Area 407 is a 2012 American found footage horror film written, directed, and edited by Dale Fabrigar and Everette Wallin. The film stars Crystal Reed, Ben Getz, and Alex Frost.
The film follows a group of friends who, while on a plane ride home from Las Vegas, find themselves in the middle of a supernatural event. As they try to make their way back to safety, they are pursued by a demonic entity.
Area 407 is a found footage film that relies heavily on its scares. The film is suspenseful and creepy, with some truly effective jump scares. The acting is good, particularly from Crystal Reed, who is believable as the scared and confused protagonist.
The found footage format does limit the film somewhat, as the camera work is often shaky and the film lacks the polish of a traditional Hollywood production. However, this is offset by the film’s low budget, which gives it an indie feel.
Ah the shaky cam flick, how thee likes to do thou’s head in. I still can’t get used to shaky cam flicks, they make me want to puke. I know it’s a fly way of making cheap movies look ‘arty’ but really the whole phenomenon has shot its bolt by now surely? It was vogue with Blair Witch but not today in 2012. Anyways, that’s my feeling on the issue but aside from camera issues is Tape 407 any good?
Well, kinda but i wouldn’t say it’s anything special. First off the general acting quality is discernibly average with mediocre characters who really aren’t interesting in the slightest. I did not feel overly compelled to see any of them to survive, in fact a couple of them were downright annoying.
A lot of shaky cam movies suffer from being overly dark and Tape 407 is no different in this regard. There’s very little lighting present, in fact the prime source of light throughout most the flick is the flash on the camera we experience the story through. We see what we should see so it’s not that bad truth be told.
Special effects and gore are on the scant side, apart from the ending there really isn’t much to be seen until we see the ‘thing’ that’s attacking the folks. You’ll probably manage to guess what it is, or at the very least have a vague idea and it didn’t surprise me at all. SPOILER! It’s a dinosaur and a very CGI looking one at that
There’s little explanation of where the folks are or what’s going on, in fact Tape 407 is very story light, there’s not much to be said at all, except we have crashed plane survivors struggling against an unknown enemy…. That’s it.
If shaky cam flicks are your thing, then i would imagine you’ll enjoy this movie to some extent, it isn’t the worst movie of that ilk I’ve ever seen, though it doesn’t come close to Cloverfield in terms of quality. For those that hate this style of flick, you definitely want to avoid… Big time. Maybe worth a rental for those on the fence.
Overall, Area 407 is a solid found footage horror film that is sure to please fans of the genre. It is suspenseful, creepy, and has some great jump scares.
Synopsis
When a commercial airliner crashes in the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere, a group of survivors find themselves stranded in a remote storage facility. With no help on the way, and the facility’s security system on lockdown, the group must find a way to escape before they’re picked off one by one by the mysterious creatures that are stalking them.
As the group tries to find a way out, they discover that the facility is home to more than just storage units – it’s also a secret government research facility, and the crash was no accident. The facility is home to a portal to another world, and something has come through. Now, it’s up to the survivors to stop the creature before it can escape into the world and cause havoc.
Area 407 is a suspenseful and terrifying creature feature that will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.
Movie Details
Directors: Dale Fabrigar, Everette Wallin
Writers: Dale Fabrigar, Everette Wallin, Robert Shepyer
Actors: Abigail Schrader, Samantha Lester, James Lyons, Melanie Lyons
AKA: Area 407
Release Year: 2012