I first learned about Vlog during its viral marketing campaign back in early 2008. The creators tried to pass along fake reports, emails, and clips to try to convince people that Vlog is a completely legitimate crime case. The only problem with this is they were all done so poorly I was able to see right through it…immediately. Still, my curiosity was peaked so as more and more videos started rolling out, I made sure to log on and watch ’em. Although, being in my first year of college, I was drunk each time I checked out the latest videos and I just remember obnoxiously screaming, “BROOKE MARKS!” throughout the whole thing.
Vlog follows real life vlogger Brooke Marks. She’s also a model and softcore porn star, I think? The film kicks off with an introduction to Brooke, her views on life, and other fun topics. It then proceeds to dip into her personal relationships with friends, boyfriends, and fuck buddies. Eventually, the film takes a sinister turn when a Saw-like voice starts leaving her voicemails which direct her to online clips of people she knows being murdered. Brooke goes to the police, but it seems like they’re not taking her seriously. Is it a crazed fan? Is it a violent past lover? One thing is for sure, all of Brooke’s friends are in danger and no one knows when the killer will decide to strike Brooke.
Vlog comes from writer/director Joshua Butler and the guys over at Twisted Pictures. Twisted Pictures is the production company that brought you the Saw franchise, Dead Silence, Repo! The Genetic Opera, and Chain Letter. Despite quite the impressive resume, the overall quality of Vlog is kind of average. Scenes are a mix of real-time narrative format and bits of found footage from Brooke’s camera. The film quality jumps up and down depending on whether the scene is found footage, interior, or exterior. I assume this is because Vlog was produced on a much smaller budget than the films listed above. Audio-wise the film sounds great, except at one point they use a pre-recorded female scream – ya know, the one you’ve heard a thousand times in different horror films and know it when you hear it.
I think what hindered the film the most is the script or lack of script. For the first half hour or so, viewers are treated to Brooke Marks being herself on camera. Brooke is usually half-naked during these parts and she’s obviously attractive, and somewhat interesting. But, she’s also opinionated, a little awkward at times, and kind of annoying. One of her saddest moments include being visibly upset because someone didn’t accept her Myspace friend request. Really? Yes. Really. Vlog relies on Brooke to keep viewers interested the first half hour; and the film is only 70 minutes long. Sadly, Brooke wasn’t enough to keep my attention the entire time and I ended up doing other things…like eating a sandwich. Oh, did people die yet? No? Ok, I’m going to make myself another snack…
So, what are the death scenes like? Well, two of them are very slow and the others are very quick. The slow ones are painfully slow, but they’re actually quite brutal. Right up there in Saw territory, I think. The others are quicker and they’re just more hack-and-slash. So Vlog is a win for fans of both styles of killing. That’s all there is to say about the horror in Vlog. There’s no chase scenes, no real suspense – just an adequate amount of mystery. If anything, Vlog is a mystery reality film with horror elements added in.
When I saw that Vlog was released to DVD on October 11, 2011 – I was shocked! There has literally been no promotion for this film since it was done showing clips in 2008. Maybe Twisted Pictures isn’t too happy with the final version of the film and this is their way of “sweeping it under the carpet?” I shelled out a couple extra bucks to have Vlog delivered the same day it was released on DVD, and end up disappointed. I mentioned alcohol in the first paragraph… And just like women (or men, depending on the reader), the alcohol made Vlog look better than if I was sober. I saw a 10, but in reality it was a 4.
