Bodycam

by Mike McGranaghan

Watching Bodycam is like having a 75-minute anxiety attack. I thought found footage movies had lost their ability to impact me. Then I saw Brandon Christensen’s new chiller and was reminded of the horror subgenre’s power when done correctly. Most found footage pictures struggle to concoct a reason why the characters keep their cameras recording in the midst of terrifying, potentially deadly circumstances. This one has a perfect solution: the whole thing is captured by the bodycams of two police officers.

Those cops are Jackson (Jamie M. Callica) and Bryce (Sean Rogerson). They’re called to the scene of a domestic dispute. Once they get to the address, the men discover a literal house of horrors. A huge hole to who-knows-where in the basement is just one of the disturbing sights. So is a mysterious symbol scrawled on the wall. A tragedy takes place during the visit - it involves a dead baby, so be careful if that’s a trigger for you - and their effort to cover it up only amplifies the sinister presence associated with the home.

It’s difficult to talk about Bodycam without spoiling things, so the plot description will stop there. What can be said without spoilers is that the movie is not for the timid. Christensen goes full-bore with disturbing sights, jump scares, and unsettling atmosphere. Although what happens in the plot is not realistically possible, the mounting dread Jackson and Bryce feel has a ring of authenticity that instantly captivates you. Utilizing body cameras, which are designed to keep running, eliminates the major distraction of found footage, allowing us to easily suspend disbelief and buy into what we’re seeing.

The pace is super-fast, leaving no time for anything irrelevant. Even a side mission to the home of Jackson’s mother Ally (Catherine Lough Haggquist) proves connected to the terror the cops face. Callica and Rogerson give credible performances, suggesting how these police officers are thoroughly rattled when the concept of “law and order” is yanked out from beneath them. From the moment it begins, the film plunges viewers into a nightmare that goes on to become creepier and more harrowing by the minute.

The sole area where Bodycam trips up (slightly) is in the approach to the finale. There’s a bit where Jackson keeps trying to drive away from danger, only to repeatedly end up back at the same place. CGI used to achieve this effect is adequate, but the use of any CGI breaks the illusion of reality that has so carefully been established. Thankfully, the movie ends with a concluding scene that gives the ending of The Blair Witch Project a run for its money.

If you think found footage has run its course, here’s proof to the contrary.

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