Slumlord

"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

The creepy landlord, pictured on the cover art for "13 Cameras," (aka "Slumlord" awful alt. title) has to be among the creepiest, realistic horror characters I've seen in a long time. The performance is minimal, yet highly effective. I don't want to play this up too much, but he creeped me out like Hannibal Lecter in "Silence of the Lambs." At times, he also reminded me of Jame 'Buffalo Bill' Gumb in SOTL. Plus, his head looks like it's full of puss and ready to explode. He's disgusting. And, he's not the only despicable character in this movie. Within minutes, I was hopping that the husband's head would explode before the movie's end.

Newlyweds, expecting their first child, move into a new home, in which the creepy landlord has just installed 13 surveillance cameras, which he uses as his private Porn Hub and more. Also, a-hole husband is having an affair, which is rapidly becoming another ticking time bomb. How are these combustibles going to destroy these lives? Watch and see.

All of the performances are very good and quite effective. So is the direction, and the over all production. So, why the one star reviews? I don't have a clue. Maybe they were expecting a primal gorgy. It is definitely not that. It is violent, but not very bloody. Or maybe they were expecting something as sophisticated as "Silence of the Lambs." Who knows. But this is not a 1 star movie.

The build up is slow yet deliberate, so this isn't a movie for any one expecting a violent action fest. The couple's drama and the violence are nicely integrated. The general direction that the story takes is fairly predictable, however it remains compelling throughout. Some may guess the end, thought I'm certain that most will not. I want to give a hint, but I will restrain myself. Watch it for yourself. If you enjoy good quality, low budget drama/thriller/horror, I think this will satisfy.

I'm giving it 7 stars out of 10, although if I was rating it based on the low budget thriller/horror sub genre, I'd probably give it 10 stars for surprising me so much.

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.

The plot has it's moments, but it couldn't grasp me. Along with that I never really understood the ending, but that could just be me. I would however recommend watching it if you really like horror movies.

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