Macabre…ish Horror Reviews: 13 Cameras

 

13 Cameras, 2016/ 1 hr 29 min

 

 

Gerald (Neville Archambault) buys and installs cameras all throughout his rental property just in time for a pregnant newlywed couple, Ryan (PJ McCabe) and Claire (Brianne Moncrief) to sign the lease. Claire is creeped out and disgusted by Gerald but she’s convinced to drop it.

 

Meanwhile, Ryan is not happy in his marriage and Claire is happily getting ready for the arrival of the baby and trying not to let the feeling that the landlord is up to no good, bother her. They have a house warming party with another couple and they each vent.

 

All the while, Gerald is watching from the comfort of his computer. Soon things begin to disappear, like underwear from the close line. And their dog is regularly sick.

 

When Claire goes out to a book club for the evening, Ryan invites his assistant/girlfriend, Hannah (Sarah Baldwin), over. A girlfriend who expects him to leave his wife. And as expected his marriage further deteriorates.

 

They soon find out that the ‘closet’ designated as the “owner’s closet” is actually a basement that the landlord, Gerald, said doesn’t exist. But Claire stops Ryan from going down stairs and investigating.

 

When they are gone, Gerald comes in, befriends their dog and goes through their things. He does things like sniffs towels, brushes his teeth with Claire’s tooth brush and more importantly, installing cameras. And they are everywhere, the shower, toilet, pool, bedroom…everywhere.

 

Later, he starts buying other things like chain, hardware and sound proofing materials for the basement.

 

Then Hannah comes over and meets Claire and finds out she’s pregnant. She wants Ryan to tell his wife. When he doesn’t she starts trying to ruin his marriage. And Gerald is recording it all.

 

Ryan suggests therapy and the day they start, Claire finds a ring on the ground next to the pool. And even though Ryan changed their numbers, Hannah won’t stop calling. She even has a key to their house. She wants to tell Claire about their relationship and so she let’s herself in one evening to confront them. Instead Gerald has other plans and it’s bad news for Hannah.

 

This psychological horror was directed by Victor Zarcoff and it is eerie. Gerald is cast perfectly, the pacing of the movie is just right. It builds very well and has a solid pay off. This movie is not particularly graphic but it’s masterfully crafted so it doesn’t have to be. There’s some nudity and adult scenes but again, it’s not graphic. It becomes more graphic by the end but it’s not over the top. There’s a lot of restraint in this movie. The sequel is called 14 Cameras.