While we would all love to hit up our local hardware store and fill our houses with security cameras to be the next "Paranormal Activity", there is a reason only one franchise has made it to theaters since "The Blair Witch Project". If you're wondering what that reason is, look no further.
"The Break-in" jumbles together unnecessary security cam and YouTube-quality iPhone 6 footage, while the audience is made to watch the product of, simply, a poorly written narrative. In the hackneyed form of first-attempt screen writing, a young, pregnant couple moving into their new neighborhood. The namesake and only areas of conflict, the break-ins that have been occurring in the surrounding houses, begin to suddenly consume the lives of our couple, Melissa (Maggie Binkley) and Jeff (writer/director/producer, Justin Doescher). Once visited by a very hard-to-believe detective (Ted Fernandez) their simple, happy life is disrupted and the plot spirals down from there.
Granted, in the beginning the film shows promise with its witty dialogue and some realistic acting. And, hey, it's "found footage", which is supposed to be shaky, fragmented, and loosely cut together enough to be un-watched police evidence-made-film. But that gimmick is clearly given up in the end when we witness what seem to be Jeff's internal hallucinations; a masked man darting from the shadows, who, after Jeff announces has been stabbed 3 times, comes to life for one last feeble scare.
To sum up:
1st star: Realistic dialogue and (improv?) acting. 2nd star: Beginning, middle, and end (however uncoordinated they may be). 3rd star: "A" for effort, guys!
P.S. As a fellow filmmaker, it should be noted that digital footage no longer makes the static sound of a VHS when cut together. However, it does add interest and may not repel many mainstream viewers.
"The Break-in" jumbles together unnecessary security cam and YouTube-quality iPhone 6 footage, while the audience is made to watch the product of, simply, a poorly written narrative. In the hackneyed form of first-attempt screen writing, a young, pregnant couple moving into their new neighborhood. The namesake and only areas of conflict, the break-ins that have been occurring in the surrounding houses, begin to suddenly consume the lives of our couple, Melissa (Maggie Binkley) and Jeff (writer/director/producer, Justin Doescher). Once visited by a very hard-to-believe detective (Ted Fernandez) their simple, happy life is disrupted and the plot spirals down from there.
Granted, in the beginning the film shows promise with its witty dialogue and some realistic acting. And, hey, it's "found footage", which is supposed to be shaky, fragmented, and loosely cut together enough to be un-watched police evidence-made-film. But that gimmick is clearly given up in the end when we witness what seem to be Jeff's internal hallucinations; a masked man darting from the shadows, who, after Jeff announces has been stabbed 3 times, comes to life for one last feeble scare.
To sum up:
1st star: Realistic dialogue and (improv?) acting. 2nd star: Beginning, middle, and end (however uncoordinated they may be). 3rd star: "A" for effort, guys!
P.S. As a fellow filmmaker, it should be noted that digital footage no longer makes the static sound of a VHS when cut together. However, it does add interest and may not repel many mainstream viewers.