Capture

2026

Horror

Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Rotten 80%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 80%
IMDb Rating 6.4/10 10 46 46

Plot summary

After mysteriously inheriting her parents house, a lifelong orphan finds a camcorder and a collection of video tapes containing the gruesome secrets of her family's past, and the horrifying truth behind the camcorder they were captured on.

Director

Bruce Wemple Photo
Bruce Wemple

Top cast

Leah Eckardt Photo
Leah Eckardt as Paige
Jessy Holtermann Photo
Jessy Holtermann as Reporter
Kaitlyn Lunardi Photo
Kaitlyn Lunardi as Abby
Cedric Gegel Photo
Cedric Gegel as Steve
720p.WEB
784.05 MB
1280*694
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 25 min
Seeds ...

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by 7 / 10

An immensely likable genre effort

After learning of her inheritance, a woman heads to a remote property in the countryside to look over the house that's now hers, and after looking into a series of strange videotapes left behind, leading her into a deadly confrontation involving a cursed camera that holds the truth.Overall, this was an intriguing and enjoyable genre effort. One of the better factors with this one comes from the rather strong storyline that offers up the kind of promising psychological genre fare that's far deeper than expected. The central setup, offering a look at her relationship with her foster brother and sister and the resulting needs they have towards her, sets this up with the kind of strong starting point to where the later scenes of her taking a trip out of the property itself and learning more about her birth mother's work, is a great touch. As the eventual discovery of the backstory of the house and what her mother's work was all about through the videotapes left behind and the investigation into the different victims of the massacre that took place there begins to unfold, the resulting connection about the nature of the house and the possibility of the freed demonic entity targeting her makes for a strong overall storyline. Once it starts to develop into the idea of what's going on around her and if the house is really haunted, the realization of what's going on sets this in motion rather nicely, with the idea of the real figure behind it all being quite surprising. The truth being revealed in the tapes and setting her off in a direction of discovery regarding one of the main participants associated with the project her mother was conducting at the house turns into something else entirely, not just being a fun misdirect but also a strong way of taking the story in a different direction. The psychologically damaging concept behind what's really going on makes for some gruesome setpieces as well, from the attack on the friend who comes to visit to the attempts at tracking down her mother and the final attacks on her brother coming to check on her, setting up a great finale full of great visuals and some fun deaths as well that make for a lot to like here. This one doesn't have many flaws, but they do hold it back pretty heavily. The main issue is with the generally sluggish pace, owing to the repeated use of too many characters, well aware of the situation, not being forthcoming to the point of putting her in danger for no reason. It's made clear that the residents in town are aware of what happened and what the truth about the activities she conducted there were about, yet the first half of this is spent on her running around the property looking after the house and investigating the house, which tends to lead to no real information about the main supernatural figure at the center of the film. So little information about what's going on tends to leave it without any kind of in-depth analysis of what's going on beyond a baseline announcement about the cursed camera and the connection with her mother's past, but beyond that, we don't have much else here due to the strange pacing. It's what holds this one back the most.Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Language, Graphic Violence, and a clothed sex scene.
Reviewed by 10 / 10

High Tension Horror

Something of a slow-burning thriller that keeps the tension up. While elements of the plots have been seen in other films, I don't think they have been done this way before. The acting is superb! The intensity of the first person we see on video sets the bar for everyone else. The effects are well done and not overdone. Make sure to watch right up to the very end.
Reviewed by 7 / 10

Review for Capture

This was a film that I was able to see via screener thanks to Erika from Gold Dust PR. The poster and the bit of the press release that I read did intrigue me. I'll be honest, it did look to be 'ghostly', a term for films that came out in the 2010s that were generic. I still like to come in with an open mind. This is also a Scouring through the Sixes watch for 2026.Synopsis: after mysteriously inheriting her parents' house, a lifelong orphan finds a camcorder and a collection of video tapes containing the gruesome secrets of her family's past, and the horrifying truth behind the camcorder they were captured on.We start this by seeing thick woods and there's a house nestled in it. There is then a couple where the woman, I believe her name is Megan (Molly McCluskey). She has hurt her ankle. They're trying to find a way back to the road. That's when they notice the house. They head to it to see if they can find a phone. The guy goes inside and finds that it is abandoned. Megan notices something in an upstairs window. Something happens to her when the red light on the camera turns on.It then shifts to a woman walking up in bed. She's in her underwear. The reason for her concern is that she's not supposed to be there. Her name is Abby (Kaitlyn Lunardi). Her brother is the guy who comes in and his name is Steve (Cedric Gegel). She hooked up with a guy and the place she's staying belongs to her sister, Laura. She isn't thrilled that her sister has been squatting in her condo.It is revealed that Abby was adopted and it sounds like she's had troubles. Steve tells her something. He's a private investigator and when trying to find information about her parents, he discovered a lawyer looking for her. She contacts him to learn that her parents are deceased. There was a house left to her in the will. It should have been sold, but there were issues and it is still in limbo. Now that she's been found, it is signed over to her. She apologizes to Laura, telling her that she's going to sell the house and clear her debts. She needs to see the place first.She takes a train to the town and goes into the local bar, seeing if someone can give her a ride. Everyone ignores her at first, that is until Kyle (Chris Cimperman) offers to take her. When she gets there, it is the house from the opening. She goes in and explores. Something that catches her interest is a box of tapes. She also finds a camera.Abby learns her parents are Jason (Grant Schumacher) and Cameron Greene (also Lunardi). Her mother, a psychologist, planned to use the house as a home office, which worried Jason due to his own genetic illness and the presence of mentally ill patients. Abby finds a tape from a patient, Kevin (Will Maizel), revealing a terrifying truth that affected her parents and the house's past, putting her and visitors in danger. She also might not be alone either.That is where I'll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. Where I want to start is by saying that this is interesting, that this is the second film that I've seen this year involving a cursed video camera. Both are independent productions so I assume it is just a coincidence. Both use it in similar, but different ways as well. The concept of a cursed object, especially when it involves technology, is something that I like. J-horror did interesting things with it so I was intrigued to see what this would do with the idea.To set up the story, we use familiar tropes: an isolated house in the woods lacking cellular coverage. Abby, who doesn't have a car, is stranded. The large, solitary house is creepy. Abby is also an alcoholic, with withdrawals indicated by shaky hands. Her determination to learn about her parents keeps her from leaving prematurely. Lunardi does a good job in her performance. Added credit for also playing the character of her mother.Let's then look more at the haunting aspect. These are the figurative demons that Abby is dealing with. Her addiction is part of that. She doesn't seem to fit in with her family, being that she is adopted as an element. She also seems to bring on critiques with decisions. Steve does love and wants to help her. What she then discovers is this cursed camera. This is a window into learning about her parents and her past. Even though there is danger for what harbors and is able to do, she doesn't want to lose that connection. I do like how this builds tension and atmosphere.That should be enough for the story to shift over to talking about the acting performances. I've already given credit to Lunardi, who takes on dual roles as well as showing good fear. The drive to learn about where she came from is good, but I also like seeing the elements of her destructive personality. Gegel works as her sibling who loves her. He might try to help too much. Cimperman works as this guy who seems nice, in a time when Abby is isolated. Schumacher, Leah Eckardt, LeJon Woods and the rest of the cast did round this out for what was needed.All that is left then is filmmaking. In general, I do think that this is well made. The cinematography and framing are solid. What I like best is after something is revealed about the camera, Abby walks around the house to see a different form. It reminded me of Silent Hill. The effects that we got were solid. I'm guessing there is CGI, but no issues there. What they did with practically done ones looked good. Other than that, I did think that music got eerie at times and what they did with the sound design worked.In conclusion, my biggest critique is that there isn't a lot of originality to the concept. It borrows heavily from J-horror staples like Ringu and Ju-on, and the isolated house setting is overly familiar. However, the film successfully overcomes these shortcomings through its solid character work and commitment to building a palpable atmosphere, rather than relying solely on jump scares. The dual performance by Lunardi is compelling, and director Bruce Wemple manages to weave the figurative demons of addiction and family history into the literal supernatural threat with commendable skill. Ultimately, this is a well-crafted, moody, and character-driven piece of independent horror that proves a solid entry for 2026.My Rating: 6.5 out of 10.
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