13 Cameras (2015) Review – A Creepy Premise Undone by Slapstick Logic

Welcome to Knockout Horror. Today we are reviewing voyeuristic horror movie 13 Cameras from 2015.

A horror movie based on a very real threat

Let’s be honest, there couldn’t be a much more harrowing invasion of privacy than having somebody watch your every move. Imagine somebody leering over you as you scrub your intimate areas, trim your nose hair, and sit on the toilet. It actually happens in real life, too, which is exactly why it is such a brilliant setup for a horror movie. Our list of 25 Voyeuristic Horror movies covers more titles following this subject.

“Imagine somebody leering over you as you scrub your intimate areas and sit on the toilet. It actually happens in real life, which is exactly why it is such a brilliant setup for a horror movie.”

13 Cameras follows a newlywed couple – Ryan (PJ McCabe) and Claire (Brianne Moncrief) as they move into a rented home. The heavily pregnant Claire puts aside reservations about the Landlord Gerald (Neville Archambault) and agrees to make the place their home. Little do the pair realise that Gerald will soon be developing a very intimate relationship with them when they least expect it.

You can probably guess the gimmick here from the titles. Gerald has cameras placed all over the house including in private places like the pool and shower. Despite that, we tend to focus on only a few. The poolside camera, bedroom camera, and the shower camera are featured pretty heavily. Obviously the shower and the bedroom are where we are at our most vulnerable so that makes sense.

With this being said, the majority of 13 Cameras is filmed in a standard horror movie fashion rather than going for an altogether found footage style. This will appeal more to some and less to others. I would actually have preferred an entirely found footage style approach but that’s just me. There’s enough voyeurism stuff to keep fans of that subject entertained and it’s ample enough to make you feel slightly violated… Imagine how Claire and Ryan feel?

Suspending disbelief

Naturally, this subject really requires a lot of suspending of disbelief to enjoy, even by horror movie standards. There’s a bunch of logic leaps here that are frankly quite laughable. Some of them are minor. Strange camera placements, for example. There is one that focuses on just the top part of the shower and apparently never gets steamed up. I would love to know how this is accomplished. I can’t even find a “fog proof” shaving mirror that works properly, let alone a camera.

Others are far more egregious. Gerald goes into the house when the couple aren’t home, feeds their dog, hooks up a radio, and installs new cameras. On a few occasions he is using a drill, throwing wood around, and generally making a mess. He even installs a toilet camera. How would neither of them notice this?

Pregnant women have super human senses and would almost definitely smell freshly drilled wood. How did the couple not notice the amount of dust in the air, as well? I can’t put up a shelf without creating a sandstorm that will sit in cracks and crevices for the next decade. How does Gerald keep it so clean?

Many of the events in 13 Cameras are absolutely ridiculous and it gets to be majorly distracting towards the end. Gerald has a room in the house that the tenants are not allowed to go into and this room is used to hilarious effect. There is one scene towards the end involving said room where Claire is in the shower and Gerald has to rush over to sort something out while she showers. It is pure silliness and leaves you with so many questions.

On the plus side

On the plus side, Neville Archambault is absolutely fantastic as Gerald. He is pure creepiness in, what looks like, a 250lb frame. Perfect for the role and I am sure he will send shivers up some people’s spines. I wish the writer and director Victor Zarcoff would have given him some dialogue other than sounding like an ogre from Lord of the Rings but other than that he is great.

Acting for the most part is fine, PJ McCabe, as Ryan, is probably the least remarkable of the cast but at least makes you sympathise with Claire due to how unlikable he is. Brianne Moncrief, as Claire, is decent, cheerful, fairly likable, and deserves an award just for putting up with that terrible baby bump prosthetic that she wears throughout the movie. Other side characters are fine, nothing to write home about.

“Neville Archambault is absolutely fantastic as Gerald. He is pure creepiness in a 250lb frame. Perfect for the role and sure to send shivers up some people’s spines.”

Cinematography is okay, I think most people will enjoy the nice mix of spy camera shots and high quality film shots. In all fairness to 13 Cameras, the first half of the movie really ropes you in thanks to the sense of vulnerability and just how bizarre of a person Gerald is.

On the negative side

The movie just takes a nose dive from halfway in. The plot becomes almost slapstick at points and is far more likely to make you laugh than to actually scare you. The last 15 minutes are awful and you are just begging for it to end. The actual end is so ridiculous it will either make you laugh or regret seeing it through to the finish.

Pacing is really bad. There are sections in the middle that don’t need to be there and they just drag on. 87 minutes is far too long for this type of movie. To be honest, it feels even longer than that. The sub-plot, though tied into the end, seems totally pointless and little more than filler to introduce another victim.

“The movie takes a nose dive from halfway in. The plot becomes almost slapstick and is far more likely to make you laugh than to actually scare you. The last 15 minutes are awful.”

I would argue that there isn’t enough spy camera footage. I would have liked to have seen more everyday events from Claire while she is alone in the house. She is the vulnerable one in this movie. We need to relate to her more than the movie allows us to. We have the occasional scene with her doing stuff around the house as well as the occasional shower scene. They work well for this type of movie but not enough to emphasise the threat she is under.

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