Milk and Serial is a new found footage horror flick made by YouTuber Curry Barker. Curry is best known for his comedic YouTube and TikTok videos he produces with friends for the channel “That’s a Bad Idea.” The channel has also dabbled in short-form horror flicks, notably the 5 and half-million times viewed “The Chair.” But this time Curry and the crew have created an entire feature-length production on a budget of $800 bucks and released it free on YouTube.

There’s something special that happens when friends get together with a small budget and make an entire film. Clerks in 1994 catapulted Kevin Smith into a career in film and The Blair Witch Project stormed the box office, re-invigorating the found footage genre. Milk and Serial might not set the world on fire the way previous friend made films have, but it does open the door for other creators to utilize the YouTube platform for their feature-length flicks.

Found Footage Horror

The runtime of Milk and Serial is a brisk 62 minutes and it feels perfect for YouTube. The plot is pretty thin and easy to spoil but centers around YouTuber pranksters upping the stakes of their pranks with horrifying consequences. There is a twist revealed about halfway through but the film doesn’t really hinge on that. It’s a found footage tale with decent acting, a smart script, and low-budget visuals. A perfect recipe for great found footage horror.

Curry Baker and his team already have a bit of an advantage with their new release. Their YouTube channel boasts over six hundred thousand subscribers and they’ve been making content for seven years. This skill is on full display with smart natural lighting choices and interestingly framed shots. Everything in the film feels intentional down to its easily digestible runtime.

Feature Films on YouTube

Variety reports that Curry Baker and his crew, which include channel partner Cooper Tomlinson, made the film for only eight hundred bucks. That’s a pittance when it comes to feature films but not too bad for a YouTube film. I won’t pretend I know anything about YouTube budgets, but when Hollywood is cranking out 120-million-dollar flops, an 800-dollar flick that looks this good should be praised.

The team wisely used the framing device of found footage to hide any imperfections in the production. There is a grainy poorly lit aesthetic to the entire flick, but it works perfectly for the type of movie we’re watching. It’s also important to note where this movie will be viewed. This isn’t a theatrical release that’s going to play on giant screens. It’ll be played mainly on laptops, cellphones, and on TVs.

Classic found footage horror movies are rare these days with a trend moving towards skype centered in-screen found footage movies. Films like Unfriended or Missing take the same idea as the found footage genre but place the entire thing inside a video call. It’s an interesting idea and some good films have come out of this but they all feel out of place in a theater. These movies feel like they should be watched on a laptop or at the very most a TV. The team made a wise decision to release this on YouTube and I hope more filmmakers follow suit.

Good Horror, Small Spectacle

Horror movies are often equated with low budgets but few are as minuscule as Milk and Serial. These limitations though make the film better. The crew knows how to work within their limitations. The sets they use are all practical, utilizing living rooms and empty parking lots, and the cast list is small and all serve a purpose.

Milk and Serial has no fat on its bones. It is a brisk hour-long movie that doesn’t overstay its welcome and wraps up nicely. We don’t spend a long time getting to know our characters or realizing their arcs. We meet everyone, set up a conflict, and give it a resolution. It’s a breath of fresh air when compared to some of the longer bloated films we continue to see Hollywood release.

Milk and Serial is a good movie and hopefully an inspiration for more content creators. The crew at That’s a Bad Idea have been making short-form content for a long time but this feature film is their standout. There is so much content being produced today that it often gets drowned out in a sea of comparable works. Curry Baker has made something that will last, will be talked about for a while, and might even inspire others to do the same.