Ratter (2015)
Starring Ashley Benson, Matt McGorry, Michael William Freeman
Directed by Branden Kramer
When it appears that our privacy has been compromised, there is a certain overtaking of raw innocence that fronts itself, giving one the illusion of a child who’s been caught doing something they shouldn’t have. And for good reason.
We as a society want to believe that our lives are impenetrable, allowing virtually no one to access our most solitary moments; but unfortunately, with the ever-growing advent of electronic devices, be they mobile or home-based, there is always someone watching at one time or another.
Think about it; while you’re taking the time to read this review, or as I’m taking the time to type it, my laptop is open, as is yours… and the eyes could be upon us.
Director Branden Kramer jumps feet-first into the deep end of the thriller genre with his first feature, Ratter. For those who aren’t familiar with the term, a “rat” stands for Random Access Trojan: kind of like a parasite that affixes itself to either your laptop, mobile device, tablet, or basically anything with a CPU that has the ability to use its camera to peer back at you. They’re normally controlled by another person with the intent of spying on someone through the webcam, thereby obtaining the title of “ratter” – frightening, huh?
So, we take a simple story of a college girl named Emma (Ashley Benson), alone in the big city, with a lofty apartment all to herself, attempting to pick up the pieces of a broken relationship with a slightly possessive ex named Alex. Emma is literally tethered to either her cell or her laptop, making her the A+ prime candidate for such an unfortunate undertaking, as her time spent alone doing even the most manageable of daily activities isn’t without an audience. Her apartment is center stage, and she is the performer regardless of wherever she may roam, as her cellphone is never out of her reach (making some scenes slightly improbable to fathom).
Whoever has decided to make Emma a target definitely put some work into his voyeuristic gameplan, as we not only see her cell and tablet used as a broadcaster, but a stationary peep-cam appears to have been set up in her living room, giving a continuous shot of the day’s events (this is freaking me out as I type).
Unbeknownst to Emma, she goes about her life, living as a single student would: classes during the day, a little partying at night, and a budding romance in the works with the new guy she met at school (Matt McGorry) – all the while under the scope of someone who feels the need to get a closer look at her. As the movie rolls along, we have random emails from unnamed people popping up, threatening text messages, and even some video that Emma thought was long stowed away (no, it’s not porn, ya sickos). What started as simple technical glitches manifest into undetected break-ins at night and ultra-creepy long shots of a shadowed person watching Emma as she sleeps. Kramer surely goes the extra mile into making a simplistic, yet terrifying presentation. Unfortunately, the downsides are the shots themselves at times, as it seems inconceivable that someone would have their cell or laptop perfectly perched in a scenic view as they’re either at lunch, watching TV, or simply crossing the street. For an 80-minute movie, there are build-up shots that can come off as lengthy but are for the betterment of the overall product.
Benson gives a passable performance as the sweet student who later becomes the paranoid soul, and for good reason. All in all I could definitely recommend Ratter to anyone who wants not only a decent thriller at-hand, but quite possibly one of the better cautionary tales to come down the pike in a while. If you’re going to go web-surfing, for God’s sake, make sure you’re covered up because you never know who’s looking at you.
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Film
Categorized:Reviews
