After the deluge of found-footage and faux-documentary horror movies that surfaced following Paranormal Activity, the format felt exceedingly tired. A few standouts—Noroi, Lake Mungo, [REC] to name some—aside, these movies were everywhere and often pretty cheesy. In recent years, more and more have popped up that actually feel scary to a degree we hadn’t seen in awhile. Shudder‘s new movie Infirmary looks to be one of these, as judging by its intense new trailer.
The movie shows us the bodycam footage of a rookie security guard (Paul Syre) and a veteran (Mark Anthony Williams) on a night patrolling an old psych hospital. That in and of itself would be enough to give one the proverbial willies, but this looks downright terrifying as something stalks the few remaining people through the sickly corridors and dank boiler rooms.
This isn’t the first found-footage movie to utilize bodycam footage. The V/H/S movies and the very bad movie Bodycam have done it before. But I think it presents some of the most “realistic” opportunities for the genre. People always buck against the idea that people would keep holding their cameras amid horrifying supernatural events. But if it’s just on your person already? That’s a damn fine reason to keep filming.
Shudder, the horror-focused streaming service, which is part of AMC+, always makes the most of October in the lead-up to Halloween. This year is no exception. In addition to Infirmary—which drops on the streamer October 2—we’ll get V/H/S/Mixtape, Breeder, Hallowarrior, and The Cycle. Library titles will include all four of the Anthony Perkins-starring Psycho movies, Insidious 1-3, and Twilight Zone: The Movie. Earlier this year, Shudder also debuted all seven seasons of Tales from the Crypt. So, there’s plenty for horror nuts of all sort. Have a lovely Nerdoween!