A freestyling musician's Livestream takes an unexpected turn in DASHCAM. Annie Hardy is the host of BandCar, the internet's number one improvised music show in a moving vehicle, where she streams her freestyle raps from her car, all while laughing off the COVID-19 pandemic. On a trip to England, Annie steals the phone and car of her friend Stretch and accepts a meal-delivery order that leads her to a seemingly closed restaurant. It is there Annie is asked by the restaurant owner to escort a sickly old woman named Angela to some friends nearby, which kickstarts one Hell of a crazy and blood-soaked night.
DASHCAM is the follow-up to co-writer and director Rob Savage's surprise COVID-19-era found footage horror hit HOST. Once again Savage presents the story as a single Livestream, except now with a larger budget and the backing of Blumhouse Productions. The film stars Annie Hardy, a real LA-based freestyle rapper, as a fictionalized version of herself, who exemplifies the worst aspects of MAGA America. A seemingly simple task while on a trip to England leads to Annie having to run for her life from a demonic presence, all while her puzzled audience watches and comments on the screen.
DASHCAM is almost what you would get if you took the freestyle-rapping dark comedy of Bodied and threw it in a blender with HOST, The Blair Witch Project, and The Evil Dead. Running at a hyperkinetic pace for its brief 77-minute runtime, DASHCAM is probably one of the most insane found-footage experiences, which will probably stand out as one of the best films of this subgenre. Just be warned there is plenty of shakycam and bodily fluids on screen, for those who are prone to nausea.
Probably the most obvious criticism that can be lobbied towards DASHCAM is the film's very polarizing protagonist of Annie Hardy. It can be hard to decipher where reality meets fiction when it comes to Hardy's fictionalized portrayal of herself, particularly when it comes to the character's less-than-positive comments in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it does make for an interesting juxtaposition having such an unlikeable protagonist plunged headfirst into a crazy and blood-soaked night. Plus, you have to appreciate Annie Hardy's freestyle rapping skills, which include her rapping the film's closing credits.
If anything DASHCAM continues to demonstrate Rob Savage's skills as a new up-and-coming horror filmmaker and it will be interesting to see him tackle a feature that goes beyond the realm of found footage.
Trailer for DASHCAM
