Polaroid

Photographs have helped generations of people keep history alive. We are reminded of how life used to be, and photographs helps us keep memories alive in present day as well. In these days most people take selfies with their cell phone, or with their computer. And i do it myself, at some occations. Social media can be amazing in many ways. But i have to say that photographs from the past will always feel special. To see the people who experienced different periods of history, is fascinating and interesting. When it comes to films that takes up the subject of photographs, i came to think about 2 titles. Let´s begin with the 2002 film known as One Hour Photo, with a brilliant Robin Williams in the lead role. One Hour Photo tells the story of photo technician Seymour Parrish, who works at the store SavMart. He becomes obsessed with the Yorkin family, that brings in newly taken photos often, his favourite customers. Sy lives a very lonely life, so he decides to focus on the life of the Yorkin family, copying their pictures and imagening he is a part of their family. One Hour Photo is a very well made psychological thriller, where ( in my opinion ) Robin Williams gives us his strongest acting performance in his career. The next film that came to my mind is the Thai horror film Shutter, released in 2004. This film tells the story of photographer Tun ( played by actor Ananda Everingham ) who begin to see a strange white shadow appearing in his photographs. Since he was involved in the death of a young woman ( accidently hitting her with his car ), Tun´s girlfriend Jane suspect it might be the girl who have returned to seek revenge. Shutter is an effective horror film, with a clever plot included. The way this film manage to build up tensions through photographs, is wonderful. I have seen the 2008 American remake, but i prefer the original Thai film. For a long time, i heard about a horror film called Polariod that was supposed to be released back in August 25, 2017. But thanks to the bankruptcy of The Weinstein Company the film was put on hold. Lantern Entertainment took over and helped Polaroid get released. I have been curious about this film for quite some time, since the plot seemed interesting. Is this an effective horror film, or should they have kept this film hidden for good ?

High school student Bird Fitcher ( Kathryn Prescott ) is a shy woman, who works in an antique store. She loves old historical objects. When she is given an old polaroid camerca by her co-worker Tyler ( Davi Santos ) she is beyond thrilled. Since she loves taking Pictures with old cameras, this is the best gift ever. But what she does not know, is that this polaroid camera is filled with a horrible past. Every picture she takes of people around her, will soon be visited by an evil entity.

I did not know what to expect from Polaroid, honestly. The trailer looked like fun, but of course you never know until you see the final product. I have to say, this is a horror film that is not as bad as i was worried it would be. And the biggest reason to why i enjoy this film is the lead character Bird Fitcher, played by actress Kathryn Prescott ( who i especially remember from the 2014 sci fi horror film The Hive ). Bird is an old school girl, who loves old stuff from the past, and that makes her character different, considering how young she is. To see her fascinated about historical objects, helps this film become more interesting. Kathryn gives a solid performance to this lovely character. But let´s get into some other characters as well. I also enjoy the performance from actress Samantha Logan ( who you probably have seen in Netflix series 13 Reasons Why ), as Bird´s best friend Kasey. One of the reasons why i like the character Kasey, is that she has a confidence, and try to help her friend not being afraid of living life. I have to mention legendary actress Grace Zabriske ( who has done a lot of films, but i especially rememberher from the 2004 film The Grudge) as the character Lena Sable. She is only in this film a short while, but her character feels interesting and mysterious. The old polaroid camera used in this film, is actually one of the details of why this film works as a horror film. Every time Bird takes a picture and see some kind of human shape in the background, you get a creepy feeling. Not as effective as in the Thai horror film Shutter, but still effective enough to make you interested in the story. The entity actually does look creepy as well, especially when you see it grab some of the victims. Some of the CGI effects does look a bit silly at times, but overall i can´t complain. Polariod is a good choice, if you enjoy horror films that combines classic horror elements, and reminds us of the Thai horror film Shutter. One thing is clear, i am not taking any pictures with an old camera after watching this film ( unless the camera is owned by legendary actress Barbara Crampton, then i would make an exception ).

Rating: DDD