The Den

The Den

Starring Melanie Papalia, David Schlachtenhaufen, Adam Shapiro, Anna Hollyman

Directed by Zachary Donohue

The Story:
Elizabeth (Melanie Papalia) has received a grant to study the habits of people all over the world through how they interact with their web cams in a public web cam chat site known as The Den.  At first she sees the usual silly and perverse people, but then she witnesses what appears to be a murder.  The police won't do anything, and soon she finds her life spiraling out of control as those who performed the murder now target her and those she loves by hacking into her electronics, and showing that even when you think you're safe at home, you're really not.

The Synopsis:
In 2014, the film "Unfriended" hit theaters, and it was deemed as a revolutionary piece of cinema as it takes place entirely from someone's computer screen.  It was a way to get to the Millennial generation who live on their computers, chronicle their entire lives by web cam, and talk more with people through a screen than face-to-face.  Ultimately, it was a disappointment, as it relied on paranormal events that muddied the story and pulled you out of the realism it was trying to convey.

With "The Den," first-time director Zachary Donohue did something that "Unfriended" couldn't - he took similar premises and made it a truly unnerving, scary experience.  Both films were shot entirely from computer screens (or in "The Den's" case, computer screens, phones, and other electronic devises), but where "Unfriended" decided to take a paranormal turn, "The Den" decided to root itself firmly in reality, which made it all the more terrifying.

Elizabeth - brilliantly portrayed by newcomer Melanie Papalia - wants to study the habits of people on their web cams.  She manages to gain a grant (with one small flaw of the film coming into play - why did she need money to watch people online?) to sit in the comfort of her home and interact with people all over the world live.  If you've been to chatroulette or other web cam chat sites, you get drawn into the story with the different types of people Elizabeth interacts with - the typical perverts, weirdos, animal lovers, and just kooky people.  All of this is harmless, until Elizabeth finds a new "friend" who turns out to be a girl being brutally murdered live on cam.

She goes to the police, but since the police lack the technological know-how to do anything about it, they dismiss her claims as if it was nothing.  Then Elizabeth's real terror begins as the people involved in the murder hack into her computer, turning on her camera during the most intimate times of her life, and cause her friends to disappear.  All of this leads to a shocking conclusion that will have you not just looking over your shoulder, but looking at your computer.

For today's generation, web cams are all the rage.  Every laptop has them built in, they're in your cell phones, iPads, everything.  People make money from videotaping themselves doing the most ordinary things.  Yet there's a darker side to the Internet, and in reality it's possible for someone to hack into a computer, turn it on, and view your web cam when you think it's off.  That's what makes this film downright terrifying - it's something that could...and has...happened.  As Elizabeth deals with what is happening, we're also drawn into the story firsthand as the "found footage" format finally works.  Seeing the entire film through the lens of the first-person format, it gives a more intimate, unnerving feel as you're on the edge of your seat, worried not just for Elizabeth, but your own well-being as well.

The Summary:
"The Den" is one of those rare independent horror films that truly hits a nerve, making the viewer paranoid and causing them to close their laptops in fear of who could be watching through it.

The Score: A