I’m not about to call “Mr. Jones” a scary horror film. It didn’t garner any chills from me, and I never really found myself on edge during it, but director Karl Mueller is able to compensate by creating a real mind fuck of an atmospheric film. Granted, the film can never decide on what kind of format it is. Is it found footage? Is it a mock documentary? Is it a straight up narrative? Is it a meta narrative? “Mr. Jones” really doesn’t seek to stick to one format when it really sinks in to the crux of its narrative. It’s an amalgam of “Resolution” and “The Blair Witch Project,” and really has a blast throwing its audience in to a spiral of nonsense.
Not that nonsense is a bad thing, per se. In this case, “Mr. Jones” is nonsensical in a pretty good way. It answers a lot of questions, but also keeps a lot of its elements in the dark. And while it has holes in its narrative, it at least has a great idea under its belt that strives for some unique metaphysical horror entertainment. Scott is a mentally ill young man whose girlfriend Penny loves him so much, he somehow convinces her to travel in to the desert and rent a cabin (Seriously, are there any cabins worth renting in active crowded areas?) so he can create a nature documentary. Or a documentary. Mueller really seems to want to speed in to the narrative, so he shifts back and forth through formats with about the first half of the film focusing on Scott and Penny carrying around cameras to document their stay at the cabin. Scott’s efforts are quickly dashed as he begins sinking in to depression and lethargy after secretly weaning himself off his anti-depressants.
Meanwhile, Penny is losing patience and tensions rise. While recording a confessional for his film, a mysterious figure steals Scott’s belongings, prompting him and Penny to follow them in to the woods. There, they find a cabin filled with mysterious relics and scarecrows and Penny learns that the owner of the cabin belongs to the enigmatic “Mr. Jones.” He’s a very scary and somewhat seductive figure who, for some odd reason, begins sending his works to various people around the world, prompting an urban legend to build. Some people are horrified by him, others find him interesting, while a few are anxious to make money off of his work. One of the major flaws of “Mr. Jones” is that its protagonists Scott and Penny are really annoying. They go poking where they shouldn’t, commit acts that are irritating, and take turns in this quest to find the identity of Mr. Jones that no logical human being would.
Even when the shit hits the fan, their arguing is so obnoxious you pray for their immediate deaths. “Mr. Jones” really wants to be a horror film and a mind bender in the tradition of Cronenberg, where it shifts between reality and its own fictional format, and doesn’t mind breaking the fourth wall either. Sometimes it’s quite effective, while in other instances it can feel forced. Mueller comes dangerously close to overplaying the breaking the fourth wall gag, and never quite accomplishes the trick as well as “Resolution” does. There’s also never really an explanation for why Mr. Jones targets random individuals with his scarecrows and what his intent is. That said, “Mr. Jones” will keep you compelled, mainly for Mueller’s excellent direction and ability to build a world mainly out of light, and stark colors. And though the path to uncovering the mystery is quite a task, I found the resolution satisfying, and an interesting idea concerning the influence of art, and how our imaginations can play a great role in their overall presence. “Mr. Jones” is an imperfect horror film, but it’s worth a look for its atmosphere, and valiant attempts at supernatural and meta-storytelling.