Horror is often the best avenue to explore taboo subjects. Today, one of the most uncomfortable subjects in the headlines today is pedophilia, ranking right up there with murder (and more often than not, higher). Camera X, written and directed by Loren Lepre, is a found footage film surrounding this subject, asking viewers to think about their views on crime and the consequences of someone’s actions.
After children go missing in a rural town, a small group decides to seek vengeance. With the help of a college film student they document their journey to justice. All are willing to do jail time to protect the children.
Camera X, IMDB
Well, are you willing to face prison for righting someone else’s wrong? Laddie, Katrina, Brady, Amelia, and Ian certainly are. They track down an alleged pedophile and hatch a plan to murder him, then immediately turn themselves in. Documenting every step of the plan from renting a safe house to the murder itself, they address their reasoning behind the act, each member discussing their unique and distressing experiences with childhood sexual trauma.
So of course we have the found footage aspect, which is honestly nothing special. What is of note are two things: the overall theming and the effects — we’ll talk about the latter first.
Camera X had surprisingly good effect work considering it’s an indie film. Short and simple, characters get beat up and stabbed through the face. Knife cuts are smooth. Blood pour is realistic. It wasn’t too overdone and it was more than enough to sell the kills. I was quite impressed!
As for the theming and surrounding story, I was even more impressed. The storyline was amped up with a mystery murderer and surprise/twist ending. Going in to Camera X, I was not expecting that at all. I wouldn’t consider the story boring by any means, but the moment a hidden character starts messing with the group, my interest heightened considerably. I was going through the roster of faces to try to figure out the culprit. The ending had me grabbing my head in amazement of where we all ended up, and it changes aspects of the story leading up until that point. You almost have to go back and watch again for a whole new story.
Camera X is definitely not for everyone and I would advise those with triggers of children in distress not to watch (just an FYI, no kids were actually shown in distress, it’s only referenced in conversation). But if you want something more on the — for lack of a better word — edgier side that retains its realistic feel, Camera X might be worth a watch. If anything, Camera X allows you to safely put yourself in the position of any one of these characters and really think about what actions and consequences you are actually willing to take on. Regardless of its content, it’s important to support indie filmmakers; some topics may be hard to talk about, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be.
Camera X is streaming now on Tubi. Check out writer/director Loren W. Lepre on Instagram for more.
Thank you verymuch for the review!
Of course, any time!