EXHIBIT B

Directed by David Gregory



2025

Kicking off Derby Quad’s POV: The Found Footage Project was a short film from David Gregory, who’s directed a variety of projects including music videos for the metal band Svalbard. During a Q&A after the film, he said that the project originally started as a folk horror film, focusing on a coven around the Peak District, but after deciding to switch to the found footage format, he decided instead to focus on the relationship between the two leads.

Carla and Rob (played by real-life couple, and friends of the director, Carlotta De Gregori and Ross Townsend-Green) are vloggers about to head out on a camping trip. However, in the opening scenes, it’s clear that everything is not happy in their relationship. While not overtly taking cues from some of the true crime cases – such as Chris Watts – where families have projected a very happy image online, while harbouring resentment and suffering abuse, David quickly establishes that Carla is not happy with Rob.

This isn’t done through arguments, or visible signs of abuse, but through the excellent expression work of Carlotta. When Rob isn’t in the room, her smile drops before she forces it back to film an intro or a bit for their vlog. When he pulls her just a little too forcibly into a hug, we can see her recoil, subtly.

David was quick to point out that the pair are still together after this film, so we can assume playing this deeply unhappy couple in a clearly abusive relationship had no lasting effects.

After an uneventful hike to celebrate their anniversary, they arrive at a remote hostel to stay the night. Here, the film does stumble a little bit. From the naked woman seen roaming inside and outside the hostel – David’s wife to whom he is still making it up to – to the spellbound effect the place has on Carla, who very quickly takes to standing and staring for hours at a time, Exhibit B borrows just a little too much from the Paranormal Activity franchise.

It makes the final moments far too predictable, though not so much that it dampens the prospects of a feature around the hostel and the potential coven in charge of it, something David said was being pondered on at the moment.

Despite these misgivings, Exhibit B is a strong found footage short, showcasing a real grasp of character development within its 13min runtime.

★★★½

3.5 / 5

Matthew Tilt

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