“DASHCAM” (2021) HAS US ALL WANTING TO BE OUR OWN TRUE DETECTIVES

Around this time of year, we are looking to consume as much thrilling, spooky and horrific entertainment to get in the Halloween spirit. While most horror fans have been indulging in horror movies throughout the year, they may get take it to a whole new level at the beginning of October. With the multitude of sub-genres in horror, there are so many movies to choose from to binge on during the whole month of October. While some people tend to gravitate towards the classic slasher films we have seen hundreds of times, others tend to give newer films a chance no matter what the sub-genre is. 

 One fan-favorite sub-genres of horror in recent years has been true crime. Somehow we have become obsessed with serial killers and their crimes instead of fearing them. I myself am guilty of getting sucked into that fandom. So many podcasts, Netflix shows/movies, and based on true story movies have been released to add to the popularity. The reason behind the popularity makes sense. We want to be aware of the evil out there in the world to better avoid it. With social media and the internet these days, it is hard not to see something related to true crime.

 I recently got a chance to watch the new psychological/suspense thriller “Dashcam” from Gravitas Ventures and Kamikaze Dogfight. It stars Eric Tabach, Zachary Booth, Rich Vience, Giorgia Whingham, Giullian Yao Gioiello, Noa Fisher, Scott Aiello, Jacob A. Ware, and Larry Fessenden. The majority of this movie focuses on Jake’s (Eric Tabach) computer screen while editing his newest project on the recent death of a politician name Lieberman (Larry Fessenden) and police officer Myers (Rich Vience) in a shot out that occurred when Lieberman was pulled over by Myers. 

 While working he is also talking to his boss Tim (Zachary Booth), his girlfriend Mara (Giorgia Whingham) and her friends Rachel (Noa Fisher) and Gareth (Giullian Yao Gioiello) while trying to ignore his doorbell cam on Halloween night. His girlfriend and her friends are suggesting he take a break and come enjoy the night with him, but with the deadline vastly approaching he declines. This movie reminds me of modern movies using the “computer screen” visual approach like “Unfriended”, “Searching” and Shudder’s 2020 fan-favorite “Host”. While it has that approach, it stands out among other films before it and is unique in its own way. 

 Jake is accidentally sent Dashcam footage & further evidence of the story he is reporting while waiting for approved footage of the incident. Shortly after getting this evidence and downloading it, he gets a cryptic call from an unknown caller who sounds like an investigator. The unknown caller lets Jake know that if any of that evidence got out it would ruin their investigation and they would have to take legal suit. The unknown caller also pushes to get Jake to say “yes” when pressuring him that if he did download the contents of the email, he will immediately delete them and not view them. 

 After this cryptic phone call, Jake continues to explore the contents of the file uncovering autopsy reports, documents, and dashcam/bodycam footage from the night’s events. Jake starts unraveling all the clues from the footage, tinkering with the audio from it and recorded phone calls that were included in the file. As things get more intense he starts to build up the story, thinking that this may be his ticket to finally becoming an onscreen reporter. The continued buildup that unfolds while he is going through the evidence had me on the edge of my seat. For any true crime fan or armchair detective enthusiast, it will draw you in. 

 The brilliant writing and directing from Christian Nilsson really draws you into every minute of this movie, which makes sense since he was behind the instantly popular short film “Unsubscribe” last year. The slow burn build-up, spiked intensity/continued escalation of the situation transitions well from the script to the screen and by every actor in this movie. 

Each time Jake is watching the footage or tinkering with the audio he is uncovering something new or useful you can’t look away or get distracted. I was watching every scene intensely, making sure I heard all the details and pieced it together with our main character as if I was watching a true-crime documentary or listening to an episode of the true-crime podcast “Sword and Scale”.

 The final 20 minutes of this film are highly intense with Jake getting help from Mara to decode a cryptic and coded message he was able to pull from the audio. The code mentions a historic landmark called the Hanging Tree that is downtown. With the suspicion of someone listening in or recording their FaceTime conversation, she silently suggests that he go out and investigate. The finale of this film wrapped this movie up in a beautiful bow. It was well executed and honestly had me shocked. 

 I have to say that I was very impressed with this film. The premise sounded like it had been done a lot in the past 5 years so my expectations were low but optimistic. My thought process in any movie I see (especially with horror movies) is to find something within it I will enjoy and not be at the ready to focus on some things I may not enjoy. I would rather walk out of a movie thinking about all the cool things I witnessed rather than be bummed about what the movie could have been. 

This movie truly has a lot of gumption (had to throw in some detective lingo for you all) and never had any moments that the movie slowed down, or made me feel uninterested. Each moment of this movie was better than the previous and honestly have to say that it is one I will gladly add to my already growing movie collection. It is a high recommendation for me and something you all should watch this Halloween.

“Dashcam” from Gravitas Ventures and Kamikaze Dogfight releases on VOD and DVD October 15th.