Review: ‘Bodycam’ takes big, bold swings

Found footage gives filmmakers a license to experiment in ways traditional methods do not. Host, Don’t Look in the Dark, and The Fear Footage trilogy are just a few examples of genre flicks that use their limited resources and location to filter fear through a fresh eye. Brandon Christensen digs deeper, creatively, than he ever has with his new film, Bodycam. Filming in secret, the creative team used “a fake title to hide what we were actually doing,” Christensen says in a press statement, which gave them even more leeway to swing for the fences. That committed ambition results in a surprising little treat. While not everything sticks the landing, Bodycam is still a thrill ride and a half.

Officer Jackson (Jaime Callica) and Officer Bryce (Sean Rogerson) are your typical cop duo. During a late-night shift, they’re called up to investigate a domestic violence situation between a husband and wife. When they arrive on scene, their radios glitch, with them unable to communicate with dispatch. They sweep the home but soon discover the occupants in some sort of rabid trance. What begins as a simple search quickly escalates into unimaginable tragedy.

Afraid that they’ll be crucified by the public (and rightfully so), Bryce and Jackson attempt a cover-up. But something else won’t let them. Something is lingering in the shadows and playing cat-and-mouse. As the night wears on, subsequent events send the officers into a chaotic spiral of blood and body parts. It’s not enough that their bodycams have caught the truth; something else isn’t about to let them forget it.

Co-written with Ryan Christensen, Brandon builds the script with emotional layers. He digs his hands into the mud of society, excavating an indictment against the justice system (ACAB, anyone?) in much the same way as Night Patrol, also released this year. The scriptwriting duo addresses flagrant disregard for accountability through a horrifying found footage lens. The real-life horrors are perfectly matched with the fictional ones, which allows the viewer to be immersed in the story and still receive a lesson. The process of the actors filming and lighting every scene is a new storytelling vehicle for Brandon, a “really fascinating one,” he says. “It opened up a ton of challenges, but also allowed us to move faster than normal.”

Admittedly, Bodycam sags in the middle, deflating much of the steam locomotive energy. Even though it carries a brisk 75-minute runtime, there are stretches of scenes that feel wholly unnecessary and could have been reworked or cut altogether. When the last 20 minutes hit, though, Brandon revs the engines and darts across the finish line. The scares will make you tremble and carve themselves into the brain, so when you’re alone in the night, those images will come back to bite.

Bodycam hits Shudder on March 13, a perfect Friday the 13th frightfest.