[REVIEW] Frogman (2024) is the Whole Package

Rotting Press’ newest feature Frogman breathes new life into the cryptid found footage feature. The team behind the film has gone as far as to release the film on a limited edition VHS (which was so popular it’s now sold out!) and merch to match the collection seen in the film. With a strong, original marketing campaign and an outstanding original feature to match it, Frogman stands out among the indie horror releases of 2024. The film is now available on VOD.

Frogman is a found-footage style original story based on the real-life folklore of the titular Frogman who is said to be found in Loveland, Ohio. Our protagonist Dallas Kyle (Nathan Tymoshuk) follows a hero’s journey to the same spot he believes he witnessed the Frogman on a family trip at age 12. The footage we see captures the venture to the town of Loveland, an exploration of the local Frogman gift shop, and the changing dynamics between Dallas and his adventure partners Scott (Benny Barrett) and Amy (Chelsey Grant). I will keep this review spoiler free, so you will just need to watch yourself to find out if Dallas and company complete their mission.

While Frogman could have taken the route of satire to tell this cryptid story (and been very successful at doing so), director and writer Anthony Cousins, along with co-writer John Karsko, have created a feature that builds from a familiar narrative that questions the validity of cryptid folklore to a horrific, gruesome nightmare that really sticks the landing. What makes Frogman work so well is its dedication to making their found footage film legitimately scary. The tone remains consistent as the story moves along and because of its consistency, it is able to devolve into the chaos it requires in order to effectively deliver what it promises. 

With that being said, Frogman is also able to deliver humor that comes naturally from the premise of a giant human-eating frog. A lot of that humor such as the catch phrase “Frogman Fucks” can be found on merchandise in the movie, as well as for sale through Rotting Press. The immediate inclusion of merchandise available for purchase is one of the brilliant promotional moves made by the Rotting Press team. A big part of cryptid culture is the local lore that fuels the rumors of its existence, as seen in the gift shop scene of the movie. Cryptid culture has its own element of fandom, and Rotting Press has been able to make use of that element by actually producing the merch shown in the film. 

In addition to all of this, the poster for Frogman is stunning, and a huge reason why I was so drawn to review it. The poster, which looks like a drawing more than a photograph, features the back of the mysterious Frogman making their way through the long grass and fog of Loveland. Surrounding Frogman are two trees that branch out to create the appearance of the outline of a frog, complete with eyes filled in with yellow lights. It’s ominous and enticing, an exact fit for the movie it is advertising. 

Since this is a found footage venture, the most important aspect of the filmmaking is the editing, which is the standout part of Frogman. The cutaways are done precisely so that we see exactly as much as we need for us to both understand what is happening while also hiding enough for the scary shots to be scary. I don’t want to spoil too much, but once the film goes a bit off the rails, it relies a lot on the editing to create its haunting, disturbing atmosphere. A big shoutout to editor John Pata on their work that solidifies Frogman as a triumph.

I will note that some of the performances, as well as the dialogue did get to a point in places where they needed some work. Because of the tone towards the end, it’s imperative that the dialogue and performances remain tight and believable because we need to believe everything that we see happening. There were a few instances I thought one of the characters may have been play-acting to play a prank on another, though it turned out to be a canonical event in the plot. That being said, aside from these moments, the writing and performances overall work well and help support the rest of the film’s work.

Thank you so much to Rotting Press for all of their work on Frogman. Found footage, particularly in the cryptid genre, are often overlooked and discredited and it’s really exciting to have a film this fun and terrifying exist. Make sure to check it out on VOD now!