Spree
review by Bobby Blakey
I think the most terrifying thing to do in the horror genre is taking on the current climate of technology, social media etc. It offers a real life aspect to the insanity that is all the more terrifying if done correctly. Sadly more often than not they miss the mark, but when they do it is great. The latest film, Spree features a good cast including Sasheer Zamata, David Arquette, Kyle Mooney, Mischa Barton, Frankie Grande, John DeLuca and Stranger Things star Joe Keery leading the charge. Could this flick bring something scary to its followers or will it not be worth streaming?
Spree follows a 23-year-old rideshare driver for Spree, who is so desperate for social media attention that he'll stop at nothing to go viral. He comes up with a plan to livestream a rampage as a shortcut to infamy - coining his evil scheme "#thelesson", he installs a set of cameras in his car and begins streaming his rides. Wildly miscalculating the popularity that would come from his lethal scheme, Kurt’s desperation grows as he tries to find a way to overcome the plan's flaws. In the middle of all this madness, a stand-up comedian with her own viral agenda crosses Kurt's path and becomes the only hope to put a stop to his misguided carnage.
This film takes the found footage idea and merges it with the social media craze to create something familiar yet still new. It’s a pretty simple premise and scary one in that we have all heard the stories of people doing insane things including murders on social media. Here it takes a journey with one guy’s obsession with trending as he slowly becomes unhinged with his new plan of a murder spree. The additional use of it being an Uber-like car service named Spree makes for not only yet another great and scary truth to today’s world, but a great play on the content in its name.
The cast is great and do a good job at making it feel unscripted while obviously is. The simplicity of it all is what makes it work so well. There is a silliness to it at times and of course the frustration to how he does everything with no repercussions for so long while being live online. This is also a truth that is scary with the voyeuristic human nature that allows things to keep happening instead of putting a stop to it.
This is an interesting fun flick that isn’t breaking down the walls of horror or even filmmaking, but is successful in what it set out to do. If you are looking for something different but still familiar to really make you think more about things in this world right now then check out Spree available now on Blu-ray and DVD from RLJE Films.