Dashcam

Get set for a savage review….

Now and again I watch a horror film and as the end credits roll, I wonder if I am now getting too “old” for this genre?

The high praise of Halloween Kills, the cries that its “better than the original” for the latest SCREAM sequel, it feels like I am missing something that this new generation of horror fans are appreciating.

Take Dashcam for instance, the eagerly awaited new horror film from Rob Savage who came from nowhere in 2019 with his brilliant HOST entry, a movie that was released at just the right time while we were smackdown in the middle of lockdown as COVID raged outside.

His latest is winning huge critical acclaim and hitting the news when the cinema chain VUE refused to screen it due to “offensive content” a term that will no doubt appeal to the horror masses as they look for the next thrill and scare.

Sadly, Dashcam is neither scary or exciting, it desperately goes for the “SHOCK VALUE” in terms of style, but the approach is so exhausting and at times downright nasty that it left me shaking my head with boredom than actually being offended by what is on offer.

It doesn’t help that the lead is one of the most annoying characters I have seen in a film for a long time.

Annie Hardy plays a fictional performance of herself, an anti-vax vlogger who takes a trip to Britain to meet up with old friend while at the same time presenting a live stream radio channel while driving her car, hence the title and what we see is footage of her show, with comments from a fictional audience and a barrage of emojis popping up on the left hand screen. Now if you like seeing someone drive around with their beatbox, inventing tunes-some vulgar – then you’ll enjoy the ride, but for some it soon becomes tedious, with Hardy becoming more unlikeable as each scene passes.

Not since Tina rocked up in Haddonfield that have I wanted a character quickly off the screen, but sadly we are stuck with Annie and when she is not being horrible to everyone she meets, she is then causing chaos for simply refusing to wear a mask where required – yeah hilarious – and then steals her best friend’s car, only to randomly get asked to transport an old lady named Angela (Angela Enahoro) simply because the plot asks for it.

After that, not much makes sense. There is something clearly wrong with Angela in which the film kindly reminds us with a faeces scene – don’t eat before watching- and as this old lady starts to show her true colours, the film believes it doesn’t need a plot anymore and concentrates on becoming a sequence of high energy set-pieces that will make no sense and at times even forgets that its supposed to be portraying a live-stream event.

Its utter chaos, like Savage has thrown a plot grenade at the screen and we are watching it explode everywhere. There will be many who will no doubt be blown away by the chaotic carnage, but those wanting nothing but a simple scare and further taste to what HOST offered will be in for massive disappointment.

When a commentator on Annie’s live feed writes “WTF”, its the only time I actually related to anything that was happening….but like I wrote earlier, perhaps I am getting too old for this….shit….or should that be faeces.