Connect with us

Editorials

[Editorial] How ‘CAM’s’ Masterful Pre-Title Card Sequence Sets The Tone

Published

on

Spoiler Alert: Do not read this article until you’ve seen the film.

After a buzzy, successful run at film festivals throughout the year, Blumhouse’s CAM is finally available for public consumption on Netflix. The film has earned positive accolades from reviewers (including Bloody Disgusting’s own Kalyn Corrigan) for its sex-positive messaging, its neon fuschia colour aesthetic and Madeline Brewer’s go-for-broke performance as lead Alice.

CAM is a confidently assured first film from director Daniel Goldhaber and screenwriter Isa Mazzei. The film is a technology-driven psychological thriller about Alice, an ambitious camgirl whose online identity is compromised by an identical-looking doppelganger who assumes control of her life. CAM is deeply concerned with issues of power, autonomy and the drive to excel in your chosen profession; these themes are all present in the masterful pre-title card opening sequence, which not only introduces audiences to Alice and the world of webcamming, but also anticipates and foreshadows the remainder of the film’s significant developments…all in what amounts to a six minute and 30 second short.

The film opens with Alice jumping into frame and apologizing for being late because she had to pee. It is evident from her verbal response to the television screen in front of her that this is a trademark statement from her, which immediately establishes the kind of rapport and an historical relationship Alice has with the clients in her group. There is also an element of theatrical performativity on display: despite the fact that the audience is unaware of exactly who this woman is, Alice is clearly playing into their wants and desires.

Although Madeline Brewer is acting solo in this scene, Goldhaber shoots her exchanges with the men on the television in a series of shot/reverse shots, just like a conversation. The screen displays the chat room where these virtual interactions occur: a large window is visible on the right that scrolls as comments and tips pour in. On the left-hand side is a mirrored image of Alice, or rather her camgirl persona, “Lola”.

This set-up immediately introduces the concept of a double – an identical-looking recreation of our protagonist who “exists” exclusively in the virtual realm under a different name. The distinction between the cam world and the real world is visually represented when Alice interacts with the “real” world of her mother’s hair salon, or shops for supplies at the dollar store: she wears less make-up, the lighting is dull and her clothes are comfortable, even drabby (not theatrical). On screen Lola is vibrant, dynamic and flirtatious; in real life, Alice is still driven, but her confidence is threatened by the cam girls who occupy higher ranks on the leaderboard. This insecurity even has its own visual tic: in real life, Alice frequently bites her nails.

The majority of the opening scene is a single night in Alice’s calendarized attempt to climb into the coveted top 50 camgirl rankings. She compliments her clients and expertly draws tips from them for various playful activities such as jumping up and down and dancing to a favourite track. In doing so, the personalities and tastes of various clients are revealed, including Tinker (Patch Darrragh) and high roller Barney (Michael Dempsey).

These activities also serve to educate the audience about how camgirling works. All of these interactions are aurally monetized; the soundtrack is filled with pings and other electronic exclamations that reinforce the level of engagement in the virtual room (even when Goldhaber isn’t visually displaying the chat screen). These sound effects create a dynamic energy, a Pavlovian response that mirrors the way society is increasingly addicted to social media and glued to our screens. Shortly thereafter, Alice will cheekily tease Barney with PG-rated T&A pictures on her phone in full view of her mother at the hair salon. Later, after she’s locked out of her account by her doppelganger, Alice becomes increasingly frustrated by her inability to control the consumption of her curated online personality and the financial damage it costs her.

Alice eventually turns to the sex work at hand, excavating three dildo options from a tickle trunk for the room to “vote” on. This is where Massei expertly introduces in the film’s psychology thriller component: Alice is harassed and threatened by an anonymous client – Visitor 003128 – who encourages, then demands that she cut herself with a knife. In addition to reinforcing the potential for online harassment, particularly for women, this swift change in tone foreshadows a narrative development later in the film when a celebratory milestone is cut short by an unfortunate turn of events. CAM suggests that these publicly accessible online forums offer potential for gainful employment and empowering independence, but they are also subject to hacks, identity theft and dangerous trolling. Consider the speed at which the comments in the chat turn from talk of dildos to egging “Lola” to harm herself in front of hundreds of viewers.

The fact that Alice does commit suicide – by slitting her throat – is a fascinating development. Considering how this opening scene plays, it (briefly) seems entirely possible that Alice is actually dead and this is a cold open in the vein of Scream and its countless copycats. After all, horror is filled with introductory scenes that are designed to hook audiences with a shocking act of violence.

Cam

It is quickly revealed, however, that Alice has faked her suicide as part of an elaborate stunt to garner attention and catapult the show from 65 to 53 on the site. This final revelation is a monumental piece of character work because it reinforces how dedicated and driven Alice is to her work (one of CAM’s dominant messages, regardless of how audiences feel about the nature of her work). Later Alice complains about #1 ranked Baby (Imani Hakim), whose camming is revealed to include little more than laying on her side on a pillow, complaining that a feather is poking her. Other camgirls are also glimpsed, and despite a few theatrical flourishes such as pouring body glitter on their cleavage and some light bondage, no one seems as invested as Alice in putting on a high quality, theatrical performance for their clients.

Of course, this drive and ambition, and the lengths to which Alice will go to entertain, factor heavily into the film’s narrative as Alice investigates why her identity was compromised and what it will take for her to regain control her life. In this way the opening clearly anticipates the film’s climatic showdown, another example of CAM’s mirrored approach to narrative construction.

A good opening sequence should lay the foundation for the film to come. By treating theirs like a standalone short, Isa Massei and Daniel Goldhaber expertly introduce their lead character, educate the audience on the world of webcamming and establish a series of thematic concerns and visual signifiers that anticipate and foreshadow future developments. CAM is a great addition to another incredibly strong year for the horror genre, and its masterful opening is one significant reason why it is so successful. “Gotcha” indeed.

CAM is now streaming on Netflix.

Joe is a TV addict with a background in Film Studies. He co-created TV/Film Fest blog QueerHorrorMovies and writes for Bloody Disgusting, Anatomy of a Scream, That Shelf, The Spool and Grim Magazine. He enjoys graphic novels, dark beer and plays multiple sports (adequately, never exceptionally). While he loves all horror, if given a choice, Joe always opts for slashers and creature features.

Editorials

‘Leprechaun Returns’ – The Charm of the Franchise’s Legacy Sequel

Published

on

leprechaun returns

The erratic Leprechaun franchise is not known for sticking with a single concept for too long. The namesake (originally played by Warwick Davis) has gone to L.A., Las Vegas, space, and the ‘hood (not once but twice). And after an eleven-year holiday since the Davis era ended, the character received a drastic makeover in a now-unmentionable reboot. The critical failure of said film would have implied it was time to pack away the green top hat and shillelagh, and say goodbye to the nefarious imp. Instead, the Leprechaun series tried its luck again.

The general consensus for the Leprechaun films was never positive, and the darker yet blander Leprechaun: Origins certainly did not sway opinions. Just because the 2014 installment took itself seriously did not mean viewers would. After all, creator Mark Jones conceived a gruesome horror-comedy back in the early nineties, and that format is what was expected of any future ventures. So as horror legacy sequels (“legacyquels”) became more common in the 2010s, Leprechaun Returns followed suit while also going back to what made the ‘93 film work. This eighth entry echoed Halloween (2018) by ignoring all the previous sequels as well as being a direct continuation of the original. Even ardent fans can surely understand the decision to wipe the slate clean, so to speak.

Leprechaun Returns “continued the [franchise’s] trend of not being consistent by deciding to be consistent.” The retconning of Steven Kostanski and Suzanne Keilly’s film was met with little to no pushback from the fandom, who had already become accustomed to seeing something new and different with every chapter. Only now the “new and different” was familiar. With the severe route of Origins a mere speck in the rearview mirror, director Kotanski implemented a “back to basics” approach that garnered better reception than Zach Lipovsky’s own undertaking. The one-two punch of preposterous humor and grisly horror was in full force again.

LEPRECHAUN

Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

With Warwick Davis sitting this film out — his own choice — there was the foremost challenge of finding his replacement. Returns found Davis’ successor in Linden Porco, who admirably filled those blood-stained, buckled shoes. And what would a legacy sequel be without a returning character? Jennifer Aniston obviously did not reprise her final girl role of Tory Redding. So, the film did the next best thing and fetched another of Lubdan’s past victims: Ozzie, the likable oaf played by Mark Holton. Returns also created an extension of Tory’s character by giving her a teenage daughter, Lila (Taylor Spreitler).

It has been twenty-five years since the events of the ‘93 film. The incident is unknown to all but its survivors. Interested in her late mother’s history there in Devil’s Lake, North Dakota, Lila transferred to the local university and pledged a sorority — really the only one on campus — whose few members now reside in Tory Redding’s old home. The farmhouse-turned-sorority-house is still a work in progress; Lila’s fellow Alpha Epsilon sisters were in the midst of renovating the place when a ghost of the past found its way into the present.

The Psycho Goreman and The Void director’s penchant for visceral special effects is noted early on as the Leprechaun tears not only into the modern age, but also through poor Ozzie’s abdomen. The portal from 1993 to 2018 is soaked with blood and guts as the Leprechaun forces his way into the story. Davis’ iconic depiction of the wee antagonist is missed, however, Linden Porco is not simply keeping the seat warm in case his predecessor ever resumes the part. His enthusiastic performance is accentuated by a rotten-looking mug that adds to his innate menace.

LEPRECHAUN RETURNS sequel

Pictured: Taylor Spreitler, Pepi Sonuga, and Sai Bennett as Lila, Katie and Rose in Leprechaun Returns.

The obligatory fodder is mostly young this time around. Apart from one luckless postman and Ozzie — the premature passing of the latter character removed the chance of caring about anyone in the film — the Leprechaun’s potential prey are all college aged. Lila is this story’s token trauma kid with caregiver baggage; her mother thought “monsters were always trying to get her.” Lila’s habit of mentioning Tory’s mental health problem does not make a good first impression with the resident mean girl and apparent alcoholic of the sorority, Meredith (Emily Reid). Then there are the nicer but no less cursorily written of the Alpha Epsilon gals: eco-conscious and ex-obsessive Katie (Pepi Sonuga), and uptight overachiever Rose (Sai Bennett). Rounding out the main cast are a pair of destined-to-die bros (Oliver Llewellyn Jenkins, Ben McGregor). Lila and her peers range from disposable to plain irritating, so rooting for any one of them is next to impossible. Even so, their overstated personalities make their inevitable fates more satisfying.

Where Returns excels is its death sequences. Unlike Jones’ film, this one is not afraid of killing off members of the main cast. Lila, admittedly, wears too much plot armor, yet with her mother’s spirit looming over her and the whole story — comedian Heather McDonald put her bang-on Aniston impersonation to good use as well as provided a surprisingly emotional moment in the film — her immunity can be overlooked. Still, the other characters’ brutal demises make up for Lila’s imperviousness. The Leprechaun’s killer set-pieces also happen to demonstrate the time period, seeing as he uses solar panels and a drone in several supporting characters’ executions. A premortem selfie and the antagonist’s snarky mention of global warming additionally add to this film’s particular timestamp.

Critics were quick to say Leprechaun Returns did not break new ground. Sure, there is no one jetting off to space, or the wacky notion of Lubdan becoming a record producer. This reset, however, is still quite charming and entertaining despite its lack of risk-taking. And with yet another reboot in the works, who knows where the most wicked Leprechaun ever to exist will end up next.


Horror contemplates in great detail how young people handle inordinate situations and all of life’s unexpected challenges. While the genre forces characters of every age to face their fears, it is especially interested in how youths might fare in life-or-death scenarios.

The column Young Blood is dedicated to horror stories for and about teenagers, as well as other young folks on the brink of terror.

Leprechaun Returns movie

Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

Continue Reading