Quite a few horror movies claim to be based on a true story, despite the fact that they are not actually based on actual events. It is disturbing to learn that a scary story is based on fact, especially in the case of urban legends. In 1999 The Blair Witch Project used a clever marketing campaign to convince audiences that a found-footage film about three college students who disappeared in Maryland’s Black Hills Forest while making a documentary about a local legend known as the Blair Witch was real. Although the film is fictional rather than actual footage of the missing students, the concept may have been inspired by the story of Mol Dyer, a woman who lived in Maryland in the 17th century and was accused of practicing witchcraft. The Blair Witch Project wasn’t the first found-footage horror film, but it definitely energized the subgenre and continues to influence genre films to this day.
Film director Aaron Irons grew up in the Appalachian Mountains of East Tennessee and was fascinated by local urban legends, backwoods cryptid stories and folklore from a young age. His first feature film, Chest (2022), follows amateur documentary filmmakers who seek to uncover the truth behind the legend of a mysterious box found in a cave in a forested area in the Appalachian Mountains called “Jeffrey’s Hell.” Jeffrey’s Hell is a real place in the mountains of East Tennessee, and Irons actually spent his childhood searching for the cave containing the chest after hearing stories about it growing up.
Sequel to Irons Chest is the meta fake documentary filmed Geoffrey’s Hellwhich is the story of a filmmaker, played by Aaron Irons himself, who disappears into the East Tennessee wilderness while searching for a cave that no one is sure even exists. Geoffrey’s Hell is extremely compelling and features extremely believable interviews with the cast and crew of Chestwith Jason Kring, Josh Croft, Marissa Kay, Dean Shortland, Sarah Van Arsdaland Ted Welch everyone is playing themselves. In addition to writing and directing, Irons is also responsible for editing and captivating cinematography Geoffrey’s Hell.
in Geoffrey’s Hell, after posting on online forums asking if anyone knew the story of Ebenezer Jeffrey, after whom Jeffrey’s Hell is named and is the real-life story of a man who chased his dogs into a cave and was never seen again, Irons received an encrypted an email that contains only geographic coordinates. When he enters the coordinates into Google Maps, he realizes that the location is what is known as Geoffrey’s Hell Desert. Irons then planned an expedition with his team to discover the location and prove the existence of the cave. When his crew doesn’t show up as planned, Irons decides to take a walk through the woods alone and document the experience. They never see him again. Eventually, a chilling video claiming to be the lost footage of Aaron Irons was posted on the dark web.
Geoffrey’s Hell is a uniquely creative, well-written story that weaves true Appalachian folklore, fiction, and thought-provoking commentary. Some of the shots are unnervingly claustrophobic, allowing the audience to experience the sensation of crawling through a dark cave, but from a safe distance. The visual elements in Geoffrey’s Hell are intense and terrifying without relying on jump scares or complex effects. Much of the story is told from Irons’ point of view, which is strange, unusual and terrifying, sometimes reminiscent of Twin Peaks, The Descentand Heller.
If the cave exists, is it a portal to hell? Did Irons fake his disappearance or just go crazy? Geoffrey’s Hell explores all these possibilities and more in a brilliantly imaginative, poignant and surreal addition to the found footage subgenre.
Geoffrey’s Hell with the premiere of Panic Fest 2024, which offered a hybrid festival experience this year.
