Title: Evidence

Starring: Stephen Moyer (TV’s ‘True Blood), Radha Mitchell (‘Olympus Has Fallen,’ ‘Silent Hill’) and Torrey DeVitto (TV’s ‘Pretty Little Liars,’ ‘The Vampire Diaries’)

Simply putting a camera in a character’s hand to capitalize on the success of such hit found footage horror films as ‘Paranormal Activity’ and ‘The Last Exorcism’ has proven to take away from the credibility and effectiveness of the genre. But director Olatunde Osunsanmi, who last visited the genre with 2009’s ‘The Fourth Kind,’ visually and emotionally showcased the true effectiveness that helped make the genre gratifying in its inception. with his new horror thriller, ‘Evidence.’ The terrifying events that unfold during the found footage segments not only tell a gripping story on their own, but also genuinely help give purpose to the subsequent actions, which have just of a chilling lasting affect.

‘Evidence’ follows Detective Reese (Stephen Moyer) as he convinces his colleague, Detective Burquez (Radha Mitchell), to allow him to return to the police department after a traumatic experience. The detective, who’s still struggling with his personal loss, puts his computer knowledge to use as he helps Burquez piece together the motivations of a vicious mass killer before he can kill again. With the help of the camcorder and cell phone recordings the victims smartly taped during their attacks, the detectives set out to identify and stop the killer before he can murder again.

The horror thriller switches back and forth between Reese and Burquez watching the videos and the found footage they collected from the crime scene. The recordings showed how the killer burned and tortured a group, who was traveling from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, after they got stuck in an abandoned gas station in the desert. Led by aspiring actress Leann (Torrey DeVitto), who’s being recorded for a documentary chronicling her ascent to fame, the group, including her estranged boyfriend, Tyler Morris (Nolan Gerard Funk); bus driver Ben (Harry Lennix), who has a questionable past; Vicki (Svetlana Metkina), a Russian dancer who’s estranged from her 10-year-old son; and 16-year-old Stephen (Albert Kuo), who ran away from home to become a magician’s apprentice in Las Vegas; the group is targeted one-by-one by the killer, and must fight back in order to survive.

First-time feature film writer John Swetnam created an intriguingly smart idea that usefully incorporates the found footage technique into a horror thriller film. Instead of relying on the subgenre as a gimmick to lure in audiences, and as a way for the characters to fortify their egotistical need for attention, the scribe created an original idea with the found footage. The story creatively featured Leann and the rest of the group filming their ordeal as proof of evidence for the police to track down their killer. The footage served as a necessary tool to the plot, as it effectively and originally showed the legal and societal aftermath of a blood-filled massacre, which isn’t typically shown in the subgenre. The footage also showecased the emotional toll a frightening police case has on those investigating it.

Cinematographer Lukas Ettlin, who had previous experience in the horror genre with his work on ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning,’ cleverly created jump cuts, shaky camera movements and intelligent night vision to showcase the point-of-views from the cameras the characters were using throughout their ordeal. Whether searching the gas station for the killer with only the help of one of the camera’s night vision or absentmindedly tossing their cameras on the floor as they explore the tattered and repugnant main building, the natural glitches showcased the group’s heightened emotions as they try to find a way to survive. Ettlin’s creative camera shots of the horrific crime scene intriguingly showcased Leann and the rest of the group’s horror at the quick turn of events in the desert, and their determined efforts to save their lives.

Set decorator Georgia Schwab helped build the genuine fear among Luann and the fellow victims, as well as the determination in Detectives Reese and Burquez in apprehending the killer, through the diverse, creative locations she crafted. The abandoned gas station where the bus crashed was a genuinely frightening place for Luann and the group tried to survive, with is sparking, exposed short fuses to the grim-infested rooms where the victims’ bodies were stashed to the overturned, rotted out trucks that provided false hopes of escape. The dark automotive and technical equipment that haphazardly polluted the station, and provided a false sense of security for the group to hide in, drastically contradicted the high-tech computers and equipment the detectives were using to hunt down the killer. The elaborate maze of processors Reese used to isolate images from the video that may offer insight into the victims’ and killer’s backgrounds and motives helped emphasize his need to start working again and track criminals.

Osunsanmi creatively relied on his horror-thriller-found footage experience to create an original, daunting look into the extremes victims will take to protect themselves from a deranged killer, and the lengths the police will go to in order to seek justice and stop the murderer’s presumed next rampage. From Swetnam’s original use of the found footage horror plotline, to Ettlin’s creative camera shots that intriguingly showcase the the victims’ desire to fight back against their killer, to the distinctive locations Schwab created for the murders and subsequent police investigation, ‘Evidence’ effectively showcases the true need and use of the subgenre. The horror thriller emotionally showcased how featuring footage captured by a film’s character can truly help build the suspense and terror around a surprising motive for murder.

Technical: B+

Written by: Karen Benardello