Reviews: Ratter

Ratter was released last week on VOD. We review it. 



ashley benson
Oh, did you call to tell me
how hot I am? No?
Sorry. Can't talk right now. 
Cashing in on social media trends and the technological advances that drive our everyday lives, Ratter comes on the coattails of found footage movies that have done a much better job of terrorizing audiences. Borrowing a page from last year's Unfriended, this latest "horror" flick uses webcams, gaming cams, and phone cams to tell its story of semi-realistic terror. Injecting a rat virus into Ashley Benson's devices, the entire movie is told from the perspective of the stalker that's watching her every move. Unfortunately for Ratter, the movie turns out to be an exercise in sheer boredom only highlighted by Ashley Benson's decent performance and a strangely perverse sense of voyeuristic dread. 

With so many great movies in this genre the past few years, Ratter is stilted by an extremely flat delivery. Unlike many other of these films, it's not nearly as nauseating. Through the eyes of multiple cameras, the story unfolds over a short 80 minute runtime that still feels almost too long. Most of Ratter is spent following the main character throughout her daily routines of showering, eating, going to the club, going to school, making out with her new boyfriend, and ultimately being techy stalked by a loony hacker. Ratter does set a mild precedent for letting people know how the new criminal mind can work and it's also eye opening knowing that this stuff can actually happen in the newly interconnected world. Yet, the movie does too little with the story and could have upped the ante to make the situation more horrific. After all, this is listed as horror. 

ashley benson
Dude. Really? I can see you. 
Like many other people that have seen this, I'd be hard pressed to suggest watching Ratter. Other than some good music and the beautiful Ashley Benson, this is a dry, uninspired piece of work that doesn't do anything we haven't seen before. As a freshman full length effort from director Branden Kramer, it's an okay little flick that really won't go anywhere. Honestly, it's shocking that Benson attached herself to this project in the first place. Borrowing and bending elements we've experienced several times in the last decade, Ratter has a couple tense moments of darkness that will send chills down your spine, but it's definitely not enough to drive a whole motion picture. 

Plus, it will annoy found footage fans as a whole because Kramer was too creatively withdrawn to take any chances with his project. Despite a few freaky components, Ratter needed more overall ambition and more scares. If you're an Ashley Benson fan, watch it. If not, skip skip skip. 


Stop watching me. Share this review. 
Pinterest Google+ StumbleUpon Twitter Reddit Facebook

Score

-CG