‘Last Radio Call’: A Found Footage Monster Movie Worth Watching [Review]
Mary Beth McAndrews
|
Director Isaac Rodriguez is no stranger to found footage. He’s used the format for his short films, such as The Cop Cam, and his features, such as Deadware, alike. Now, he’s back with his latest foray into found footage with Last Radio Call. This time, Rodriguez is blending several layers of media to paint a monstrous picture of something otherwordly haunting an abandoned hospital.
Last Radio Call opens on bodycam footage from Officer David Serling, a cop investigating a call about screams from an old hospital. His footage is reminiscent of first-person horror video games such as Outlast, where nothing but a flashlight helps you see the unknown world around you. While he at first dismisses the call as trespassers, he quickly realizes something more sinister is at hand. The footage then switches to his partner, who actually survives the night. Here, Rodriguez is providing two perspectives that validate the veracity of these events.
Related: ‘The Outwaters’ Is A Delightfully Disgusting Upcoming Found Footage Movie
Cut to a year later to his wife, Sarah, who has that body cam footage—literal found footage— and endless questions about his disappearance. So he hires a documentary crew to document her journey for answers and if he may still be alive. She is obsessed with finding the truth, her home plastered in missing posters and piles of papers and photos. Her wall resembles that of a conspiracy theorist who won’t let go until they can a concrete explanation. She’s a grieving widow who simply can’t move on. has finally received the literal found footage from that night. But the footage only leads to more questions.
Sarah’s journey leads her into the world of Indigenous folklore as more bodycam footage is unearthed and a strange symbol is discovered in both the hospital and in David’s footage. She gets in touch with Benny, a shaman who she believes can help explain what happened. The dialogue here is a bit bumpy, particularly from the token Indigenous character who’s brought in to explain the supernatural threat. Rodriguez does try to subvert expectations of the use of Indigenous characters and myth. But he falls short in the writing of the character.
Related: ‘The Backrooms’ Is A Found Footage Nightmare Freaking Out The Internet
Where he does succeed is the creation of his monster, the Red Sister, who’s based on the Skadegamutc of the Wabanaki tribe. She is described as a ghost-witch who settles into a nesting place and feasts on human blood. That’s the only way she can maintain her immortality. This isn’t the usual ancient burial ground or cursed land—though they do discuss that. This is a deeper, more terrifying prospect with a corporeal form.
While the desire for truth is inherent to the found footage genre, Rodriguez plays with that concept and exploits explicitly to delve into Sarah’s paranoia. She explicitly states at the film’s start that this is all about truth. The layers of Sarah’s documentary, found body cam footage, voice recordings, and instructional tapes weave a more complicated tapestry of conspiracy.
Last Radio Call follows a lot of predictable story beats, especially as the obsessed protagonist pushes too far in the name of truth. But Rodriguez sets the film apart with its monster and an inversion of the typical haunted location found footage film. This is no Grave Encounters, but something more tangible than cosmic time loops or vengeful ghosts. This is a found footage monster movie that’ll chill you in its final moments and captivate you with its mystery.
Summary
Last Radio Call follows a lot of predictable story beats. But director Isaac Rodriguez sets the film apart with its monster and an inversion of the typical haunted location found footage film.
