“Hunting Matthew Nichols” follows a woman who sets out to solve the case of her brother’s mysterious disappearance, nearly two decades after it occurred.
With a mockumentary approach, it may take general audiences some time to adjust to the style of “Hunting Matthew Nichols.” Much like a traditional documentary, it’s full of interviews, static stills and atmospheric videos intermixed. If you’re expecting a conventional horror movie, this isn’t it. Though, it is similar to other 2025 releases like “Strange Harvest,” “Man Finds Tape” and even “Shelby Oaks.”
In its early stages, “Hunting Matthew Nichols” also asks for patience. Dialogue is prevalent throughout the entirety of the film, but it’s specifically expository over the first act. Character introductions, town history and basic backstory are all explored — just in very slow fashion.
Despite the early shortcomings, “Hunting Matthew Nichols” does find its footing. The film doesn’t stick to a basic format for its entirety, injecting black-and-white animations for lore and found footage for final reveals. On top of this, the mockumentary style also grows more entertaining as it shifts from simply talking heads to observational.
Cinematographer Justin Sebastian keeps it simple. Visually speaking, the film never steps too far out of the realm of similar genre entries. However, it does benefit from the foggy, rural Canadian landscape that is used to add atmospheric tension to transitions. Editor Jonathan Mathew has this flowing like a traditional documentary would. The film itself is inherently slow, but fast-paced cuts and insertions keep the duller moments moving. Composers Jeff Griffiths and Christopher Donald King also deliver small musical cues that elevate intense sequences.
“Hunting Matthew Nichols” is more about reaction than action. Much of the movie is spent watching characters “watch” things… offscreen. And surprisingly, it works. By keeping the reveals minimal, the film continues to heighten tension without playing all of its cards.
Even with a short 89-minute runtime, the film’s pacing is inconsistent but purposeful. There are a plethora of moments within “Hunting Matthew Nichols” where it feels like the movie is going nowhere. However, as the minutes tick away, it grows increasingly clear that it’s on a collision course toward something big. This isn’t false hope either, as the film goes for it over the last 15 minutes.
Is the basic conclusion of “Hunting Matthew Nichols” predictable? Yes. Even so, it goes much further than you would expect given the subtlety of the rest of its runtime. Diving fully into found-footage horror, it manages to tie all of its loose ends together in satisfying fashion. In the process, it shows off impressive practical effects, delivering small bursts of violence and scares.
While many will argue that “Hunting Matthew Nichols” could have expanded its conclusion even further, it proves to be just the right length. Compared to the rest of the movie, it’s almost like a gut punch. This is the perfect feeling for a film of its nature to deliver just before the credits roll.
This doesn’t undermine the fact that the first hour is indeed slow. The prementioned 2025 releases face a similar problem. In a real-world documentary about a missing person case, viewers may be predisposed to investment. Here, in a fictional tale, they’re not. This, on top of the slow-burn approach, makes it challenging to fully engage with the story at times.
Writers Sean Harris Oliver and Markian Tarasiuk manage to retroactively patch up these pacing issues with the colossal final act.
Tarasiuk also directs the film. In creating an authentic documentary-like experience, he succeeds. It lays the groundwork and shows the research before culminating in grand fashion. It’s obviously inspired by films like “The Blair Witch Project,” but this isn’t a bad thing. “Hunting Matthew Nichols” takes elements of older movies and true-crime documentaries to craft its own unique experience.
Miranda MacDougall (Tara Nichols) is at the movie’s core. Her character is a complex one: someone who has had time to process grief but can’t let go of the unknown. MacDougall needed to sell the fractured emotional state of Tara, and she does so time and time again. Her facial expressions alone do a lot of the heavy lifting, but the desperation can also be heard in her delivery.
“Hunting Matthew Nichols” may test your patience. But as the film meticulously puts pieces together, it grows into something haunting — with an ending that makes the wait worth it.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
