Slumlord

I'm not normally one for calling a movie dumb, but where this picture is concerned it's a word that practically leaps out at you in every frame of this poorly constructed piece.

A young couple awaiting their first child rent a house from Gerald (Neville Archambault), a grotty foul smelling man who has secretly installed cameras so as to spy on his new tenants...

OK! Ignoring that upon first meeting Gerald a sane couple would run a mile - because with that there's obviously no film - but what we are asked to digest from that point on beggar's belief. How are we meant to react to a couple (and a film maker) who find a locked secret stairway only for them to not give it a second thought for the rest of the film?! It's actually insulting. The dumb set-ups and that of the character's behaviour continues unbound right up to the ridiculously staged finale. As for the acting on show...

It's a big chance missed for something genuinely unnerving, maybe even for a bit of cerebral social commentary. Avoid this if you are looking for either of those things. 3/10 for a toothbrush scene that will either make you squirm or laugh in equal measure.

60/100

This movie has a lot of common Horror tropes and has some foreshadowing that makes a movie a bit predictable, but other than that I don't really have any complaints. The movie was a fun, unnerving, creepy ride. From the lead character and his brazen infidelity & wondering when it was going to catch up to him, to the basement being sound proofed just waiting for the right time to attack it kept me on the edge of my seat.

To say this movie is garbage would be an insult to garbage. I've watched pieces of rotting banana peels that have a more thought out plot and better written script. Every character in the movie has the IQ of a lobotomized turnip. The director was likely Kim Jong Un using an alias, who realized that unleashing this piece of crap on the world would cause more long term devastation than simply nuking us.

If you're considering watching this, I recommend getting a large tub of ice cream, swallowing it as fast as possible, and enjoying the brain freeze instead. Your head will be better off.

... Apparently I still need a few lines of text in order to submit this review, so I'm going to make a list of things that are better than watching this movie: - Small paper cuts - Having a little bit of nail hanging out that keeps getting caught on things - Being asked "Why are you so quiet?!?" - People walking in front of you then stopping spontaneously to check their phones - Writing reviews about how awful this movie was

It's not one of the best horror or suspense films, but for me it kept me interested to see what would happen at the end. If you're expecting a happy ending, don't hold your breath. But it makes you think if this is happening to you in your house/apartment/etc. I liked it for the weird/fear factor. Not everyone's cup of tea. Worth a view in my opinion.

"13 cameras", having its world premiere at FantAsia in Montreal, I discovered this dark take on the expansion of the world public and now home surveillance (& "security") camera market. Ingenious, funny and freighting this horror fare is fairly straightforward but has 2 elements going for it. 1) It focuses on the well written and acted familial drama of a couple with real life-changing and challenging issues. 2) It has a voyeurism background with a choice actor and appropriate filming angles to capture the imagination, instantly instilling discomfort and distress.

The editing and crisp pacing make it move along nicely and the only move you do not want to make is in this house with the "slumlord" watching attentively...

Kudos to Victor Zarcoff for building tension and a multi-layered cast of characters in a captivating setting and to the four convincing main actors for bringing us close to the abyss.

A sure hit.

USA 2015 | 84 mins | FANTASIA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL | DCP | English