The Last Broadcast (1998)
The Last Broadcast is a curious beast that straddles both the “mockumentary” and “found footage” genres. Shot entirely on consumer level video equipment, it effectively captures the look and feel of public access cable TV from the times. Released before the massive commercial success of The Blair Witch Project, The Last Broadcast did not find a comparable mainstream audience at the time, although it remains a favourite with genre fans. However, the movie has been recently re-released on Amazon Prime and subsequently become a talking point once again. Elements of the plot have proven very prophetic, such as the popularity of “ghost hunting” reality shows and the integration of online interactivity into live television. But the one standout aspect of The Last Broadcast which polarises viewer opinion is its ending. This is often seen as either a clever “sting in the tail” or an ill considered “jumping the shark” cop out.
Filmmaker David Leigh (David Beard) is making a documentary about the murders of the hosts and crew of a cable TV show called Fact or Fiction. Presenters Steven "Johnny" Avkast (Stefan Avalos) and Locus Wheeler (Lance Weiler), along with sound recordist Rein Clackin (Rein Clabbers) and psychic Jim Suerd (James Seward) travel to the Pine Barrens in search of the Jersey Devil. Only Jim Suerd returns in a state of disorientation. The police mount a search and subsequently find the mutilated bodies of Wheeler and Clackins. Avakast remains missing although his hat is found by a pool of blood. Subsequent viewing of the video footage shows tensions between Suerd and the others and physical evidence soon leads to a quick conviction. However, Suerd dies in custody under mysterious circumstances while his appeal is pending. David Leigh subsequently obtains tape footage that was missing from the police investigation. Although damaged he hires data retrieval expert Michelle Monarch (Michelle Pulaski) to search for any viable material. Will this content reveal the truth?
The Last Broadcast does a good job of establishing its central characters and building up a credible biography on each through faux interviews with friends and officials. It also accurately reflects the “home brew” nature of cable TV and public access TV from the era. The use of IRC as a means for viewers to interact with the show’s hosts is an interesting snapshot of the times. Another clever aspect of the plot is the way in which the supernatural is teased and then sidelined. The Fact or Fiction hosts go in search of the Jersey Devil but viewers are not given a summary of the associated legend nor does the story go out of its way to imply that the murders are of a supernatural nature. Far more time is spent exploring whether Jum Suerd is a gifted psychic or a deluded, dangerous loner. Documentary filmmaker David Leigh also remains an enigma, although on face value he is simply investigating a story and hence shouldn’t be the focus of his own film.
The Last Broadcast proceeds at a measured pace and is a slow burn. There are some minor jump scares when interviews with people suddenly cut to pictures of the crime scene but overall the focus is on maintaining a mysterious atmosphere. The elephant in the room is the film’s climax, in which a computer enhanced image reveals the solution to the mystery. There is then a major shift in the technical style of the remainder of the movie which will either delight viewers or prove to be a deal breaking WTF moment. To say any more would be an overt spoiler. It is also worth noting that it is this aspect of the film that has kept the movie on fans radar and often becomes the focal point of discussion. Irrespective of this, there are many other aspects of The Last Broadcast that were ahead of its time. If you are a fan of this genre or a movie aficionado, then I’d recommend a viewing so you can decide upon the merits of the controversial ending.