The found footage sub-genre of horror has had several ebbs and flows since it became popular following the success of The Blair Witch Project. When it works, it really works, and when it doesn’t, it really doesn’t. Sometimes it comes down to a good idea and proper execution that makes the gimmick now feel like a gimmick, and that’s something director and co-writer Brandon Christensen finds with Bodycam, the latest found footage exercise that is now available to watch on Shudder. At 75-minutes, Bodycam is lean and doesn’t waste much time getting tension started from the jump, and, because it involves the cameras that are mounted on police uniforms, there is a bit of social commentary at play. Make no mistake! This is a horror film through and through, but it’s hard not to think about several news stories where bodycam footage has played a role, for and against cops, which has allowed those not in law enforcement to catch a glimpse of the job that is gritty and, sometimes, very complicated. Christensen wants this to play in the back of your mind as the horror unfolds, and this is something that makes Bodycam work surprisingly well.
Officer Jackson (Jaime Callica) and Officer Bryce (Sean Rogerson) are on standard routine patrol when they receive a call that most police officers say can be the most dangerous to respond to. They are notified about a domestic dispute that is in a particularly rough neighborhood, but that becomes the least of their problems once they enter the home. Circumstances unravel and lead to Officer Bryce making a life-changing call that leaves the officers with two dead bodies in the home. Led by the fear of the situation, Bryce decides he wants to cover it up and convinces Jackson to go along with the plan, despite his resistance. However, there is more at play than what made this domestic dispute call go wrong, and it’s soon obvious that there is something supernatural going on in the area, and it has taken control of its inhabitants and will do the same to the two officers if they don’t figure out a way to stop it.
One of the positives about the best found footage is that, thanks to their relatively short runtimes, there isn’t much room for fat, and they typically cut right to the chase. Bodycam falls into that category as no time is wasted throwing Bryce and Jackson into an unrelenting spiral of circumstances. Christensen understands that pacing is essential, wasting no time with unnecessary exposition or wasted moments. He makes every single frame count as the nightmare of the situation escalates. This does sacrifice things in terms of character since the audience only really gets to know Bryce and Jackson on a surface level, but in terms of the experience, Bodycam moves at a pace that gives it a sense of necessary urgency.
Christensen also makes great use of the technology he’s using to capture his story. The bodycam footage works two-fold. It gives the film a proper sense of realism, but there are limitations to what the footage can capture, and it’s something the director uses to his advantage. Since so much is obscured thanks to what these types of cams can usually capture, it allows the audience to use their imagination of what they could see next or what could be lurking right out of frame.
Christensen, with the aid of his cinematographer Clayton Moore, is committed to the format, and they don’t make any asinine choices that make their gimmick not work. Honestly, the burden of suspending disbelief isn’t necessary like it can be in some found footage films. Frequently, the audience has to question why a character is holding onto a camera when, in reality, they would ditch that thing within a moment’s notice. Thanks to the cameras being mounted to their uniforms, as is the practice, the audience never has to roll their eyes at why all this footage is being captured. It’s meant to be thanks to the nature of their profession.
As the characters go, Rogerson fares a bit better because he has more to work with, and his character is at the heart of the situation that kicks things off. He finds a delicate balance that works because while he’s technically a “bad cop” because of what he’s doing, Rogerson makes it clear that it’s coming from a place of fear rather than entitlement. Don’t get me wrong, he’s not 100 percent likable, particularly in his description of the rougher neighborhoods they patrol and his thoughts on the people who live there, but he’s able to find some shades of grey.
Callica has the more thankless job os being the by-the-book cop, which doesn’t make him as memorable as Rogerson. Christensen’s screenplay, which he shares screenwriting credit with Ryan Christensen, makes Jackson a cliched hero cop, and while Callica plays those beats well, they aren’t traits that make for a character who grabs you within 75-minutes of a film that’s moving fast around him. To his credit, both actors aren’t given much time for character development, which is sacrificed more for fast-paced chills. Where both actors shine is in selling the fear as the tension mounts, which goes a long way to making some of the more suspenseful scenes work.
As things do move pretty fast, Christensen does a good job of gradually stripping away the urban decay of the area and revealing that the occult is at play in this unusual situation for these two police officers. The horror imagery and visuals are solid, with the line between reality and horror slipping away more and more as the story progresses. It should be applauded that he maintains a sense of reality for the audience that makes the film work on more than one level. There is just enough supernatural madness going on to appease horror fans, but the reality of the situation also elicits some chills.
While the social commentary in Bodycam isn’t heavy-handed and doesn’t scream “this is the message,” it’s present enough to make it clear that there is something to be said here about police corruption and manipulation. These bodycams are meant to capture the truth in the heat of the moment for these officers, but given the fact that they try to cover up their misdeeds, it’s clear that these situations can be altered in a way that could blur what the truth really is. He’s not shouting to the rooftops that the police are bad, especially given the reluctance of Jackson’s character, but he does establish that split-second decisions can lead to wholly questionable actions. Not to worry, though, for those who don’t want a lesson on what’s right and wrong. As the horror escalates, the social commentary takes a backseat to something more standard of the genre.
In the end, Bodycam was a pleasant surprise. There are faults to be had with character development, but Christensen embraces the format wholeheartedly and creates a relentless descent into the occult that never lets up and offers something much better than this sub-genre typically delivers.
Bodycam is now streaming exclusively on Shudder.
Bodycam was a pleasant surprise. There are faults to be had with character development, but Christensen embraces the format wholeheartedly and creates a relentless descent into the occult that never lets up and offers something much better than this sub-genre typically delivers.
Hello! My name is Gaius Bolling: movie, TV, and pop culture junkie! The industry has been in my veins since I was a kid and I have carried that on through adulthood. I attended Los Angeles Film Academy and participated in their screenwriting and editing program. From there, I have learned to hone my skills in the world of entertainment journalism. Some of my favorite genres include horror, action, and drama and I hope to share my love of all of this with you.
