Deadware

The idea for this movie was excellent, the acting was adequate, and the suspense was very good, but the drawn-out story and huge pauses between action was ridiculous.

You can't start a movie with 20 minutes of exposition with just two people talking. I understand you need the backstory, but I almost turned this off after 15 minutes because it was so drawn out.

This would have done much better as a 20 minute horror short rather than a full-length movie. Also, that ending?? Hmmm....

Anyone who grew up in the late 90s early 00s played some game like this. The nostalgia was real in this film. The ending wasn't great but the vibes alone make it worth the short run time.

Plot

In 1999, two friends use a webcam for the first time and stumble across a mysterious browser game that may be haunted.

Cast

Not familiar with anybody involved.

Verdict

There's no shortage of "Cyber" horror films these days in fact we went through quite the spate of them. A large percentage operated the gimmick of playing out entirely through a characters screen with a series of windows open and of course all the involved characters on webcam. The results, mixed however I always liked the concept and it very often managed to be suitably creepy despite the movies quality.

Deadware is on a considerably lower budget than most of the others and to a point it shows, but with something that's not supposed to look polished it's entirely forgivable and looks exactly as it's supposed to.

Telling a story essentially of a haunted browser game in the 90's it oozes nostalgia for those of the right age who dipped their feet into webcams back in the day. Even the point and click browser game brought back memories.

It delivers the creeps, the perfectly constructed pacing and I found myself gripped. The flaw? The finale though passable was more than a little uninspired and really lets the film down.

Regardless within this sub-genre this is up there among the best in my opinion.

Rants

I miss games like this, slow paced, mysterious, unpredictable and yet having a level of basic construction that keeps you on your toes. Modern horror games are more like action titles or alternatively they're predictable flashlight wielding in the dark jump scare filled predictability. Games in many ways have gotten too advanced, back peddle! And while we're on the subject, enough putting multi-player into everything. I almost miss the days before online multiplayer where you played games on the couch together. Yep, I'm officially old.

Breakdown

Perfect pacing Great execution Very nostalgic Weak finale.

I'm usually good with letting every Movie no matter how good or bad play out to the end . . . But this one just hasn't managed to capture my attention.

It's only been playing for 15 minutes, but it's mostly talking . . . And I'm just not that much of a conversationalist. Give me a little Action any day . . .

Or at least something to laugh at . . . Or pretend to be frightened by (Jump Scares just don't make me jump . . . And I'm not much of a reacter either).

I gave this Movie a Middle-of-the-Road Rating of 5 only because I'm not going to finish watching it.

So by all means don't base your decision to watch/not watch solely on my Review . . .

Great googly moogly, this was terrible. Not a single aspect of this film - not the acting, not the script, not the scares, not the period authenticity - were pulled off successfully.

The performances were a flatline. I haven't seen either of them in anything else, so they may be brilliant in other roles, just not in this film.

Not that they were given much to work with. You can't make an hour long horror movie based off 90s internet click-bait screamers and spoooooky meme images. Half the film consisted of this same exchange.

Character 1: This game is spooky.

Character 2: Yes, but let's keep going.

Character 1: No, I don't want to keep going.

Character 2: Yes, but let's keep going.

Character 1: Okay. *Cue screamer*

Character 1 & 2: OH NO!