15 Cameras – 2023
15 Cameras seems to be a sequel of sorts to a couple of other movies that I was unaware of. But when reading up on the subject I discover that there are both 13 Cameras and 14 Cameras made before this. It makes kind of sense to add to the number of each movie. It’s like the Oceans 11, 12, and 13. Have not seen the predecessors as we speak though. When writing about 15 Cameras I feel the urge though. I must see them, I must see the origin of the story.
15 Cameras starts off with a couple who has just bought a new house. It is soon revealed that the house is one of the notorious Slumlord houses. I guess we’re supposed to know that character. And I’m sure we would if we’d seen the first two movies in the series. But as I said, I haven’t. I donät think it’s necessary. this movie stands on its own two legs, or should I say on its own 15 cameras.
The couple, who now are the new owners of the house rents out part of it to a couple of students. Young girls. Around the same time, the guy – Cam (funny name isn’t it) finds a hidden place within the house where there is some sort of central for all the camera feeds to be monitored. It seems like everything is recorded too and he gets more than fascinated by it. Despite not really being the bad guy here, he spends more and more time in the room getting obsessed with looking at his tenants. his wife and everything else going on in the house.
Cameras everywhere
At the same time, his wife starts getting overly suspicious. She starts to look for cameras everywhere and becomes more and more convinced that the Slumlord, who’s presumed dead, is very much alive. They both see a mysterious white van passing by the house quite often. Soon they’re both obsessed with the whole situation. In their different way through.
I think there’s something creepy about this movie. It’s not a gory movie even if there are some very violent scenes in it. it’s just not that type of movie. This is more suspenseful and builds on the fear of the unknown as well as the fascination of surveillance. Partly the story is told through interviews inserted by people being watched by the mysterious Slumlord. In the storyline told, he supposedly watched hundreds of houses. And, to make things worse, the surveillance was only the beginning before he broke in and murdered the people in the houses.
As a viewer of the movie about a viewer (funny isn’t it?), we know more or less what’s going on. It’s still a bit suspenseful as there is a certain degree of uncertainty in there. But it all fits the concept of what I thought it was all about early on. I didn’t get the real shock effect I guess. But that doesn’t mean that it isn’t very disturbing and gruesome at the end.
Now, I must see the other movies!
