{"id":8658,"date":"2019-06-22T08:45:34","date_gmt":"2019-06-22T15:45:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog-proxy.atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/?p=8658"},"modified":"2019-06-22T08:45:34","modified_gmt":"2019-06-22T15:45:34","slug":"cinepocalypse-film-festival-deadcon-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/cinepocalypse-film-festival-deadcon-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Cinepocalypse Film Festival: \u2018Deadcon\u2019 Review"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The horrors of Snapchat and Instagram obsessions spiritually materialize in Caryn Waechter\u2019s techno-ghastly <em>Deadcon<\/em>. Not the first Wi-Fi equipped genre commentary, but comparatively, one of the cleaner examples of \u201cscreen life horror.\u201d Titles like <em>Unfriended<\/em>, <em>The Den<\/em> and <em>Tragedy Girls<\/em> still reign supreme, while other far weaker binary nightmares help to sandwich <em>Deadcon<\/em> in an entertaining-enough middle ground. A possession story made scarier by <em>Paranormal Activity<\/em> influences, found footage documentation, and &#8211; *gasp* &#8211; internet modem dial tones.<\/p>\n<p>YouTuber Lauren Elizabeth stars as Ashley, handle \u201cAKAshley,\u201d a vlogger personality who commands some 40 million subscribers. She\u2019s in town for ViewCon, an annual gathering of the internet\u2019s biggest and most watched celebrities, but complications with her hotel room threaten comfort. Manager Kara (Mimi Gianopulos) steps in and demands employees rectify the double-book, which lands Ashley in a previously unused and once condemned room. Before long, \u201cAKAshley\u201d begins experiencing surreal events within her accommodation&#8217;s doomed walls. It\u2019s TechCon \u201884 all over again, where Link RabB1t founder John Althaus (Aaron Hendry) committed unspeakable crimes. Too bad, as Jim Jarmusch recently reminded us, the dead don\u2019t die.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1080\" height=\"608\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/LJgAc_oT53U?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Gunpowder &amp; Sky (through sidearm Alter) produced <em>Deadcon<\/em>, but no news on release as of yet after its June 15th premiere at Cinepocalypse. In the meantime, here are three reasons to stream Waechter\u2019s convention hall caper.<\/p>\n<h2>1. Possession And Haunting Aspects Utilize Fun Tricks<\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-8662 size-large\" src=\"http:\/\/blog-proxy.atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/deadcon-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" srcset=\"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/deadcon-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/deadcon-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/deadcon-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/deadcon-500x281.jpg 500w, https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/deadcon-1080x608.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/deadcon.jpg 1152w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Without spoiling \u201chows\u201d or \u201cwhys,\u201d multiple sequences stage chilling apparition interactions. Invisible hands might lift a slumbering YouTuber\u2019s leg or drag victims like screaming children pulled by parents into time out. You\u2019ll witness twirling hotel desk chairs and bed sheets indentations to signify unwanted guests, but also unexpected physical levitations worth more than oft-employed subgenre shaky camera tactics. These are frequent occurrences as souls revisit a hotel room once caked in blood, working to distinguish a spectral nightmare with an actual bite to back up barking screams.<\/p>\n<p>Then again, it\u2019s the understated details that help bolster in-your-face frights. Those nuggets one might miss if not paying attention when commenters are popping off in chat boxes. <em>Deadcon<\/em> assertively confirms that technology is the literal devil, as blasphemous elements thrive on \u201cscreen life\u201d representations. Even just a shadowy figure standing dead stiff, glaring at whichever character might be in focus. I\u2019m not going to claim this is expert-level horror ruination, but between child vessels and eyes rolling back into veiny white pools, <em>Deadcon<\/em> creeps more than it crawls.<\/p>\n<h2>2. It\u2019s About The Horrors Of Social Media<\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-8664 size-large\" src=\"http:\/\/blog-proxy.atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/DEADCON-2-1024x515.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"515\" srcset=\"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/DEADCON-2-1024x515.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/DEADCON-2-300x151.jpg 300w, https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/DEADCON-2-768x386.jpg 768w, https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/DEADCON-2-500x251.jpg 500w, https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/DEADCON-2.jpg 1060w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>As a millennial who understands YouTube culture, loathes certain aspects, but is beyond intrigued by online celebrity lifestyles, <em>Deadcon<\/em> worked to amplify the pains of fame for me. \u201cAKAshley\u201d projects onto millions of smartphones and tablets and laptops daily, yet has herself become disillusioned. After sending a single tweet, replies start clouding the frame as a representation of the followers she\u2019s amassed &#8211; but her face blankly stares into space, not answering. These aren\u2019t friends; they don\u2019t know anything beyond \u201cAKAshley\u2019s\u201d brand. Waechter stikes a divide between fictional personas and reality, noting gussied-up avatars are no replacement for genuine self-representation.<\/p>\n<p>Chasing the dragon that is online follower counts plays into <em>Deadcon<\/em>\u2019s possessive ghost story. No matter how many souls are sacrificed to a child named \u201cBobby\u201d (with his pink bunny balloon), he always wants more &#8211; sinking into this ongoing quest for more power, more outreach. Never checking one\u2019s intentions can lead to this ravenous, unfulfilling hunger. Lauren Elizabeth exploits this popularity thirst while walking around ViewCon floors shoeless, hilariously starting a &#8220;barefoot hashtag&#8221; trend even though she\u2019s demonically controlled. Social media users blindly follow their Pied Piper despite evil as the root cause. Digitally developed devils are sometimes a bit less savvy when filmmakers satirize logged-in dangers, but <em>Deadcon<\/em> manages emboldened yet straightforward social commentary.<\/p>\n<h2>3. It&#8217;s Short And Sweet<\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-8663 size-large\" src=\"http:\/\/blog-proxy.atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/deadcon-trailer-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" srcset=\"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/deadcon-trailer-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/deadcon-trailer-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/deadcon-trailer-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/deadcon-trailer-500x281.jpg 500w, https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/deadcon-trailer-1080x608.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/deadcon-trailer.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s not a set-in-stone rule, but cinema\u2019s golden length is 90-100 minutes. Longer or shorter can still work, with <em>Deadcon<\/em> being an example of an 80-minute speed demon that wastes no time. \u201cAKAshely\u201d arrives, checks into her damned hotel suite, and falls prey to haunted blueprints. Neighboring YouTuber Megan (Claudia Sulewski) finds herself doom-adjacent by staying next door, adding to the danger count by introducing a lusty (dramatic) love triangle. At a longer stretch, my opinion might not be as favorable &#8211; but given how Waechter wraps terror tight around her finger, there\u2019s not much to lose giving <em>Deadcon<\/em> a try.<\/p>\n<p>For what <em>Deadcon<\/em> attempts, it succeeds based on pacing and executed scares in the same way another social media horror film titled <em>Friend Request<\/em> does. Mapping compact menace, telling portable ghost stories and committing to forward progress, Caryn Waechter achieves a balance between societal commentaries on brainwashed YouTube subscribers and irresponsible online cult leaders, all while utilizing legit haunted beats more aggressive than some fuzzy digital static. Are there better examples of &#8220;screen life&#8221; scariness? For sure. Does <em>Deadcon<\/em> still hurdle those comparable attempts we\u2019ve since forgotten? You betcha. For that I\u2019d click, like, and share this Cinepocalypse debut.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The horrors of Snapchat and Instagram obsessions spiritually materialize in Caryn Waechter\u2019s techno-ghastly Deadcon. Not the first Wi-Fi equipped genre commentary, but comparatively, one of the cleaner examples of \u201cscreen life horror.\u201d Titles like Unfriended, The Den and Tragedy Girls still reign supreme, while other far weaker binary nightmares help to sandwich Deadcon in an [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":8665,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[58,52],"tags":[40,37],"class_list":["post-8658","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-horror","category-review","tag-featuredpage","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8658","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8658"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8658\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8687,"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8658\/revisions\/8687"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8665"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8658"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8658"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8658"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}