Basu ever conceived this story of prehistoric peril in the present day. So there is a bit of desensitization that comes with this, and really any newer genre movie about dinos. The oohing and awing toward these animals is not quite as loud as before. Our habituation, though, is put on pause once we’re forced to identify with the characters on screen and see everything through their eyes.

First-person narratives in found footage sometimes have a way of making the unreal feel real, even when the artifice is recognized. However, The Dinosaur Project is never able to execute that same sort of feat; for obvious reasons, nothing depicted here comes across as credible. Surely no one will walk away from this movie and think dinosaurs are alive again. That said, you may still be impressed by those methods used to manifest their cinematic return.

Jellyfish Pictures were the digital wizards behind this movie’s creature visuals. The London-based company, which has since merged with another production studio to become JFX, had a hand in a variety of other non-dino media, including Black Mirror and the Fear Street trilogy. Most beneficial here, though, was Planet Dinosaur (2011). That BBC docuseries was like a good dry run for The Dinosaur Project, although Jellyfish had clearly stepped up their game for the movie. Undoubtedly, now having humans in the same scenes as the CG dinos required more care and effort on the artists’ part.

A smaller budget than what Steven Spielberg was working with means this movie shows a lot fewer dinosaurs. Don’t go in expecting to see a Tyrannosaurus like the one found on some of the posters; that iconic theropod is nowhere to be found. In the T-Rex’s place, however, are other familiar species, such as Pteranodon, Elasmosaurus and Liopleurodon. Those last two are notable for their shared set-piece—the best one—as well as for their mere inclusion in the movie. After all, giant marine reptiles wouldn’t appear in the Jurassic films until a few years after The Dinosaur Project was first released.

This was one of several well-funded, high-concept movies from the 2010s era of found footage. While The Dinosaur Project has little in the way of complex characters and storytelling, it remains unique among its peers. Anyone who enjoys atypical POV offerings, prehistoric fauna, or simply both, is urged to hunt this movie down. It may just end up surprising you.

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If this weekend’s new release has you itching for more dinosaur chaos, here are five films you can stream this weekend that ensure the prehistoric movie monsters get the spotlight.

65 – Disney+, Hulu, Prime Video

A high concept sci-fi effort from Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, the writers behind A Quiet Place and writers/directors of Haunt. Adam Driver and Ariana Greenblatt star as the unlucky pair that find themselves on a hostile planet filled with creatures and obstacles. Driver takes his role seriously in this straightforward, polished sci-fi adventure filled with dinosaur mayhem. The resurgence of quicksand as a lethal trap, early dinosaur encounters, and a gruesome nighttime parasite provide prehistory fun.

 The Dinosaur Project – Fawesome

This 2012 found footage feature follows adventurers searching for the legendary cryptid Mokele-mbembe deep in the Congo. Naturally, they run afoul of some carnivorous beasts from another era instead. It’s the dinosaurs that set this otherwise standard found footage film apart, complete with shaky camerawork. And it’s the dinos that get priority treatment with solid VFX. While The Dinosaur Project doesn’t reinvent the wheel, the dinos deliver.

Loop Track – Fandango, Prime Video, Tubi

I realize even including this underrated 2023 gem on this list reveals one of its biggest surprises, but it’s worth it if it means getting more eyes on one of the more recent genre surprises. Writer- Director Thomas Sainsbury also stars as Ian, a nervous antisocial type who sets off on a 4-day hiking trek into the New Zealand bush, just to avoid people. While there, though, he quickly turns to other campers with the sneaking suspicion that something is stalking them all. Sainsbury goes full throttle on psychological torment and turmoil, coaxing out a slow-burn until a full-throttle third act. That means that, for prehistoric animal lovers, the payoff is worth the wait.

Primitive War – Disney+, Hoopla, Hulu, Kanopy

Writer/Director Luke Sparke adapts author Ethan Pettus‘ novel about a recon squad’s discovery of rampaging dinos during the Vietnam War, starring Ryan Kwanten and Tricia Helfer. Primitive War, despite its B-movie setup, takes its dinosaurs and soldiers as seriously as its action. The action horror movie already has a sequel in the works, with Sparke promising to escalate the budding war between prehistoric beasts and the military. Its sequel will pit dinos against cowboys.

Tammy and the T-Rex – Kanopy, Midnight Pulp, Pluto TV, Roku Channel, Screambox, Tubi 

An unbelievable “how did this get made?” crowd-pleaser from beginning to end, Tammy and the T-Rex defies the boundaries of realism at every possible turn, including the opening credits that refer to the movie as “Tanny” and the T-Rex. After a bizarre accident, high school football player Michael (Paul Walker) is murdered, and his brain is transplanted into a mechanical dinosaur. He escapes, the body count rises, and he reunites with his girlfriend Tammy (Denise Richards). Originally trimmed down to a PG-13 to be touted as a family-friendly movie in 1994, John Carl Buechler’s fantastic SFX gore bits were recently reinstated, designating this for cult classic gem status.

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Regardless of how they came to be here, or what they’re about, these past movies can generally be considered overlooked, forgotten or unknown.

From dinosaurs to a killer clown, here are five hidden horror gems and deep cuts that you can check out in March 2023.

The Fantasist (1986)

Directed by Robin Hardy.

Despite her family’s mixed reaction to her decision, Moira Harris‘ sheltered but curious character moves to Dublin to be a teacher. There she becomes the next target of a serial killer who gradually escalates from phone calls to murder. The protagonist of The Fantasist eventually suspects her pushy American neighbor (Timothy Bottoms) to be the culprit.

While best known for directing The Wicker Man, and to a lesser extent The Wicker Tree, Irish filmmaker Robin Hardy also worked on two other horror films. The first being this one and the other being Forbidden Sun (a.k.a. Bulldance). However, Hardy only co-wrote the latter film, whereas he wrote and directed The Fantasist. This giallo-esque thriller is tonally confused, yet its blend of comedy, drama and horror makes for a more interesting watch.

The Fantasist is currently streaming on Tubi.

Blood & Donuts (1995)

Directed by Holly Dale.

Boya (Gordon Currie), a vampire who’s been asleep since 1969, wakes up from his slumber after a stray golf ball lands in his lair and knocks him out of bed. He doesn’t have time to be fascinated by all the technological advances or cultural changes in this new age because an ex (Fiona Reid) has sensed his return and is now coming after him. Meanwhile, Boya befriends a donut shop employee and a taxi driver (Helene Clarkson and Louis Ferreira). He protects them from two scoundrels working for a local crime boss (David Cronenberg).

Blood & Donuts was Holly Dale’s first narrative film after sticking to documentaries. This charming vampire tale isn’t the slightest bit scary, but the characters are likable and the performances are colorful. It’s a great example of low-budget Canadian filmmaking. This could have easily continued on as a television series.

Blood & Donuts is currently streaming on Roku.

The Clown at Midnight (1999)

Directed by Jean Pellerin.

Kate (Sarah Lassez), the daughter of the late opera singer Lorraine Sedgewick (Vicki Marentette), and her friends restore the opera house where Kate’s mother was supposedly murdered by her co-star. As strange things start to happen, the group wonders if maybe the place is haunted or Lorraine’s killer, who was never apprehended, has come back to make sure the opera house stays closed.

With Scream VI coming out this month, someone might want to look up all the films that tried to emulate the original. The underseen and possibly forgotten The Clown at Midnight is exactly the kind of slasher that the 1996 Scream would have parodied. This atmospheric and sometimes cheesy slasher plays everything straight, which back then was maybe seen as old-fashioned, but nowadays that lack of self-awareness can be refreshing.

The Clown at Midnight is currently streaming on Tubi.

Prey (2010)

Directed by Antoine Blossier.

With March 1st being National Pig Day, now is a good time to mention the underseen French horror film Prey (originally Proie). Here a family reunion in the countryside turns into a hunting party. The game is wild boars, but soon the tables are turned on the hunters. Son-in-law Nathan (Grégoire Colin) is already at odds with his wife’s father (François Levantal) when they realize these unpredictable and voracious boars have been mutated by this family’s claim to fortune: pesticides.

Despite the hackneyed plot, Prey is a suspenseful and fast-paced creature-feature with high production values. It may be seen as just another eco-horror film, but it takes itself seriously and doesn’t hold back on the blood.

Prey is currently streaming on AMC+.

The Dinosaur Project (2012)

Directed by Sid Bennett.

With 65 out soon, horror fans will naturally turn to the Jurassic Park/World franchise or even the Carnosaur series for their dino thrills. The Dinosaur Project is another option to consider, though. In this British found-footage film, a group of explorers searches for the legendary cryptid Mokele-mbembe in the Congo. Their expedition ultimately becomes a survival mission when the team comes across a lost world full of living dinosaurs and other prehistoric megafauna.

While it doesn’t have a complicated story, The Dinosaur Project is energetic and packed with rather impressive visual effects. The fact that there’s always a camera available and turned on might annoy some viewers, but the cliché is worth overlooking here.

The Dinosaur Project is currently streaming on Tubi.

No genre is as prolific as horror, so it’s understandable that movies fall through the cracks all the time. That is where this recurring column, Deep Cuts Rising, comes in. Each installment of this series will spotlight several unsung or obscure movies from the past — some from way back when, and others from not so long ago — that could use more attention.

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Fortunately for fans of all things prehistoric, Scott Beck and Bryan Woods’s upcoming 65 (March 10th) promises a return to the Jurassic-Park-less thrills of completely original dinosaur movies. And with that in mind, we’ve come up with this list highlighting six of the best non-JP dinosaur thrillers for all your prehistoric media needs!

As usual, this list is purely based on personal opinion, but since this is Bloody Disgusting, we’ll be limiting entries to monster movies and thrillers. That means no Super Mario Bros or Disney’s Dinosaur (despite those freaky iguanodon lips). We’ll also only be featuring movies that actually focus on the dinosaurs as a key part of the story, so no King Kong.

With that out of the way, don’t forget to comment below with your own favorite dinosaur movies if you think we missed a good one.

Now, onto the list…

6. The Dinosaur Project (2012)

As you can see from the rest of this list, it’s pretty hard to depict a realistic dinosaur onscreen without a Spielbergian budget. That being said, clever filmmakers can always find ways to work around sub-par effects, which is precisely the case with Sid Bennett’s The Dinosaur Project.

A unique Found-Footage flick that uses the shaky-cam aesthetic to smooth out the rough edges of its visual effects, the film follows an expedition to the Congo as a group of explorers attempt to find the legendary Mokele-mbembe. Naturally, prehistoric terror ensues as the expedition comes across a series of carnivorous threats.

It doesn’t exactly re-invent the Found-Footage wheel, but The Dinosaur Project’s impressive CGI and overall earnestness make it way more charming than it has any right to be.

5. Carnosaur (1993)

Mockbusters may be a questionable business practice, but the best of them manage to only rip off general themes and ideas instead of entire plots. A good example of this is Adam Simon’s Carnosaur, which was commissioned by the legendary Roger Corman to compete with Jurassic Park. Telling a ridiculous story about genetically engineered chickens and reptilian murderers, the movie was a surprisingly creative cash grab that spawned a franchise of its own.

Sure, the effects are about as absurd as the juvenile script, but if you keep in mind that the entire thing was shot in 18 days on a budget of less than a million dollars, it’s a miracle that the flick is as fun as it is.

4. Velocipastor (2017)

As a rule, “so bad it’s good” movies don’t happen on purpose. Usually, this is something that occurs organically after the fact, with audiences lamenting a film’s lack of quality at the same time that they connect with the misguided passion behind the project. Velocipastor throws these conventions out the window, as it’s quite clear from the beginning of this schlocky horror comedy that director Brendan Steere had no intention of making a traditionally good movie.

And yet, the end result is even more fun than similarly trashy productions like Sharknado, with the film making up for its minuscule $36.000 budget with plenty of humor. Hell, they even got gothic artist Aurelio Voltaire to make an appearance, not to mention a lovable dinosaur costume that makes Carnosaur look like a Disney production!

3. The Lost World (1960)

While he’s mostly associated with Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was an incredibly prolific writer, creating several other characters who had their own popular adventures. One of the most memorable of these recurring figures is Professor Challenger, who was first introduced in the 1912 novel, The Lost World.

With the book becoming a hot property in Hollywood, Challenger would go on to be portrayed by numerous performers, from John Rhys-Davies to Bob Hoskins. However, my own personal favorite take on the character comes from the legendary Claude Rains (the original Invisible Man!) in Irwin Allen’s loose adaptation of the book.

Sure, the lizards with glued-on horns are a far cry from the artistry of Willis O’Brien’s stop-motion creatures in the original adaptation (and the script has its fair share of scientific blunders), but I’d argue that the film’s low-budget charms only make it more endearing. That being said, fans of the novel are better off watching the more faithful 1922 version.

2. Tammy and the T-Rex (1994)

Sometimes, a good prop is all you need to make a compelling movie. This was the case with Stewart Raffill’s Tammy and the T-Rex, an absurd project that only went into production because the director met a theater producer who owned an animatronic T-Rex. Filmed in a rush before the expensive dinosaur was set to be shipped to Texas, what resulted was a madly entertaining horror comedy that deserves a bigger following.

While the uncut (and vastly superior) version of the film was only released in 2019, I actually caught the original cut on TV late one night when I was a kid and fell in love with its cheesy delights. Unfortunately, it took me a really long time to meet someone else who had seen the flick, resulting in many years spent thinking that I had hallucinated the entire thing.

After watching the unrated cut, I’m glad I didn’t!

1. Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991)

Few movie monsters have evolved as much as Godzilla over the years. From a demonic creature possessed by the souls of concentration camp victims to an irradiated iguana, old ‘Zilla’s never had a problem with re-inventing himself. Naturally, this means that, at one point, the radioactive lizard was depicted as an innocent “Godzillasaurus” who became mutated by nuclear bombs during the second world war.

This backstory presented in Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah would be contested in later pictures, but fans loved the idea that the world’s most popular kaiju had his own superhero origin. Plus, the movie itself was one of the better Godzilla sequels, featuring plenty of monster movie action and some unexpected time-travel shenanigans.

And here’s a fun fact for you: Gojirasaurs have since been recognized as a real dinosaur, though the real ones don’t look much like the creatures featured in GvKG.

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The project began in November 2010 when TV programmakers Sid Bennett and Tom Pridham and producer Nick Hill walked into the London office of StudioCanal with an idea for a movie “about a father-and-son documentary team who discover dinosaurs in the African jungle.” More like a Jurassic Park of sorts, it stars Peter Brooke (Red Lights, The Dark Knight) as “Charlie Rutherford”, Natasha Loring as “Dr. Liz Draper” and Matt Kane.

“Dinosaur Project is a team of explorers searching for a mythical creature. When their helicopter is brought down by a flock of enormous birds they discover strange creatures which civilization has thought extinct for millions of years!“

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In November 2010, TV programmakers Sid Bennett and Tom Pridham and producer Nick Hill walked into the London office of StudioCanal with an idea for a movie “about a father-and-son documentary team who discover dinosaurs in the African jungle.”

“Set in the deepest, wildest throngs of the African jungle, The Dinosaur Project is an ambitious quest by a team of western explorers, hoping to find a water creature, whose origins are rooted in myth and fantasy amongst the indigenous people. The head of the expedition, an Indiana Jones look-a-like, has his plans for a successful trip spoiled though, after his helicopter is brought down by a flock of enormous birds (that look suspiciously dinosaurian) and to add to his troubles, he also has to look after his stowaway son, who has sneaked onto the trip. Luke, the stowaway son, is the films main narrator; with an arsenal of personal cameras at his disposal, the young techno-geek captures every minute of this Project, which soon becomes a lesson in survival. The team quickly discover all is not well in this jungle, and encounter some extraordinary creatures, most of which civilization has presumed extinct for millennia!“

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In November 2010, TV programmakers Sid Bennett and Tom Pridham and producer Nick Hill walked into the London office of StudioCanal with an idea for a movie “about a father-and-son documentary team who discover dinosaurs in the African jungle.” Now here we are with an official website and second badass quad poster!

“Set in the deepest, wildest throngs of the African jungle, The Dinosaur Project is an ambitious quest by a team of western explorers, hoping to find a water creature, whose origins are rooted in myth and fantasy amongst the indigenous people. The head of the expedition, an Indiana Jones look-a-like, has his plans for a successful trip spoiled though, after his helicopter is brought down by a flock of enormous birds (that look suspiciously dinosaurian) and to add to his troubles, he also has to look after his stowaway son, who has sneaked onto the trip. Luke, the stowaway son, is the films main narrator; with an arsenal of personal cameras at his disposal, the young techno-geek captures every minute of this Project, which soon becomes a lesson in survival. The team quickly discover all is not well in this jungle, and encounter some extraordinary creatures, most of which civilization has presumed extinct for millennia!“

The post Second ‘The Dinosaur Project’ Quad Poster Reveals More Dinos! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

In November 2010, TV programmakers Sid Bennett and Tom Pridham and producer Nick Hill walked into the London office of StudioCanal with an idea for a movie “about a father-and-son documentary team who discover dinosaurs in the African jungle.” Now here we are with an official website and a super sweet UK quad via Empire. The poster features the crew transforming into a velociraptor head. It’s wicked cool.

“Set in the deepest, wildest throngs of the African jungle, The Dinosaur Project is an ambitious quest by a team of western explorers, hoping to find a water creature, whose origins are rooted in myth and fantasy amongst the indigenous people. The head of the expedition, an Indiana Jones look-a-like, has his plans for a successful trip spoiled though, after his helicopter is brought down by a flock of enormous birds (that look suspiciously dinosaurian) and to add to his troubles, he also has to look after his stowaway son, who has sneaked onto the trip. Luke, the stowaway son, is the films main narrator; with an arsenal of personal cameras at his disposal, the young techno-geek captures every minute of this Project, which soon becomes a lesson in survival. The team quickly discover all is not well in this jungle, and encounter some extraordinary creatures, most of which civilization has presumed extinct for millennia!”

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In November 2010, TV programmakers Sid Bennett and Tom Pridham and producer Nick Hill walked into the London office of StudioCanal with an idea for a movie “about a father-and-son documentary team who discover dinosaurs in the African jungle.” They had an outline, a showreel, a budget, a plan for the vfx and a clear timetable to progress rapidly into production — but no script. StudioCanal took the bait. Budget is under $16 million.

Check out the official AFM synopsis and art for what’s being described as “the most exciting dinosaur action movie since Jurassic Park! “And the world thought that dinosaurs were extinct? Brace yourself for a chilling ride through the depths of the Congo jungle as a film crew discovers (to their peril) that the 65-million-year-old species is more than alive! The most exciting dinosaur action movie since Jurassic Park!

African fishermen find an orange backpack floating gently on the water. They are astonished to discover a waterproof container inside, full of videotapes. Flash back to London and the announcement by crypto-zoologist Jonathan Marchant of his expedition to find Mokele Mbembe, a legendary dinosaur rumored to inhabit the Congo River.

As Jonathan’s team boards a chopper to take them into the jungle, they are accompanied by their mysterious and beautiful local guide, Amara; a TV documentary crew equipped with state-of-the-art camera technology; and a stowaway looking for adventure: Jonathan’s rebellious but multi-talented teenage son, Luke. After an attack by flying reptiles, the helicopter crashes near a deserted village, and all the team’s links to the outside world go down. They are on their own. Or are they?”

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