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CAM (A Review) By Marcus

I’m a big fan of when a horror film is through and through dark and sleazy. No good guys. No victory in the end that makes you feel like all is right in the world. No hope. Netflix’s newest original horror film is a chilling tour de force journey into the taboo world of online cam girls. Alice (Madeline Brewer) is an ambitious cam girl who while on the road to being a top lady of desire discovers one day that she’s been locked out of her camgirl account and that someone who looks exactly like her is now operating it, and to add insult to injury, running it better than before. Cue the paranoia and frantic heroine trying to solve this disillusioning mystery.

We’ve seen paranoia thrillers before that deal with doppelgängers but never in a package so stylishly put together with an intelligent commentary on a component of the sex industry.

The film has a very polished look when it comes to Alice’s set for her camgirl audience. The colors pop off the screen and give the mood a very sexy and jazzy feel reminiscent of De Palma’s sexual thrillers. And when it comes to the scenes outside of Alices ‘worklife’ colors are muted and dreary. The visual balance is very exact and ultimately works, I definitely love the look of this film.

Aside from ‘Orange Is The New Black’ this is the only other work I’ve seen Madeline Brewer in and I was impressed with the performance. I say that because the character is frustrating and unlikeable. There are films where the ‘hero’ ultimately has no admirable qualities or is someone you sympathize with. Alice is such a character but Brewer plays the role so well that even though there’s nothing really substantial about her or her plight in the big scheme of things you still, as the viewer, are willing to go down this sordid rabbit hole with her. So kudos to Brewer for being able to play an unlikeable character and still make the audience care enough to see her battle through to the end. The rest of the cast is game from the creeper male characters (there is not one likable male character in this they’re all creepfests in their own way) to the nice surprise of seeing Melora Walters (Magnolia, Boogie Nights) playing Alice’s thoughtful mother.

The story itself is a timely one. We’ve heard the opinions we’ve read the arcticles. Theres a very large subgroup out there of people who chase fame and affirmation (and the money that can come with it) in the social media world, Hollywood, sex industry etc etc etc. They post a version of their faces, their videos, and themselves regularly. Women and men bare their bodies and faces. All of this on devices that spread this info and these images across all the world and databases. The very real horror and commentary of this film is having your life and identity stolen AND used for nefarious purposes. The film doesn’t give a solid answer as to why and how this happens to Alice (supernatural? Computer genius villain? Maniacal AI bot?) but in the real world its not far fetched to think a bot utilizes all the video feeds and images you put out to create an online identity you have no control over. For example on Instagram every day fake accounts are created by bots or software that steal images of others for profile pics. So much info being put out on a platform and technology that even now we aren’t fully aware of the power and applications of it. And insidious things, as we all know, do happen to people and the information they share publicly.

For me personally I do like social media and what it can offer but, for example, I always cringe at the countless selfies I see. Some people have accounts that are loaded with selfies or at the very least post one selfie a week. It boggles my mind because thats your facial print (fingerprint if you will) that you are distributing to the world to play with and with the constant selfie posts of different angles who could say what one could do with those images and what they could create. Paranoid? Maybe, I’ve been told that. Not to worry though I’m not awake at night pondering aspects of social medial like that but I do like to be cautious and aware of it. And a film like ‘CAM’ reminds me I’m not off base to have that perspective.

‘CAM’ is a solid horror entry. I despised everyone in it and was still entertained. A film littered with sleazy despicable characters (but very capably played by the cast) especially the lead who even in the final moments did not learn anything of value about what she had just gone through; she’s still chasing money and her vanity. A story that is timely and relevant to the subculture that again chases fame, vanity, and greed on an online/social media platform. A film that is interesting to the eye (which is always a plus for me, I love a film with style). And finally… this film just straight up creeped me out and oozed vileness so much so I need a shower. Kudos to the directors Isa Mazzei Daniel Goldhaber on a job well done. I’ll keep an eye out for what you do next.

#CAM #DanielGoldhaber #IsaMazzei #Blumhouse #BlumhouseProductions #Netflix #MadelineBrewer #Horror #HorrorFilm #HorrorCinema #HorrorMovie #Review #HorrorFan #TheHorrorStrain

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