Puzzle Box (2023) Film Review

I am a fan of found footage films, but let’s be honest, they’re mostly hit or miss. Only a few actually stand out among the sea of “Blair Witch” copycats over the years. However, sometimes you just stumble upon a little gem unexpectedly. From “Hell House LLC,” “Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum,” and the more recent “Skinamarink,” the genre had its share of brilliant modern examples. Jack Dignan’s Australian-made found footage flick, Puzzle Box (2023) just might be one of them.

In the film, drug addict Kait (played by Kaitlyn Boyé) flees to a house in the woods to self-rehabilitate, where her sister Olivia (Laneikka Denne) joins to document the process. Olivia wants to document the whole week to add pressure to her sister not to do any drugs. Everything seems to be going well, but that same night, the sisters get into a fight, and all of a sudden, the house’s layout begins to change, trapping them inside an inescapable puzzle box.

Written, directed, and edited by Jack Dignan, this low-budget Australian horror is a surprisingly effective found-footage flick/liminal horror. Its concept is honestly pretty cool, with the idea of having the story’s setting be always moving and changing. It almost seems to mean that the house is a metaphor for Kait’s state of mind. Doors switch and rooms get swapped, and Dignan uses this to maximum effect, creating a feeling of unease and horror, as the two protagonists feel as if they are in a place of limbo, unable to move forward or backward. This adds a sense of hopelessness brought by the inescapable nature of the house.

Part of why Puzzle Box‘s story also works is the central relationship between Kait (Kaitlyn Boyé) and Olivia (Laneikka Denne). The film manages to let the audience understand the dynamics between the two characters before all hell breaks loose inside the house. Dignan sure knows his way around the horror genre, as he masterfully sets up some pretty suspenseful and terrifying moments all throughout the film. He manages to make every knock, every thud, and every creak inside the house a source of scare. This results in some effectively terrifying chase sequences around the house during the first and second acts.

Admittedly, things start to feel repetitive after the first forty minutes; things get a bit repetitive and start to lose their steam. Despite this minor flaw, this is easily compensated by its cast.

The film boasts some great performances, particularly an absolutely brilliant turn from Kaitlyn Boyé. Her panic and disorientation as she realizes what’s happening inside the house is effectively translated on screen even though we don’t see her face all the time since she is mostly holding the camera for us in those moments. This is perfectly complemented by Laneikka Denne’s effective turn as her sister Olivia. Cassandre Girard also deserves some praise for her freaky performance as the screaming woman.

Thanks to some solid direction and excellent performances, this latest horror flick manages to make the most out of its unique concept, turning it into one suspenseful and frightening found-footage-cum-liminal nightmare.