| “ | I've determined that this is no time to be distracted or set aside in the course of the events that I've set into motion. My next step will be going to the Pine Barrens for a reenactment of the murders of Steven Avkast and Locus Wheeler and Rein Clackin. | „ |
| ~ David Leigh describing his goal to rinse and repeat his atrocities. |
What's the Work?[]
The Last Broadcast is a obscure but underrated found-footage 1998 horror film directed, written, and produced by the Stefan Avalos and Lance Weiler duo. They also act in the film alongside David Beard and Jim Seward. Centering on a film-maker who after a year, investigates the killings that occurred on the New Jersey Pine Barrens to find the truth. But as the tried and true statement goes: don't believe what they say on television.
Also fun fact this movie had a mere budget of $900 lol.
Who is David Leigh and What Has He Done?[]
David Leigh is a bright and talented man who is also secretly a vicious and cruel sociopath only prioritizing over high quality documentaries. Leigh starts the film with a speech about how Jim Suerd apparently killed the Fact or Fiction show staff on a trip and was convicted and sentenced to prison, eventually dying due to unforeseen circumstances and how after looking into the tapes, he's going to investigate the true details of the case. Leigh explains that the news were big for a whole year and how he was interested in it due to the mysterious nature of it involving new technology. We see photos of the gory corpses and that Fact or Fiction was a success despite it's low budget and arguments from the creators Steven "Johnny" Avkast and Locus Wheeler.
One day, they were contacted by a fan about focusing on the Jersey Devil. Accepting the request, they go to the Pine Barrens and put the recordings live, deciding to hire Rein Clankin and the aforementioned Jim Suerd to assist them. Jim's a psychic able to correctly guess cards before they are revealed to him and Rein can tell the paranormal via capturing video on them. Leigh goes on to claim that Jim is a mentally ill person. When only Jim returns, he calls 911 to report what he saw. Unfortunately, when the remains are discovered (except for Steven's which was missing), Jim is deemed as a subject and interrogated in a room while a pathologist proves that the perpetrator used both hands and two weapons. Leigh then describes while inside a empty courtroom about how the trial went on for a while before a unidentified person named "The Killer Cutter" uses the incident and the video recorded of it inside of a box to incriminate him with Leigh commenting on the events while we see the footage before the incident. Jim was found guilty of first-degree murder and earned two life sentences in jail.
Jim desperately maintains his innocence during his questioning such as having a alibi of staying online at the camp. However, things get suspicious when a few people inspect his clothes and reveal that they had zero traces of blood within. Leigh then sees a package left at his doorstep and inside lies the film reels. Leigh ponders if it was from the Fact or Fiction people. Michelle "Shelly" Monarch then restores the video piece by piece and witnesses the crew's final moments as they are hunted down. Steven disappears first, following by Locus and Rein looking for him as Monarch realizes that the killer is out there somewhere. Locus and Rein discover a huge amount of blood and try to flee. Leigh meanwhile interviews people with the documentary he had shot and that he wonders if Steven might be the one who committed the deeds instead. And then suddenly we see Leigh was the one who wrote the letter to Fact or Fiction in the first place, which makes it clear that there's a more sinister side to him. Leigh then goes on to preach about how deceptive and evil the digital media on the internet can be. We then see a flashback of Leigh filming himself, stating that he stopped on a place the Fact or Fiction crew were. Leigh says that Jim was innocent all along and that the "Jersey Devil" could be many things, a human who vanishes from the eyes of people and into the forest forevermore, a dead animal located on a road, and a things that lies inside our psyche and that the project might remain unsolved.
Meanwhile, Monarch manages to seize a fuzzy picture of the killer. Leigh arrives at Monarch's studio as Monarch fixes the picture... what's this?! Turns out Leigh was the one responsible for all the events. Leigh and Monarch get into a brief struggle only for Leigh to subdue Monarch and strangle her under plastic to avoid prosecution. Leigh coldly stares at her deceased body before wrapping it with tape and hides it in his trunk. As he begins to film again, he intends to recreate the murders with new innocents across the Pine Barrens and disposes of Monarch's corpse as he fumbles through his next words. Fin!
Heinous Standards?[]
Leigh's the sole villain of the work, and although he has only five victims, they are gruesome. He hacks every single member of Fact or Fiction to bits after tormenting them except for Jim, who he successfully pins the blame for his acts and getting him locked up, while heavily implying to have caused his death as well, and during the climax he chokes Monarch to death simply because she was going to expose him, and at the very end he is going to claim more victims at the same location. Combine all of that with his low resources (using his bare hands and two weapons) and I'd say he is vile enough.
Mitigating Factors?[]
Leigh acts affable and polite for the majority of his screentime, only for it to be demonstrated as a act with his true nature being a cunning and sadistic mastermind, flashing a wicked grin when he does the crimes. Leigh also expresses disgust and loathing for new media but it is hypocritical as he heavily alters his work to paint himself as innocent when in truth he was the serial killer the entire time.
Final Verdict?[]
Solid yes.