DASHCAM is a new horror movie that plays with several other genres as well. Including social commentary and some sci-fi, so you have plenty of things to relate to. Made by the director of the Shudder mega-hit HOST (2020). Read our full Dashcam (2022) horror movie review here!

DASHCAM is a new horror movie that plays with several other genres as well. The director of this movie also created the Shudder hit movie HOST, which is probably enough reason for many to watch it. I know it was for me. However, be ready for a movie that is very different from Host.

YOU MIGHT LIKE

Our review of the Shudder movie HOST here >

Despite having a very short runtime, I did feel that this new movie becomes a tad too long. Still, it is well-made, so that helps a lot. We follow someone driving around while filming themselves with a dashcam. Always streaming live and with very strong political views and personal convictions on just about any and every subject. Then something crazy [supernatural] happens and survival is the goal.

Continue reading our Dashcam movie review below. You can find it in theaters and on demand from June 3, 2022.

Dashcam streaming channel with MAGA agenda

How you view the main character in this film probably depends on your political affiliations as well. I thought she was absolutely crazy and since the lead actor plays a version of herself, looking her up on her social media accounts afterward didn’t help much. The “character” is played by Annie Hardy and she is not portrayed as being very likable.

In fact, it seems to be a goal of hers to be obnoxious and awful to everyone she’s around. When she’s driving, she’s rapping and spewing a lot of political commentary with a very spicy vocabulary. Hey, I talk like a sailor myself at times (as in, most times!), so I’m fine with cursing. My issue has more to do with the MAGA and conspiracy theory-filled agenda.

We follow Annie Hardy on a trip to England to visit an old friend. There, she ends up in a crazy situation while holding on to her own very intense personality where she’s vocal about everything. All of it is filmed and streamed on her live channel – usually filmed via a dashcam (hence the title).

Dashcam (2022) – Review | Horror by Rob Savage

Sometimes silence is a statement

Yeah, Dashcam becomes a pretty wild ride where you ultimately want to root for her. After all, she’s the human fighting against something that isn’t exactly human anymore. And yet, I really didn’t care for her. So, while I wanted her alive for storyline purposes, I wouldn’t really mind if she didn’t make it.

That’s always a strange way to watch a movie; When you don’t like the protagonist at all because she is also very much the antagonist. Often battling herself. It works in Dashcam because of the duality, but it could have worked even better if the director made their opinion more clear.

I get that it’s a choice and it does work. I’m just not entirely sure that I liked it very much. Often, if you don’t speak up or out against something, it speaks volumes in itself. It simply becomes a platform for someone to spew hate. Now, I’m not talking about censorship. I’m just saying that I wouldn’t give time to someone spewing hate on a platform that I was responsible for or in ownership of.

And certainly never without making my personal opinion known.

Watch Dashcam in Theaters or On-Demand

As already mentioned, Dashcam is directed by the filmmaker who brought us Host. His name is Rob Savage and I loved that movie for its awesome pace and how well it worked with the “everything filmed via devices”-style. Also, it had a runtime of just 57 minutes, which was perfect. I am always a huge fan of sticking to the runtime that is optimal for the story. Even if that means it’s shorter than usual.

For Dashcam, the runtime is also short with just 77 minutes (or 1 hour and 17 minutes). However, the whole “you see what she’s recording”-style does not work nearly as well here as it did with Host. Mostly because she often has a handheld device and still manages to focus on filming. All while she’s fighting to survive.

Hell, even when other people pick up her camera, they still manage to focus on shooting all the right things rather than just “bringing” the camera. It ruins the illusion for me much like it was the case with Safer at Home. Especially since it happens quite a lot. Still, I am a fan of Rob Savage’s overall filmmaker style, so I just hope his next film will be back to Host form.

Dashcam is out in theaters and on demand from June 3, 2022.

Details

Director: Rob Savage
Writers: Gemma Hurley, Rob Savage, Jed Shepherd
Cast: Annie Hardy, Angela Enahoro, Amar Chandha-Patel

The plot of Dashcam (2022):

In the midst of lockdown, musician Annie has been livestreaming with her fans, taking their comments, and turning them into rap lyrics as she drives around downtown Los Angeles. Exasperated by her pandemic lifestyle, Annie escapes to the UK to visit her old band mate Stretch, livestreaming the whole way. Her arrival and behavior incite contempt from Stretch’s girlfriend, and she causes chaos when tagging along on his food delivery job.

After an argument, Annie runs off with Stretch’s car and phone, using them to take over his food pickups where she encounters a stranger who asks her for a delivery of a different kind: a frail elderly woman called Angela who is being followed by someone looking to do her harm. Annie identifies with Angela’s plight and with the added incentive of an envelope of cash, she agrees to deliver Angela to a safe address out of town.

Annie and Stretch soon find themselves caught up in a twisted plan with sinister forces at work, and as the night progresses and the chaos builds, they must fight for their lives against a supernatural creature intent on making Annie its new host.

I write reviews and recaps on Heaven of Horror. And yes, it does happen that I find myself screaming, when watching a good horror movie. I love psychological horror, survival horror and kick-ass women. Also, I have a huge soft spot for a good horror-comedy. Oh yeah, and I absolutely HATE when animals are harmed in movies, so I will immediately think less of any movie, where animals are harmed for entertainment (even if the animals are just really good actors). Fortunately, horror doesn't use this nearly as much as comedy. And people assume horror lovers are the messed up ones. Go figure!
Karina "ScreamQueen" Adelgaard
Latest posts by Karina "ScreamQueen" Adelgaard (see all)