I suppose I went into this expecting something pretty terrible. I've not been too impressed with "found footage" films as of late, with "Afflicted" probably being the most enjoyable one in years, so it was a surprise when this one turned out to be a decent flick. It's certainly not perfect, as you'll see, there is a certain suspension of disbelief required to enjoy it, otherwise you'll be frustrated at some of the things that occur during the movie. Ghosts and aliens work better for me at this, as I can assume they both have some sort of upper edge going for them that the average person does not, so it's when the bad guy is the average person that I find their almost psychic ability to predict the most random of actions by their unwitting victims to be rather implausible.
For example, it's a little difficult to miss a full grown man sitting in the back of your car, particularly when approaching the car from the rear. One wrong glance and the predator would have become the prey. His hapless victim now being in a wide open space and standing over him where he is in a confined space sitting down. Seems like a pretty big risk to take on the gamble that the guy's gonna be looking in another direction the entire time it takes for him to walk to his car. Another example being a police officer entering a house that has been described to him as likely being a target of a vicious killer. As soon as he reaches the door, the lights are dead and the house has been ransacked, two immediate red flags that would make any actual police officer immediately request back up first and then search and secure the premises top to bottom before stopping to inspect any distractions, including a screaming laptop. Of course, it doesn't happen, and of course, the killer has somehow predicted this through some absurd logic or roll of the dice that simply doesn't work with my humble thought process.
Like I said, it's enjoyable enough, particularly the more realistic first half of the film which some more gratuitous horror fans will probably be bored by. It tends to head into slasher/torture porn territory in the second half and becomes even less believable with a lot of things that simply wouldn't happen in such circumstances taking place and making you facepalm in frustration. The acting was decent enough, the camera work was actually pretty solid, the music I won't comment on. Either I had the volume down too low or I didn't really pay attention to it during the film. All in all, don't expect anything fantastic and you'll probably find it's a decent horror/thriller to watch in a pinch. 6.5/10
For example, it's a little difficult to miss a full grown man sitting in the back of your car, particularly when approaching the car from the rear. One wrong glance and the predator would have become the prey. His hapless victim now being in a wide open space and standing over him where he is in a confined space sitting down. Seems like a pretty big risk to take on the gamble that the guy's gonna be looking in another direction the entire time it takes for him to walk to his car. Another example being a police officer entering a house that has been described to him as likely being a target of a vicious killer. As soon as he reaches the door, the lights are dead and the house has been ransacked, two immediate red flags that would make any actual police officer immediately request back up first and then search and secure the premises top to bottom before stopping to inspect any distractions, including a screaming laptop. Of course, it doesn't happen, and of course, the killer has somehow predicted this through some absurd logic or roll of the dice that simply doesn't work with my humble thought process.
Like I said, it's enjoyable enough, particularly the more realistic first half of the film which some more gratuitous horror fans will probably be bored by. It tends to head into slasher/torture porn territory in the second half and becomes even less believable with a lot of things that simply wouldn't happen in such circumstances taking place and making you facepalm in frustration. The acting was decent enough, the camera work was actually pretty solid, the music I won't comment on. Either I had the volume down too low or I didn't really pay attention to it during the film. All in all, don't expect anything fantastic and you'll probably find it's a decent horror/thriller to watch in a pinch. 6.5/10