[FrightFest 2026]: Frogman Returns

In 2023 director Anthony Cousins made his directorial debut with found footage yarn, Frogman, which followed one man’s need to prove the existence of the titular urban legend. Well now Cousins is back with Frogman Returns – a title that spoils whether the existence of the legendary figure is proved at the end of the first. And what we get here is another enjoyable journey into the weird world of modern cryptids, this time leaning increasingly into fantasy.

Frogman Returns picks up several years after the events of the first with Dallas (Nathan Tymoshuk) the host of a shonky show exploring different cryptids, Amy (Chelsey Grant) who has broken off all communication with her former friend, and the titular figure (monster? God?) which has seemingly disappeared. To say where we go from this set up would ruin much of the delights that lie at the core of the film.

There’s something intensely admirable in director Cousins’ commitment to both the central urban legend that inspires his film and the world he has crafted. Lore is built on the foundation of what has come before without ever collapsing into the truly ridiculous. Both this and the previous work were rather silly affairs, but Cousins feels in on the game and it really doesn’t matter too much. If you’re expecting found footage at its scariest, that won’t be found here. And perhaps that’s for the best as this is a film about a giant humanoid frog and the people who come into his orbit.

Returning stars Tymoshuk and Grant build on their work from the original film, layering in complexity even when the script occasionally throws them a clunker of a line to deliver. The camera this time is, mostly, wielded by Natalie Tran’s Lucy and she is a likeable presence. Some of the figures the team come across in the second half are painted with broad strokes and Alexis Allotta’s Bridget suffers from a need to drive much of the early actions.

Frogman Returns will charm the converted and be tolerable to many others. It’s likely all a bit too silly for some horror fans but it marks Cousins’ ambitions as a director, particularly when the film turns in the second half to an ever more fantasy vibe. If there is a Frogman Ends, count me amongst the audience for it.

4 Screams out of 5