When a nineteen-year-old boy decides to catch his girlfriend cheating on video, he and his friends are hit with some devastating surprises that quickly escalate the situation. Seven years later, a police detective and sheriff involved in the original investigation uncover the truth.
Director/Writer: Jeff S. Chimenti; Stars: Luke Wright, Ryan Claxton, Brittney Karbowski
Atrocity begins as a found footage film with friends gearing and boozing up to ambush one of their girlfriends who has reportedly cheated. Then it turns into a documentary about a found footage film as we are introduced to the mystery of what actually transpired that night. As much as I hate to use a current trend descriptively, it's the inception of found footage, and much like that movie, falls flat with the suspension of disbelief. That’s not to say that Chimenti fails completely with his offering. Nor is Luke Wright, Ryan Claxton, and Brittney Karbowski unable to sell the story. It just seems like there’s too many attempts at contriving a complex yarn. I mean, just because the girlfriend's step-dad is an ex-con they are convinced to take fantasy weapons to protect themselves, the worst actually happens, and in the end there’s a bloody mess with the possibility of it having been orchestrated due to a love of snuff films. The legend of the snuff rears its head again. Which immediately reminds me of the film Popcorn, or the ever brilliant Cigarette Burns. The last time I’ve raved about a storyline involving snuff films was with the studio backlot film CUT! Which Atrocity strives to be, but in the end it feels more like a college film project with a few holes that are hard to fill with suspension of disbelief.
Again, Atrocity doesn’t fail on all fronts. It is a clever, well acted, concept that looks like it was developed from a V/H/S short. There’s enough blood to sustain its life and a twist worthy of a sequel.
Available at Amazon!
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