388 Arletta Avenue Directed by: Randall Cole Starring: Nick Stahl, Mia Kirshner, Devon Sawa Rating: Not Yet Rated Release Date: May 15, 2012
TRAILER SCORE: 7/10
Thoughts by TSR: I wasn’t expecting much from this trailer for 388 Arletta Avenue. I’m starting to get tired of found footage, so this one was at a bit of a disadvantage from the start. Surprisingly, it overcame that hurdle to the point where I’m fairly interested in checking it out. It’s probably not going to reinvigorate my interest in found footage, but it does look just interesting enough for me to give it a chance.
It helps that it doesn’t look exactly like other films of the subgenre. A lot of those are plagued with being too well shot, something that is not true for this film. That may sound like a complaint, but it actually makes the film more appealing to me. Sure, a lot of it might be budgetary, but the fact that this often looks like it is really from raw surveillance footage is a welcome change of pace. Another positive is lead actor Nick Stahl. I don’t have a whole lot of affection for any of his film work, but he still has plenty of goodwill built up thanks to his starring in HBO’s “Carnivàle.” There isn’t a huge indication of his work, but what is shown looks solid.
The concept of someone always watching you is an unsettling one - and I like that the footage is from the stalker's point of view - so if writer/director Randall Cole is able to bring some real visceral terror to it, 388 Arletta Avenue should be well worth watching. Preferably when home alone.