Even though we are only at 5 months in, 2019 has already been quite a remarkable year for the horror movie genre. With the release of horror flicks like “Us” and “Brightburn”, fans are now slowly seeing Hollywood take on a more creative approach for horror movies.
Joining the horror movie family this month is no other than Lars Klevberg’s “Polaroid”. Based on Klevberg’s 2015 short film, the motion picture centres around high school introvert, Bird Fitcher who receives a vintage Polaroid camera from a friend. As she enjoys the features of her new device, she soon learns of the evil that comes with it.
She discovers that whoever has their picture taken by the device will soon meet a tragic and violent death. Bird and her friends have to struggle to survive another day and solve this mystery before they all meet a tragic and violent end.
The Good
The general concept behind this film was interesting. It was refreshing to have a horror plot that viewers could relate to. In the sense that there’s a slight possibility for it happen in this cyber world, we live in a era where selfies and Instagram are the norms.
To date, the majority of the horror movies that we’ve seen often revolved around the same concept where religion and demonic possession are an integral part of the film. So much so that it’s starting to lose its charm. Thus, it was a brilliant move for Klevberg to move outside the box.
Besides that, the cast for the film consisted of a bunch of promising young actors. While the majority of them are not very well known in the industry, it was crystal clear that their acting chops were on point. Notably two actors in the movie, Kathryn Prescott as Bird Fitcher and Madelaine Petsch as Sarah.
It was nice to see the following actresses step out of their usual element that we are so used to seeing. For example, it was good to hear Kathryn pull off a good American accent and see Madelaine outside her mean cheerleader roles.
The Bad
Of course, the film also had its downfalls. Throughout the movie, viewers can expect the cliche jump scares and dumb moves that are often present in typical horror movies. For instance, considering how mobile phones were utilised for communication in the first part of the film, it was annoying to see the characters not use them during crucial scenes.
If they did, they would have definitely been spared. Furthermore, the death of the demon felt a little bit rushed in the end. While the build-up was good, the ghost’s capability wasn’t stretched to its full potential. The villain could have done more in causing damage to its victims.
However, despite its shortcomings, “Polaroid” is indeed a good feature film. Horror movie fans can definitely look forward to a good time when they hit the cinemas to catch this film.
