DASHCAM -- A Batshit Found Footage Film

Review by Dan Skip Allen

Found footage films have come a long way since The Blair Witch Project came out in 1999. Paranormal Activity is a popular found-footage horror franchise that fans like. Since then, this style has transcended the horror genre and moved on to societal stories such as kidnappings, using social media to tell these stories as well. Dashcam mashes both of these types of found footage films into one tight seventy-five-minute film.

A young woman, Annie Hardy, who fancies herself a rapper and YouTube personality, leaves LA to try to get away from the start of the pandemic in America. When she gets to London, she isn't necessarily welcomed by her old friend, Stretch (Amar Chadha-Patel), and his girlfriend. She takes his car and proceeds to get involved in a weird and wild scenario involving picking up and dropping off an old lady named Angela. All hell breaks loose, and it's all depicted on her phone camera.

The character Annie Hardy plays is basically herself, and she's a bit annoying, to be honest. There is a reason why her friends and people she knows get bothered by her so easily. She's not a very good rapper, and she refuses to admit that the pandemic is a thing. She won't wear a mask, and people are sick of her bs. Even during stressful situations, she keeps saying horrible raps and awful things. ​

Somehow this crazy story takes a turn for the worse. It's hard to say without spoiling. Sometimes I didn't know right and wrong or up from down during this whole situation. The action scenes were off the chain with blood and guts and plenty of gore. As I said, this film is like nothing I've seen. 

This film is batshit crazy, and that's the best way I can describe it. Everything is on camera, so the viewer sees it all, and it's still hard to believe. Jason Blum and his Blumhouse Pictures acquired this film out of Sundance. He tends to champion new filmmakers and groundbreaking ideas. This is both of those combined. If you're looking for something different and off the wall, this is it.

Rob Savage, the director, deserves a lot of credit for creating a film that breaks new ground within two popular genres. He keeps the viewer guessing all the way until the end. The visual effects and camera work are first-rate for such a little indie film as this one. Blumhouse has another hit on its hands. This is a film people need to see to believe. What a ride it took me on!

Dashcam hits theaters and VOD on June 3.

Rating: 4/5