Panic Button Review

• 17th Oct 2011

A warning to all social network users! If ever there was a horror film to address the social concerns of global connectivity then you have found your answer in Panic Button. Assuming a virtual identity on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter has never been so accessible and the crazy thing is that the amount of information we can view and share with the click of a button is limitless. Is there a difference in how we communicate in real life in comparison to when we are alone behind closed doors? And could desires we would not normally associate with in real life be unearthed as we freely roam a virtual space, dangerously flirting with overstepping the mark; cyber bullying, voyeurism, peer pressure, identity theft, child safety and the list goes on. So then, for a British horror deemed worthy enough to have a world premiere at London’s FrightFest on Saturday 27^th August 2011, I was eagerly intrigued by Panic Button.

When four young people win an all expenses paid trip to New York courtesy of a social networking site called All2gethr.com it all seems too good to be true. The alarm bells start ringing when what should be an exciting adventure for the participants is dampened within the opening 15 minutes by the skilful use of camera, sound and lighting. There is minimal use of non diegetic music except when a low eerie soundtrack is introduced; not your typical happy soundtrack juxtaposed with the plane jetting off to a glamorous destination. The grittier than usual lighting is not as glamorous which coupled with the use of medium and long shots gives a sense of distancing ourselves as if we are on the outside looking in. This clever technique is enhanced inside the body of the plane when we are viewing the young people playing an online game which connotes a sense of voyeurism as the camera ensures we do not miss any of the characters emotions as they are psychologically broken.

As they go through a set of disturbing challenges we unearth their not so pleasant natures where each individual is exposed for committing a dark crime on the internet. Whether it is watching underage girls, watching a man get beaten, posing as a stripper or assuming another identity the movie places us in a claustrophobic mise en scene where each characters past is unravelled. Whether we think the crime they committed was wrong or not is very symbolic of how the audience is unwittingly carrying out the same crime. We are watching their lives and being voyeuristic ourselves; when they turn on one other and the death toll rises do we still ‘watch’ and ‘share’ the events as they unfold?

Whilst watching this movie it was very interesting how the filmic style played out their loved ones being tortured on video. It was quite virtual and distant as if its intention was to make a point of the audience not becoming too emotionally attached. This juxtaposed with how these characters felt no remorse when they watched obscene material and posted nasty comments on All2gethr.com is very symbolic. This poses the potentially harmful effects of social networking because as we enter a virtual space do we lose our sense of reality and what is morally right. This raises the question of desensitisation and how it is difficult to initiate law and order online.

Panic Button works well as a psychological horror/thriller as it addresses the underlying themes without trying to preach to the audience. The main character Jo played by Scarlet Alice Johnson is trying to repent the sins of her dark past and the goal of reuniting with her daughter is the core storyline linking the missing pieces to the killer’s intentions. The villain is both a victim and an instigator of social networking as demonstrated by the concluding scene which is extremely haunting and shocking. The issue of seeking justice raises its ugly head as the killer takes matters into their own hands for if there’s no rules online then are there any rules to abide by in reality.

Horrific and thought provoking, Panic Button comes to DVD on November 7^th and if you get a chance to swing by Cardiff Chapter Arts Centre on 4^th, 5^th and 8^th November or Aberystwyth Abertoir Film Festival 28^th October then catch a screening.

Rachel Moore