Amber Alert is a found footage horror-thriller that actually does something different. In a genre that is almost exclusively populated by ghosts, witches, devils, zombies and other supernatural foes, this movie features a very real monster. Sam (Summer Bellessa) and Nat (Chris Hill) are making an audition tape for a popular reality television show. They’re driving on the highway when they notice that the car advertised on a recent amber alert is driving ahead of them. The friends follow the car, Sam becomes obsessed with their new mission and the journey eventually takes them face to face with a possible child abductor. Yes, some scenes are obviously (and badly) ad-libbed. Yes, the villain is more of a cliche than a character. But the original premise and Sam’s passion go a long way toward that edge-of-your-seat tension thriller fans crave.
This article appears in Apr 10-16, 2014.