Yeah, I know…I’m tired of “found footage” movies too. Leave it to Hollywood to take an interesting aesthetic storytelling style and drive it firmly into the ground. But, Jane LA—written and directed by found footage virtuoso Max Landis (the writer of Chronicle)—infuses what has become a worn out trope with some much needed life.

Landis is an interesting figure in the Hollywood landscape. The son of famed director John Landis, Max is as prolific as he is polarizing—his manic energy can be interpreted as obnoxious or genius depending on your perspective. To be polite about it, he’s a bit of talker. He’s also quite a gifted storyteller. Love him or hate it, you can’t deny that he has a knack for creating cinematic, engaging stories.

As a filmmaker, he’s no stranger to the short film world either (he comedically skewered Superman comics with The Death and Return of Superman a few years back). But, Jane LA feels different—less sketch and more creepy, visceral thrill-ride. Via the camera of “Trey” we watch as super-cute, twee girl Jane (Zena Grey) hatches an “art project” that might have some devastating consequences. And, so, in a sense the film shows the genesis of the ultimate super villain—not some cackling terrorist hiding in a secret lair, but rather, an adorable girl-next-door who no one really takes seriously. What if the manic-pixie dream girl was actually a psychopath?

So, what is Jane LA really about? I’m not sure there is a direct answer to that question, but I don’t think we can ignore what the film is postulating about gender roles. Jane is an attractive girl—giggly and awkward. And, so her prophetic statements of evil are completely ignored or undermined. I, mean, c’mon! Someone like her isn’t capable of that. The film is both challenging stereotypes and holding a lens up to how we interact with people based on their appearance. Really, Jane LA has as much to say about terrorist attacks as it does about visual prejudice: black guy with hoodie = bad, sweet redhead with bomb = good. And, so, even us viewers don’t fully buy into the reality of the situation until it is too late.

For such a high profile filmmaker, it’s refreshing to see such a lo-fi visual approach—yet another reminder that good ideas make good films, not high-end production values. 2015 is shaping up to a big year for Landis (he has more projects in development that one can easily count). I just hope that as his celebrity star continues to rise, he’ll still find time to get together with some friends and produce explosive work like this. Pun, apologetically, intended.