REVIEW: DELIVERY / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: BRIAN NETTO / SCREENPLAY: BRIAN NETTO, ADAM SCHINDLER / STARRING: LAUREL VAIL, DANNY BARCLAY, ROB COBUZIO / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
Expecting the birth of their first child, pretty young couple Rachel and Kyle Massey agree to appear on cutesy daytime television programme Delivery. With cameras installed in their home, cameramen following them everywhere and gifted handheld camcorders of their very own, the stage is just begging for a little Paranormal Activity.
Sure enough, as the credits roll on the first episode, signs begin to present themselves that all is not right with Rachel and her joyous bundle. The cameras go haywire, mysterious screaming sounds off on the audio track and the dog won’t stop barking at Rachel and her baby belly. As the mood in the house darkens and the film’s horror element awakes, it becomes apparent that something is seriously wrong with baby.
It’s a shame that Delivery comes at the tail-end of the likes of Devil’s Due and Paranormal Activity, since it does a lot with the format that bears seeing. For once, the found footage gimmick is well-utilised, with sensible and believable behaviour (for the most part) from the characters throughout. The opening is effective – an episode of the TV show Delivery, complete with cheesy music and talking heads – before switching to a more familiar motif. While the story and scares aren’t particularly original, it nevertheless holds onto its audience through its atmosphere and impressive sense of foreboding horror. And then there’s the ending, which puts its peers to utter shame with its traumatic audaciousness.
It’s a funny thing, horror. You can watch cinematic, straight-to-DVD and television terror for years, and not feel a thing; completely numbed. And then something apparently innocuous like Delivery will come along to scare the surprised snot out of you. This won’t be the case for all, but it hit just the right spot for this particular horror nut. A well-told, impressively creepy found footage film, it’s proof that, sometimes, the kids are alright.
Extras: None
