The Conspiracy is a 2012 Canadian paranoia thriller / horror film written and directed by Christopher MacBride.
Two ambitious young filmmakers embark on a documentary about conspiracy theorists. They strike gold with the seemingly unhinged Terrance, someone who screams into a bullhorn at strangers and whose apartment walls are lined with clippings from newspapers. When Terrance disappears without warning Aaron the more intrigued of the filmmakers compared to the logical family man Jim, is compelled to piece together the clues and remnants left behind in the wake of Terrance’s disappearance.
What starts as a portrait of comical lunacy emerges into a chilling cover up of monumental proportions. The Conspiracy scales the precarious divide between truth and fiction and in doing so explores and exhausts the drama inherent in our discoveries.
The Conspiracy Movie Reviews
“The Conspiracy is one of the most original, creative, and genuinely frightening horror movies in recent memory. Like the exceptional The Tunnel before it, The Conspiracy is indicative of a sub-genre that is woefully ignored, yet representative of what horror should always strive to be: real.” 5/5 Dread Central
“The Smartest Found-Footage Movie Since ‘Blair Witch’.. a total blast to watch, brilliant and such a massive step forward for films of this type” Movies.com
“Some of the cleverest horror films in recent memory managed to blur the lines between fiction and reality; 1999's The Blair Witch Project is probably the most obvious example, but more recent indies like Undocumented (2010) and The Last Exorcism (2010) do a rather impressive job of grounding their horror stories in stark, sometimes brutal, reality, and they also find ways to push the "found footage” angle into new (or at least novel) directions. Add the Canadian faux-documentary known as The Conspiracy onto the list of low-key, low-budget, low-bullshit indie chillers, because this one works resoundingly well…Presented, rather cleverly, as a documentary about two guys who choose to delve into various conspiracy theories that are best left uncovered, the film gradually turns into a paranoia thriller and then a scrappy little horror flick over the course of 83 quietly compelling minutes. At first, our aspiring filmmakers (Aaron and Jim) are fascinated by one specific conspiracy theory “loony” called Terrance, but once their interview subject goes missing without a trace, they dig even deeper, sneak into a secret meeting, and … let's just say they live to regret it…First-time writer/director Christopher MacBride seems well aware that while his concept is clever and his third act is truly creepy, he still has to fill about an hour with interesting ideas and at least two characters who don't behave like idiots, and (again) that's where the documentary-style narrative adds an extra layer of relative realism. A savvy horror fan will have no problem “playing along” with the film's conceit, and the director (to his credit) displays some admirable restraint as the scary stuff finally rears its ugly head. Capably flanked by two strong leads (Aaron Poole and James Gilbert), bolstered by a firm commitment its integral visual “gimmick,” and some laden with rather unsettling ideas about the truth behind the “crazy” lies, The Conspiracy is a nifty little diversion, and a fine respite from the recent deluge of truly terrible found-footage indie flicks." FEARnet.com
“The film builds tremendous amounts of suspense..The tension builds to an incredible third act that can best be described as Eyes Wide Shut with more scares, but less boobage.” Bloody Disgusting
“a quality suspense thriller that sneaks up on you…” Film Threat
“An ingeniously ambiguous ending, maybe the best ending of any movie” Indiewire
“It’s a surprising turn that’s not only exciting but begins to undermine the assumed nature of the film and reveal its hidden complexity. It’s impossible to describe what exactly Macbride does here without spoiling the fun, but suffice it to say this is very clever filmmaking that knows exactly how to toy with with its audience..” Sound on Sight
“THE CONSPIRACY is far and away one of the best films of the this year’s Fantastic Fest…remarkable…THE CONSPIRACY is the best kind of horror movie…a truly unnerving and rewarding experience” Very Aware.com