Exhibit A (2007) Review – A Chilling and Hyper-Realistic Descent into Domestic Terror
Exhibit A: Quick Verdict
The Verdict: A profoundly disturbing and masterfully executed piece of found footage that trades supernatural gimmicks for the far more terrifying reality of domestic catastrophe. Exhibit A (2007) succeeds by weaponising the mundane, using a grainy, low-budget aesthetic to document the slow-motion car crash of a middle-class family’s collapse. Dom Rotheroe’s direction is invisible in the best way possible, allowing the improvised performances to breathe with a raw, jagged authenticity that is almost difficult to watch. Bradley Cole delivers an all-timer performance as Andy, capturing the terrifying transition from a well-meaning family man to a volatile, broken narcissist with chilling precision. This 4.2 star effort is a harrowing, technical, and emotionally exhausting experience that remains one of the most underappreciated gems in British horror history. It is a quiet, visionary, and deeply haunting study of suburban desperation. It is essential, yet punishing, viewing.
Details: Director: Dom Rotheroe | Cast: Bradley Cole, Brittany Ashworth, Angela Dixon | Runtime: 1h 25m | Release Date: 2007
Best for: Fans of hyper-realistic found footage, true-crime-style thrillers, and those who appreciate slow-burn character studies.
Worth noting: The film’s dialogue was entirely improvised by the cast based on a detailed plot outline, which accounts for its incredibly naturalistic feel.
Where to Watch: VOD, Amazon🛒
Rating: 4.2/5 Stars
(A masterfully acted and profoundly upsetting found footage film that documents the clinical decline of a family patriarch with a terrifying level of authenticity.)
Welcome to Knockout Horror. Today we are reviewing award winning UK horror movie Exhibit A (2007).
Table of Contents
A haunting study into domestic catastrophe
Dom Rotheroe’s Exhibit A follows a family of four living in Northern England; mum Angela, Dad Andy, Son Joe, and daughter Judith. Judith, played by Brittany Ashworth, has been gifted a video camera after her Dad, played by Bradley Cole, accidentally broke her old one. Judith begins documenting the everyday life of the family right as their entire world begins to crumble under the weight of Andy’s rapidly declining mental health.
“Exhibit A takes the best parts of the found footage genre and throws away the bad stuff. Fantastic acting and a compelling plot add up to one of the absolute best entries in the genre.”
This isn’t a horror movie in the traditional sense. It’s far more like a true crime film based on recovered footage but the subject matter is most definitely horrific. It starts slow, though. We see the family enjoying happy times together, celebrating birthdays and just doing the usual mundane stuff that families do. All while, in secret, a horrible tragedy is just beginning to unfold. Andy is having financial troubles but doesn’t want to let his family in on the news.
This is a huge problem because he has just put in an offer on the house. Eventually, the stress becomes too much and we witness him turn from devoted family man into something altogether more broken and sinister. Just like Noroi: The Curse, Exhibit A takes the best parts of the genre and throws away the bad stuff. Fantastic acting, a compelling plot, and some genuinely horrifying moments add up to one of the absolute best found footage horror movies ever made. And, on top of that, it is criminally forgotten and underappreciated.
Gritty and realistic
There is a DIY feeling to Exhibit A that perfectly fits the theme. The footage is grainy and rough, lighting is variable and often extremely poor. There is no real editing, and the scenes are spliced together in a somewhat nonsensical way. All of this adds to the realism of the production and makes everything all the more believable. Dialogue is improvised to add to the authenticity and camera footage is shaky and handheld.
Exhibit A is, in my opinion, severely underrated. You just don’t hear much about it and I am sure that has a lot to do with its presentation. It’s a low budget movie from the North of England featuring minimal scares and a depressing suburban horror plot. As I mentioned above, it feels, at times, less like a horror and more like an actual compilation of evidence. It is, however, one of the most disturbing movies I have ever watched.
“The horror of domestic violence and familial abuse. The events of Exhibit A play out in real life all the time. Andy’s decline is so well done that it is legitimately unsettling.”
Exhibit A taps into a type of horror that is so close to reality. The horror of domestic violence and familial abuse. The events of Exhibit A play out in real life all the time. You read about it in the newspaper and on true crime sites multiple times a year. Chris Watts and similar cases immediately jump to mind. Andy’s decline replicates these cases and is so well done that it is legitimately unsettling.
I would genuinely warn people who have had difficult childhoods around angry people to approach this movie with caution. Andy’s breakdown is so authentic that I imagine it could potentially trigger bad memories for anyone who has been a victim of a violent parent or family member. Whether this plays into how much this movie impacts you, or not, I don’t know. I had a difficult childhood and can relate to much of what happens in Exhibit A. I am sure many other people will feel this way as well.
Incredible acting and a shocking ending
Exhibit A is fully improvised which makes the fantastic acting all the more impressive. There isn’t a weak performance in the entire movie but special mention has to go out to Brittany Ashworth, as Judith, and Bradley Cole, as Andy.
We, for the most part, see the world through Judith’s eyes (well, camera) and Brittany Ashworth does an incredible job. It’s a tall task but she adds a sense of humanity and fragility to the movie. Whether the cast were given pointers or not I don’t know. Some of the scenes between her and Andy, whether fully improvised or not, are incredibly powerful.
Bradley Cole, as Andy, is the real star of the show, however. His performance is incredible, both funny at times and menacing at others. He does such a fantastic job of illustrating the breakdown of a person over the span of a few weeks. He puts together a powerful portrayal of a person suffering from vulnerable narcissism.
“Bradley Cole, as Andy, is the real star of the show. He puts together a powerful portrayal of a person suffering from vulnerable narcissism and mental breakdown.”
It would be remiss of me to not point out how much of a tough watch the final 15 minutes of this movie can be. Much of that is down to the acting and chemistry between the characters. It is affecting stuff and demands no small amount of caution. Exhibit A is almost tough to recommend due to its realism. The starkly depressing ending only serves to highlight the sad reality. This is not a movie for everyone and not a movie for all horror fans.
The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
The Good
- Bradley Cole: Delivers a powerhouse performance that is terrifyingly relatable, capturing the subtle nuances of a mental breakdown with absolute conviction.
- Total Realism: The improvised dialogue and DIY filming techniques create a sense of authenticity that makes the viewer feel like an intruder on private tragedy.
- Emotional Impact: Unlike many found footage films, this one creates a deep, sympathetic bond with the characters before systematically tearing them apart.
The Bad
- Extremely Bleak: The unrelenting misery and realistic subject matter make this a very tough watch that will likely be too much for many viewers.
- Minimal Scares: Those looking for traditional supernatural horror or jump-scares will find the movie lacking, as the horror is purely psychological and domestic.
- Low Production Value: The grainy, shaky footage is intentional but might still be a barrier for audiences who prefer a cleaner, more cinematic look.
The Ugly: The Final 15 Minutes. A sequence that is so raw, inevitable, and devoid of hope that it remains one of the most haunting conclusions in all of horror.
Should You Watch Exhibit A?
Yes, but only if you have the stomach for it. It is a 4.2 star film that represents a high-water mark for independent British cinema. If you appreciate films that push the boundaries of realism and explore the darker corners of human nature, Exhibit A is essential viewing. However, its proximity to real-life tragedy makes it an emotionally draining experience that stays with you long after the credits roll. It is a technical masterpiece of “evidence-style” filmmaking that deserves to be seen and discussed more often.
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