Re-Cut

Horror films that are made to look like a documentary in which footage has been mysteriously ‘found’ amongst a bunch of garbage is something of a norm these days. The Blair Witch Project put the sub-genre on the map over ten years ago, and this past weekend Paranormal Activity 2 showed us just how great it can be.  But where there is promise there can also be defeat; and while Re-Cut wasn’t a terrible film, it did get caught up in the shaky-camera philosophy and ultimately failed to deliver any sense of closure.

Beginning with the typical ‘this footage was found’ montage Re-Cut caught my attention early with its unique editing style and presentation.  Real-life reality TV star Meredith Phillips plays a fictionalized version of herself as she is attempting to break the mold and formulate a post-reality show career in the world of broadcast journalism.  Her acting is anything but stellar; however, it provides for some much needed comedic relief as the irony between herself and her character is constantly brought into question.

But unfortunately the greatness stops there.  The film, which was shot on a minimal budget, using only a handful of small cameras, lacks any sense of urgency or suspense.  While there is a killer and a set of innocent victims, we never learn enough about them to actually care about their fate.  The cameras rarely stay focused on any one thing long enough to cause a rise in one’s heart rate, and the interjected snippets of ‘past’ footage creates random and unwelcome delays in the story.

I am not entirely sure why the directors opted to inform the audience of the official definition of a ‘snuff film’ (a pornographic film that involves the actual murder of an actor on screen).  It was displayed at the very beginning of the film yet never got any screen time.  Maybe I missed something there, I simply don’t know. 

What I do know is that while not great, Re-Cut is a decent horror film that excels on the recent mainstream success of the handheld mocu-drama horror picture.  I don’t have any intentions of seeing it again, and wouldn’t necessarily recommend it given its ultimate lack of clarity and closure; however, for genre fans, you will undoubtedly enjoy it for what it is.  Just don’t go in with high expectations, that is ultimately what did me in.