Movie Review: MOTION DETECTED

By ABBIE BERNSTEIN / Staff Writer

Posted: May 23rd, 2023 / 01:07 AM

MOTION DETECTED movie poster | ©2023 Freestyle Digital Media

Rating: Not Rated
Stars: Natasha Esca, Carlo Mendez, Roland Buck III, Katelyn MacMullen, Bob Clendenin, Kemberli Flores, Julie Brister
Writers: Justin Gallaher & Sam Roseme
Directors: Justin Gallaher & Sam Roseme
Distributor: Freestyle Digital Media
Release Date: May 19, 2023 (VOD and digital)

MOTION DETECTED immediately sets itself apart from both conventional haunted house and berserk security system stories by combining the two subgenres.

In the opening section, we see a little girl witness a 3D video glitch in a lovely old-fashioned house, as an AI voice alerts us, “Motion detected.” The video glitch reaches out of a closet and pulls the child inside.

We subsequently find out from the chipper real estate agent (Katelyn MacMullen) trying to get new tenants to lease the house that the previous occupants (i.e., the little girl and her family) vanished without trace – or payment.

Eva (Natasha Esca) and Miguel Diaz (Carlo Mendez) are newly arrived in Los Angeles from Mexico City. Eva survived an attack in their home by a still-at-large serial killer known as El Diablo. She is so traumatized by this that she and Miguel jointly decided a major move was in order.

Naturally, the fact that this fully-furnished, three-story house has a state-of-the-art security system appeals to the couple – even if the security company name is Diablo Controls. (And even though the painting on the wall of the sinister-looking homeowner would give most people pause.)

But Eva and Miguel haven’t even had time to unpack before Miguel is summoned back to Mexico City for a series of meetings by his employers. Eva is left alone.

At first, the glitches in the security system seem minor, like the 6 AM wakeup call that draws back the bedroom blinds. But things get weirder, and Eva’s nightmares of being attacked get worse instead of better.

Directors/writers Justin Gallaher & Sam Roseme keep us intrigued by toggling between Eva’s experiences and what the security system is doing on its own. They avoid the high-tech cliches that often come with AI run amok tales by having the house’s construction and interior look solidly twentieth century, with regular walls and doorways and even old-fashioned bathtubs.

There are also nice little details, such as why Eva is slow to trust the neighbors and psychotherapy sessions on Zoom.

Esca holds focus as the fearful but not hysterical lead, Mendez is good as her caring but uncomprehending spouse, and Roland Buck III hits exactly the right notes as the Diablo IT guy, who seems the epitome of normalcy.

There is perhaps a tiny bit too much of Eva partying by herself, dancing and writhing. We get it, and then it keeps going, so that it’s less illuminating the character and more aimed at the viewer. A bigger issue is one common to these sorts of narratives, which is why Eva doesn’t just grab her credit card and flee the premises. The house might be able to mess with her at a distance, but she doesn’t know that.

The finale of MOTION DETECTED is wholly appropriate to what has preceded it. However, we get a lot of clues that don’t fully add up. This may seem meant as tantalizing ambiguity, but instead it just leads to unconfirmed speculation (although perhaps this reviewer is just too dense to catch the subtleties).

Still, MOTION DETECTED does mostly move deftly through its suspense-horror-science-fiction paces.

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