Written and directed by Alex Newman, Videophone was screened at London's Midnight Movies last year and has garnered quite a bit of well deserved praise on the indie horror scene.

The film gives off a sort of American Psycho vibe, though it's infinitely less obvious and more likely to elicit a mixed reaction in thought and emotion from audiences. The film, and I have to say it, slices its way through a variety of settings and scenarios in giving a multi-layered and thought-provoking presentation of one man who seems to be wreaking havoc on those both familiar and unfamiliar.

Newman doesn't take the easy way out with the film, preferring the power of suggestion over excessive gore. The key reason that the film lingers in the mind is precisely because in each scenario it seems that our key player, a serial killer of sorts, is either familiar to his victims or making himself familiar to his victims before he strikes.

Videophone makes you think and makes you feel.

It also features excellent music by Cassetteboy,  music that gives the film an off kilter yet almost sentimental vibe at times. That's even more of the genius of the film - it makes you actually feel comfortable with everything that's going on. It's not quite to the point of Ozzie and Harriet meeting Patrick Bateman, but it's not too far removed.

Videophone is the kind of film that leaves you wanting more, mostly because Newman is so damn wise about his pacing and just how much he reveals as everything unfolds.

Ultimately, Videophone is a filmmaker's film that works because it's a marvel of cinematic construction. It may not be entirely flawless, but it's not a film you'll soon forget.

© Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic