31 Films for Halloween, #29: Polaroid (2019)

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I love this movie, because it's a great PG-13 movie, and don't let anyone tell you any different.

Like many modern horror films (such as "Lights Out"; "Saw"; "The Jester"; "Terrifier") it's based on a previous short.

The structure is a familiar one. A group of high schoolers encounter a Cursed Object (in this case, a polaroid camera) which leaves them marked for death, one by one.  Who, if anyone, will survive and how?

In fact, this is pretty much the same plot as an episode of "Are You Afraid of The Dark?" and one of "Goosebumps".

But, really, can't that be said of almost ANY horror plot?



Where "Polaroid" distinguishes itself is the incredible APTNESS of the Scary Entity that is the threat and the "rules" of how the cursed camera works.  The polaroid isn't just some throwaway plot device (as it was in, say, "Back to the Future"); it is really IS the heart of the schtick and of the mystery.  This is, in short, an ideal example of the Haunted Object subgenre. No details; you deserve to discover them yourself.

I also give the film great credit for providing some twists and turns along the way that to some degree take advantage of your genre savviness. I love some subversion of expectations, and it's especially welcome in such an otherwise familiar plot.

It's fine comfort horror, which I think you will enjoy.

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