Playback… What an ironic name for this movie… Because I will not be playing it back, more like fast forwarding. Now don’t get me wrong Playback isn’t a bad film by any means. I just don’t think it was marketed correctly via its trailer. I thought I was going to be watching this sick, bloody, almost torture porn kind of movie, but I was wrong.
In Playback, “When a group of high school students dig into their town’s infamous past they unwittingly unlock an Evil that corrupts and destroys them. Possessing its victims through video playback and using them for malevolent purposes, it closes in on one specific soul, threatening to expose the town’s deepest, darkest secret.” [IMDB]
Playback stars Toby Hemingway (The Covenant), Christian Slater (Interview With A Vampire), Johnny Pacar (Zombie Apocolypse), Ambyr Childers (“All My Children”), and Jennifer Missoni (“Gossip Girl”). It is written and directed by Michael A. Nickles.
I think that the easiest way to describe Playback is a mix of The Poughkeepsie Tapes and The Ring. The pieces of The Poughkeepsie Tapes is where this film really soars and the pieces of The Ring is kind of where the film falls flat on its face. Playback starts off very disturbing, very demented, but after that opening sequence which lasts all of ten minutes, the film starts to go downhill in terms of continuing that tone of violence and the level of suspense. It kind of immediately dies down from a disturbing piece, to a general slasher film within minutes. And this is where I was let down the most. I was anticipating that bone chilling violence and mind-fucking that disappeared completely before the film really kicked off.
Again, Playback was not bad by any means. All the cast members gave performances that were great for the roles they were playing. Everyone on the production side of film did an amazing job and the film is made with top quality. I think the main and only problem with Playback is its marketing scheme. Do not watch Playback expecting something that will keep you up at night thinking about the horror you just saw. But if you do want a good slasher film with a couple of supernatural elements than Playback may just be what you’re looking for. It’s currently On Demand for $9.99 so go enjoy it.
Has anyone seen Playback yet? What do you think, agree or disagree? Let me know here or on our Facebook page.
