Review by Bradley Smith
In 2018, three friends decided to make a horror film using their phones and gopro cameras. For Jennifer is the fourth such movie that blurs the lines between fiction and reality as the “making” of an unrelated “Jennifer” movie morphs into a real nightmare as the current Jennifer explores and discovers connections to the previous movies. While it technically works as a standalone film that is good cheesy fun, it will probably be much more enjoyable for fans of the previous three movies since there are actors and themes from the previous films.
The movie opens with a sex scene that clearly states “this is not for kids/families”. The two lovers are soon shown to be in danger as a hand removes an already bloody axe from its resting place. Skipping ahead a bit, this whole scene is revealed to be a movie being played at a surprise horror themed birthday party for a horror blogger, Jennifer (Tiffani Fest). After the party, Jennifer opens a birthday gift from a guy identified as Spencer (Hunter Johnson; To Jennifer) who says he wants her to be the star of a movie he is making; a sequel to one of his inspirations. The video and accompanying audio message scares her into leaving and crashing her car. Once she is out of the hospital, her and her friends, Stefanie (Lanett Tachel) and Joey (Rich Finley) decide to make a horror movie of their own.
A bulk of the film from here is the three friends discussing their movie, setting up and holding auditions, and exploring the other Jennifer movies and the mental stability of the people associated with those films. Occasionally, they throw in a reminder that someone else wanted to make their own horror movie starring Jennifer; like a stranger walking through their house while they sleep or one of the actors getting killed after her audition.
I think the biggest draw of For Jennifer is that it is filmed on smartphones and “ordinary” cameras. Problem with that is the sound qualify varies drastically often within the same scene (as the person holding the camera would naturally be much louder than others who are very quiet in comparison). And we get the same problems with which the “found footage” genre often struggles- that being a lack of a reason for the filming (i.e. why was Joey filming his confrontation with the guy he suspected of breaking into their house).
I like the premise of this movie, a movie being made within the movie that slowly turns into the horror movie we wanted to watch, though I think it was far better (though not without its own flaws) when it was called “Scream 3”; granted that film had a far bigger budget and more established names both in front of and behind the camera. I did like the split screen effects; some of them crept onto the screen in a way that added a level of creepiness. The acting was also commendable given the inherent limitations.
