I found the Paranormal Farm trilogy of found footage horror films to be inoffensively fun. The creator of that series, Carl Medland has returned with his first feature film since 2019, Aiden. Seeming to be filmed on the exact same farm location as those other films, this time around the movie is more traditionally shot, though has lost none of its indie charm.
Trapped in an abusive relationship with boyfriend Ivan (Ivan Alexiev), Aiden (Medland) has decided to go to a remote retreat on the land of psychiatrist Dr. Williams (Darren Earl Williams - Paranormal Farm trilogy). The doctor's program requires for Aiden to spend a week at a remote cabin without food, or distractions from the outside world. The doctor has asked that Aiden keeps a video diary that he then forwards on. A series of strange events occurring at the cabin soon has Aiden questioning the methods used, with it increasingly feeling like something strange is going on.
I always had a soft spot for the Paranormal Farm films, and so while this is unconnected, it was still lovely to return to the farm setting, recognising buildings and props from those other films. This is far more traditionally shot, but still includes plenty of found footage moments due to Aiden being asked to constantly record his thoughts and feelings. From the start there was an unsettling feeling, with Dr. Williams in particular being quite a sinister feeling character. He had some great scenes where he is alone pulling sinister faces as he listens to Aiden's video diaries.
The movie begins at the farm and there wasn't any explanation for how Aiden came to find the place, I felt that might have added something to the film. Aiden was a very similar character to the one Medland has previously played, He is someone very caught up in himself, which becomes amusing when more weirder stuff starts to happen with him, but he seemingly is more caught up in his own personal problems to really notice.
Boyfriend Ivan appears in several nightmare sequences as well as various video messages he sends the man.
That was a slight issue with the horror in Aiden in that the more potentially scary stuff is reserved for nightmare sequences, while the horror that occurs in reality never really matched that. There were some neat and odd sequences that had Aiden being pursued by an invisible drone, like something out of The Prisoner. Mainly the horror felt a little underused with things feeling like they were more unsettling than in reality they actually were. Whether via diary entries, or with discussions with his therapist, there was a lot of talking in Aiden. A few more action orientated scenes, such as the PTSD flashbacks that Aiden has of his boyfriend's abuse, and a humorous buggy ride at around the halfway mark were good breaks. It all leads up to a late film reveal that might have been unexpected but which I also thought was a little bit silly. It was a bit of a curveball for sure.
There is something relaxing about Medland's movies, they always work well as escapism even if they are not totally without their flaws. Much of the runtime of Aiden was enjoyable. I liked the mystery of Dr. Williams' real intentions, I liked the location, and the general idea was a good one. I did wish that the horror had been more pronounced as I'm still not sure about the direction the story headed in. Still, at just over seventy minutes in length this didn't outstay its welcome at all. Aiden is out now Apple TV, Google Play and Amazon Prime.
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