The Tunnel Feels Like a Rip - Off of The Blair Witch Project

 

Credit to The Tunnel (2011) | Rotten Tomatoes

The Tunnel was one of my most anticipated horror films I had been wanting to watch for years, ever since I saw the cover when I was a kid. I kept hearing this film was pretty original, and thought it would be cool to give it a watch. I eventually was able to watch it on one day several years ago, and I was left a bit…disappointed. 

I kept hearing this film was terrifying, and that the terror in this film was next level crazy. It really felt like I was watching a copycat of The Blair Witch Project, and while the movie felt like it’s own thing for a bit, there was one part that really took me out of the movie toward the third act of the film. 

I’ve seen a lot of found footage films, and they all felt like their own movie, and not like they were trying to rip off the film that started the found footage genre with a bang. The Tunnel felt like it was struggling with what it wanted to be toward the ending of the film, and I was left so annoyed. 

We follow the story of a crew of people determined to figure out why so many people are going missing in a specific tunnel. 

Credit to The Tunnel- Into The Depths Of Darkness — Wicked Horror

The crew consists of a news reporter named Natasha, Tangles, their audio engineer, Steven, the cameraman, and Peter, the producer. Natasha and Steven are present throughout the entire film, talking about their experiences in the tunnel, hinting that Peter and Tangles didn’t make it out alive. I thought this was a pretty clever part of the movie, and it felt original, watching two survivors talk about the horrors they experienced. 

The crew is confused with why the city refuses to investigate a particular section of tunnels, that was abruptly shut down after multiple homeless people vanished. The crew decides to break into the tunnels in a different entrance, when they discover that the tunnels are being guarded by a security guard that refused the crew entry. 

The crew instantly regrets their decision to check out the tunnels. 

Credit to Tunnel Stalker | Movie Monster Wiki | Fandom

While the crew is setting up their equipment to begin their report and findings of the tunnel, Tangles suddenly vanishes in the blink of an eye. The crew freaks out when they cannot find Tangles, and they venture deeper into the tunnel to figure out what is going on. 

They discover they are being hunted by an unknown monster, that is now after the remaining three. The trio try to find another way to escape, as this mysterious beast is coming after them. 

I thought the monster idea was genius, and I really liked how we never got a full explanation as to what the hell that thing was. I loved how the film hinted that the city already knew about this creature, but they would rather keep the public from hearing about it than conduct their own investigation and find a way to get rid of this monster. 

This idea could have been explored even further, and I think it would have been a far better third act than the one we got with the film. 

Natasha’s panic state was way too similar to the iconic ending of The Blair Witch Project. 

Credit to The Tunnel (2011) — IMDb

I remember watching this part with a family member, and even she complained that this part took her out of the movie. I got so irritated when I realized they had completely ripped off Heather’s iconic and terrifying ending from The Blair Witch Project. 

Natasha has her own scene where she is full on panicking, with the night vision camera. I thought her panic state was way too similar to Heather’s, and I wouldn’t doubt that whoever made the film decided to rip off that scene. I got fed up with the movie at this point, and when the monster suddenly dragged her off, I just wanted the film to end. 

Steven and Peter are able to save her in the end, but Peter is unfortunately left severely injured by the creature. The remaining duo drag him to the safety of the public, escaping from the tunnel, but Peter dies from his wounds. Steven and Natasha are left completely traumatized, with no answers as to what took place, and Natasha quits her job as a news reporter. 

The film ends with the family demanding answers for Tangles, but the mystery will remain unsolved. 

I got to be honest…even though I thought it was cool that Natasha and Steven did make it out, I questioned why the city didn’t go after them. If they did know what was actually going on with this creature, shouldn’t they have killed the other two to ensure the public wouldn’t freak out over this?

Again, I know that these are implications, but I wish the film had gone down in this direction. 

I felt like the film forgot what it wanted to be in the third act of the film, and I did not like how it felt like I was suddenly watching a different movie, one that I was already familiar with. I don’t think I would want to watch The Tunnel ever again, but at least the monster concept makes it stand out.