High school loner Bird Fitcher has no idea what dark secrets are tied to the mysterious Polaroid vintage camera she stumbles upon, but it doesn't take long to discover that those who have their picture taken meet a tragic end. Bird and her friends must survive one more night as they race to solve the mystery of the haunted Polaroid before it kills them all.
_Goosebumps_ may or may not have done it better, but they definitely did it first. Well, maybe not "first", the idea that cameras are cursed objects has seemingly been around for about 5 seconds less than there's been cameras, but certainly before this. Polaroid jumps from "seen this" to "seen that" and on and on as fast as it can, and as much as I like Kathryn Prescott, it's not exactly a stellar vehicle for her.
_Final rating:★★ - Had some things that appeal to me, but a poor finished product._
Good watch, would watch again, and can recommend for horror / paranormal / survivalist fans.
I don't think this is a bad movie by anythings means, I just think it had the potential to be a great movie.
First off, the cast could use an upgrade. I think that Kathryn Prescott (Skins) did such an excellent job trying to carry the movie, but she had a character that was specifically designed weak, so she could only do so much. The only other person I recognized was Madelaine Petsch (Riverdale). A stronger cast would have allowed the characters to be a little richer and the audience more invested before each death. It was a little hard to care about some of the characters.
I really liked the camera as the paranormal medium, and the rules surrounding the situation are very interesting. So the events are actually interesting enough to keep your attention for most of the movie.
The big problem the movie has is the "twist" (I'll call it a "twist" as not to spoil it, whether or not it is actually a twist) is more interesting than that the story needs it to be. While the truth of it is actually a great little sequence, I honestly would have rather it be the other way around.
If you're a horror, survivalist, or paranormal fan, give it a go, I think you'll enjoy it.