A normal patrol of two policemen descends into a nightmare which results in surreal madness. 

• Entertaining factor: ★★★★☆
• Scare factor: ★★★☆☆
• Gore factor: ★★★☆☆
• Surreal factor: ★★★★☆
• How shaky is the camera? Surprisingly not that shaky.

Bodycam has an original take on the found footage genre and makes it feel you are right there with the action and horror. It stars Jaime M. Callica, Sean Rogerson, Catherine Lough Haggquist. Directed by Brandon Christensen. Written by Brandon Christensen & Ryan Christensen. 

Duration 1h 15m

Plot 

When two police officers, Jackson and Bryce are on patrol they get an alert of a domestic disturbance in a funky neighborhood where so-called ‘tweakers’ live in the streets in tents. When they go inside the house they find not only a very dilapidated place, a dead dog in a crib, a missing baby, but also two disturbed people. 

While Jackson finds a woman on the second floor covered in blood, Bryce finds a man in the basement near a hole in the ground. Bryce warns the man to not come any closer and drop what he has hidden under a blanket in his hands. The man doesn’t speak and doesn’t listen and when he comes closer Bryce shoots him. To their horror they find out that he was holding a baby. 

Now they are in big trouble for shooting an unarmed man and wearing body cams. Even more so when the woman flees by the sight of the dead man and when they go in pursuit she tells them “you took something from him, now he takes something from you” and slits her throat. They also find witchy symbols in the house. They don’t even phantom yet in what trouble they are in. The consequences for their jobs are now their least concern when the Underman is out to get them. 

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Short Review

The idea of filming a complete film with body cams is a brilliant and fun original idea. We see Bryce through Jackson’s “eyes” and vice versa and it feels like you are in the room with them. It feels very close and intimate, and it also feels a bit like a first person action video game. The film takes place during one night and therefore it feels like it’s shot in real time. 

With only two main characters the focus is clear and we get to know them through their actions. While Bryce wants to cover up his mistake, Jackson wants to take responsibility. Bryce is the one who is falling apart quickly and with reason. His descend into madness is watched by Jackson and by proxy by us and the powerless feeling Jackson has, unable to help his partner or get out of this situation, is palpable. 

They go to Jackson’s mother Ally for help, who helps the so-called “tweakers” who seem more than just drug addicts and act very strange like they are under a spell. The tweakers are creepy and act like puppets, being controlled by what they call the Underman. Ally also dabbles in the paranormal and recognizes the symbol and tells them to stay away from it. But it’s far too late for that. 

The night rushes them into a rabbit hole where a surreal atmosphere full of dread and nightmarish horrors create a scary adventure in which they go deeper and deeper without knowing it. Reality is changing. First it’s small and just weird, but it becomes more and more surreal until they find themselves outside realty that is completely warped into another dimension that isn’t theirs anymore. That part is creepy and entertaining and full of anticipation. While there is gore and some kills, the focus is on the creepy atmosphere. 

Finally the rabbit hole comes out into the liar of the Underman. Unfortunately in my opinion the Underman is a monstrous entity that feels a bit cheap and cheesy. I think it would have been nicer if this entity stayed elusive and a mystery, creating a more cosmic horror with odd behaving people, instead of a monster horror. 

Aside from the ending Bodycam is an original found footage that mixes the surreal with the supernatural, and liminal horror with a creepy atmosphere.