The film is clearly low-budget, but it is gritty and possesses high supernatural ambition. It attempts to weave a complex path involving generational trauma, demonic possession and a ‘cursed’ 1990s camcorder. However, while the film does create some atmosphere, it often falls over itself with a script that leans heavily on ‘talking to oneself’ to move the plot forward via clunky exposition.
From the opening frames, Capture tries to establish a sinister sense of dread. The director utilises a persistent, low-frequency hum that vibrates beneath the dialogue, ensuring that we never feel truly at ease. This is complemented by somewhat impressive cinematography here and there, despite the film’s clearly limited resources. The use of unconventional angles and claustrophobic lighting transforms the abandoned house into a character of its own.
As I mentioned, much of the film relies on handheld camera work which, while central to a plot about a possessed camcorder, becomes physically annoying and disorienting during longer sequences. Furthermore, the audio quality is puzzlingly amateurish. The dialogue often sounds echo-like and hollow, as if the actors were recorded in a bathroom and the audio was roughly layered in during post-production.
The acting across the board is a mixed bag. Most of the cast feel wooden, struggling to breathe life into the film, with the notable exception of Kaitlyn Lunardi playing Abby. While she starts the film appearing somewhat disconnected, her performance matures alongside the character. As she evolves from a debt-ridden drifter into a woman confronting a horrific birthright, the actress finds a higher gear, delivering a decent-enough performance that makes the most of the increasingly absurd third act.
Spoilers now...
In the story, we follow Abby as she inherits a property in a hostile town, only to discover her mother was a ‘witch’ (or perhaps a victim) and her father, Jason, was a serial killer using a cursed camera to trade lives for his own health. The central notion that a demonic entity lives in a 1994 camcorder and can ‘capture’ souls through the viewfinder is a fun idea, I guess, but also something of an absurdity. Perhaps I just need more imagination!
There are one or two creative scares - references to the ‘window to hell’ and the like - but you’ve seen it all before - ending with Abby seeing spirits through the camcorder lens that are invisible to the naked eye. To be honest, I got pretty bored, despite the ‘body count’ action here and there. The middle of the film drags significantly as Abby watches/listens to tape after tape of backstory. Even with a short runtime of under 90 minutes, the pacing feels wrong, making the ‘passing around’ of the possession feel more like a repetitive chore than a mounting threat.
Don’t get me wrong - it’s alright, I suppose - just nothing special. It has its moments, but it is generally a dull shot at an atmospheric chiller. With a bigger budget and a better script, it could have been much more. So, yes, watch it for the leading lady’s eventual performance and some nice cinematography here and there, but try not to pay too much attention to the amateur-level sound recording or the vomit-inducing extended use of handheld camerawork.
If you’re a real fan of found footage, then you’ll likely enjoy the haunting visuals in a Blair Witch Project type of way. For the rest of us, it’s likely to be forgotten very quickly and presents as just a bit too absurd a notion to be taken seriously. Each to their own! Available as I write on AppleTV and Amazon Prime Video in the UK.
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