PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Thinking about being watched in your own home is a very scary concept. If it’s done right, that story could be perfect for a Home Invasion horror film. Did 13 Cameras live up to the potential its synopsis had to offer?
https://youtu.be/LLTCJ1J-8e4
(Synopsis provided by IMDb.com): Claire (Brianne Moncrief) and Ryan (Pj McCabe) are a newlywed couple that moves into a new home. They soon find out their marital problems are the least of their worries. Unbeknownst to them, their grim and odd landlord, Gerald (Neville Archambault) has been spying on them from day one.
I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if this script started out as romantic drama, then the filmmakers decided to try to turn it into a horror film. 13 Cameras spends so much time focusing on this love triangle, and it saves any sort of suspense or action for the last 10 minutes! Pacing is important, especially in a horror film and 13 Cameras just drops the ball.
The lead characters inspired no sympathy. Considering the circumstances, I didn’t care what happened to the husband or his mistress. The wife barely pays attention to what’s going on and it takes her forever to figure out her husband is having an affair, despite all the signs.
I don’t have any complaints on the acting. Everyone did a good job in their roles. Gerald was a pretty solid antagonist. He had a very gruff demeanor and a very realistic stalker persona. However, some of his actions in the film don’t seem to make sense when you think about his overall plan.
The ending was just ridiculous. All the action was pushed into the last ten minutes. Even then, the ending was very anti-climactic. Instead of fearing for the characters, I found myself thinking, “finally! Something’s happening!”
Final thoughts:
13 Cameras offered a fresh take on the Home Invasion genre, but instead, it gave us a drama that tried to disguise itself as a horror film. It has frustrating characters, an overall unoriginal plot, and a lack of suspense. A horror film usually has to be extremely bad in order for me to consider it a waste of time. Unfortunately, 13 Cameras is one of those films.
