Last Wednesday a new type of movie was released for download on Vimeo. The movie tilted, “Sickhouse” was actually originally posted in 10 second clips to popular social media app Snapchat as the plot unfolded before the eyes of many followers.
“Sickhouse,” starring Internet-famed stars such as Andrea Russet, was posted to Snapchat as a story in a series clips. The clips told a story of terror as Andrea and a group of her friends decided to check out a rumored haunted house just outside Los Angeles.
The plot sounds overdone and clichéd, but the catch in this story is that Russet did not tell her fans that the clips were actually a scripted movie. Followers of the youtube star were scared and worried for her safety as the snaps earned over 100 million views. Watching on, the fact that this seemingly terrifying experience is just a movie isn’t revealed until the very last snap.
While the plot of this movie has been over done many times over and the first person camera has been around since “The Blair Witch,” the one thing that set Hannah McPherson’s story apart from others was that it seemed real. Every bit of the acting in the movie appeared to be real to viewers. Russet worried about not telling her followers it was a movie because some were ready to contact the police.
The movie is now available to download for $5.99 on Vimeo as a completed feature, even including extended footage that wasn’t on Snapchat. Although the format is still under the Snapchat language, you wouldn’t suspect this movie was ever made via clips on a phone.
With this movie being made via Snapchat and being released as a download, we are left to wonder; how will this affect future films? Today, streaming and using social media are both common aspects of both recreational purposes and for marketing and advertising. This movie was the first of its kind, but could it lead to others following suit?
With movies only an app away, movies coming to social media or being filmed by social media means fans can leave their feedback immediately and online.
“If whoever made it is fine with it being posted on social media, who am I to care? More power to them.” Says Krystle Wolford via Facebook.
“I see no problem with it as long as those who produced it get recognized and compensated for it.” Says Sarai Emanuel.
“I mean I think it makes sense. I feel like people will be more inclined to watch it if it’s available as people want to watch it.” Says Emily Grapes.
Perhaps in the future, “Sickhouse” won’t be the only movie to be made by social media and put available for download on Vimeo. This could be the start of a trend.
Lindsey Huff
Intern