Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Faux docu horror-thriller has gory images, language.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Hunting Matthew Nichols
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In HUNTING MATTHEW NICHOLS, teens Matthew Nichols and Jordan Reimer went missing in the woods of Vancouver Island on Halloween night 2001. No clues were ever found except for an abandoned camcorder. Years later, Matthew's sister, Tara (Miranda MacDougall), decides to make a documentary and try to undercover any new information. She enlists the aid of filmmaker Markian Tarasiuk and cameraperson Ryan Alexander McDonald (both play themselves). She reviews the various tapes that Matthew and Jordan left behind and interviews Pam Hamilton (Christine Willes), an officer on the original case. Tara finds hints that there might have been some kind of ritual involved, which is confirmed when she speaks with Jordan's father, Mitchell Reimer (Trevor Carroll). In a last-ditch attempt, Tara and Markian head into the woods to the spot where an old cabin once stood. There, Tara makes a startling discovery.
Is It Any Good?
It may not break any new ground, and it's not terribly scary, but this faux documentary horror-thriller still manages to captivate in the way it embraces the power of the unknown. Hunting Matthew Nichols tips toward both fiction and non-fiction, since director Tarasiuk and cameraperson McDonald play themselves, but Tara is played by actor MacDougall, even though a real person named Tara Nichols is credited as one of the movie's producers. It also offers discussions about what's known and what's unknown, pondering whether one has more value than the other.
The characters don't always pop to life, but at least there's an emotional draw with Tara, who has deeply unresolved emotional business. And it's a plus that she's not a silly YouTuber or podcaster who hunts ghosts in exchange for clicks and likes. The movie definitely owes a debt to The Blair Witch Project (and says so when viewers are informed that Matthew and Jordan went to see it countless times), but it also pays homage to Paranormal Activity. Nonetheless, when Hunting Matthew Nichols gets to its woodsy climax, it has enough of its own ideas to leave audiences feeling pleasantly unsettled.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Hunting Matthew Nichols' violence. How did it make you feel? Was it exciting? Shocking? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important?
Is the movie scary? What's the appeal of horror movies? Why do people sometimes enjoy being scared?
Does the fake documentary/found footage format add anything to or enhance the story in any way? If so, how?
What is perseverance? What motivates Tara to keep searching, even when things become dangerous?
How does the film show the difference between wanting the truth and needing closure? Are those always the same thing?
Movie Details
- In theaters : April 10, 2026
- Cast : Markian Tarasiuk , Miranda MacDougall , Christine Willes
- Director : Markian Tarasiuk
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studios : Dropshock Pictures , Moon7
- Genre : Horror
- Topics : Family Stories ( Siblings ) , Fantasy ( Ghosts )
- Run time : 89 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : language and some violent content/bloody images
- Last updated : April 20, 2026
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