From Jeff Nelson

Rachel Kempf and Nick Toti possess an evident passion for the world of independent horror, embracing their content from the past to supplement the found footage creepshow called It Doesn’t Get Any Better Than This. They pair the dangers of real-world obsession with mysterious phenomena that may or may not be supernatural, although the journey in getting there leaves something to be desired.

Horror fanatics Rachel and Nick (playing themselves) find the perfect location for their horror projects – a dilapidated duplex in Kirksville, Missouri. The property grows creepier the further they explore the grounds, leading them to believe it very well may be haunted. Rachel recruits her longtime best friend, Christian, to put their shared hobby of amateur ghost hunting to use. Their curiosity transitions to concern when a cult of random strangers assemble outside the duplex in a deep trance to stare at the building at odd hours of the night.

Some conventional found footage narrative framing can spoil what will become of the individuals capturing the images. Given that Nick doubles as a character and a narrator providing context over the footage, we can assume one character’s fate. Despite being married to Rachel, he feels like the third wheel in the trio’s dynamic, which is a feeling then transferred to the audience. It Doesn’t Get Any Better Than This recalls their prior horror films, many of which are essentially inside jokes that stand in the way of the film’s buildup, rather than supplement it. 

The average person would be eager to run as far away from this duplex as possible, but this group of paranormal obsessives is giddy over the idea of a real haunted house. After all, they regularly perform seances for fun. The peculiar objects scattered through the home and eerie drawings sketched on the walls are enough to establish a hint of uneasiness. The zombie-like spectators trespassing on their property is the central chilling mystery, although the characters’ excitement exceeds their concerns to investigate it further for quite some time. 

Most supernatural horror films establish reasoning for why their characters are stuck in their predicament, but there’s no need for that here. Rachel, Nick, and Christian get a thrill out of the scares that would ordinarily send other folks packing. They chant the names of Candyman and Bloody Mary in the mirror, acting as a desperate plea for a scare, which they’re sure to uncover. It Doesn’t Get Any Better Than This is boisterous in its character dynamics, but it takes a subtle approach that searches for the terror in the mundanity of silence. Unfortunately, the film requires patience to endure some of the more monotonous aspects of the trio’s dynamic to reach the few spine-chilling moments in store.

The duplex impacts each character in varying ways, concocting a haunted house of horrors more firmly rooted in mystery and obsession than a supernatural entity. It Doesn’t Get Any Better Than This leaves us with numerous questions and not many answers, which allows the film’s few creepy moments to live on beyond the silent end credits. However, it’s a case of too little, too late.

It Doesn’t Get Any Better Than This is resourceful and legitimately chilling in spots, but it doesn’t build into much. From the unexplainable fear of The Blair Witch Project to the psychedelic The Outwaters, found footage movies tend to be more about the experience than the narrative. Kempf and Toti establish an excellent atmosphere in its abandoned Kirksvillian duplex setting that may be enough to satisfy the sub-genre’s loyal fans, but it doesn’t push itself as far as it should.

Rating: 2.5/5

It Doesn’t Get Any Better Than This played Salem Horror Fest 2024 on April 26th, 2024.

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