Movie Reviews: 2 New Shudder Originals

The Mortuary Assistant

Recent successes in cinemas and on TV have shown that Hollywood may have finally figured out how to adapt video game properties. The Mortuary Assistant has arrived to prove otherwise.

Ex-addict Rebecca (Willa Holland) has just finished her training at a mortuary and officially been brought on as staff by owner Raymond (Paul Sparks). Of course, something seems off about the way he runs the place and soon enough she begins seeing strange things, including her deceased father and an effectively disquieting entity. Can she figure out what’s happening and how to save herself before it’s too late?

While the movie does feature a truly creepy monster, it never amounts to much. Owens does a decent job with what she’s given, but the rest of the acting is a bit of a mixed bag, and the entire thing has the cheap look of an episode of a 1990s basic cable anthology series. Languorous pacing and a paper-thin plot filled with cliches make it a challenge to maintain interest. Hopefully the game is more fun. ★

not rated. contains violence, bloody images, drug references, thematic content, and some language.

Bodycam

Officers Bryce (Sean Rogerson) and Jackson (Jaime M. Callica) arrive at the scene of a domestic disturbance call in a bad neighborhood. Upon entering the decrepit house they hear disturbing sounds and move to investigate. Things spiral out of control and Bryce winds up shooting a man and his child, believing the man posed a threat, and then tries to recruit Jackson to help him cover it up. Jackson points out that everything has been captured by their body cameras, but Bryce won’t give in and so tries to find a solution. But nothing was typical about that call, and their actions have led to the duo being marked by a powerful entity, one that will not stop until it receives “payment” for what was taken from it.

The video does seem to exonerate Bryce for his actions, which makes all of his subsequent decisions more than a little frustrating. Nevertheless, Rogerson and Callica play the parts well. As the situation escalates, the imagery that writer and director Brandon Christensen (and his co-writer Ryan Christensen) throw up on screen is frequently disturbing, generating several moments of genuine tension. It does feel like it’s been stretched out a bit too long however and would have perhaps worked better as a segment in a V/H/S movie, but as they did with prior release Night of the Reaper, the Christensen brothers prove they know their way around a horror film. Someday I hope they’ll be given a big enough budget to show us what they can really do. ★★★