Movie Review: BODYCAM

By ABBIE BERNSTEIN / Staff Writer

Posted: March 17th, 2026 / 09:27 PM

Rating: Not Rated
Stars: Jaime M. Callica, Sean Rogerson, Catherine Lough Haggquist, Angel Prater
Writers: Ryan Christensen & Brandon Christensen, story by Ryan Christensen & Brandon Christensen & Kurtis David Harder
Director: Brandon Christensen
Distributor: Shudder
Release Date: March 13, 2026 (Shudder)

There should perhaps be a new term for movies shown through an onscreen camera lens that isn’t “found footage,” which implies the footage was somehow lost earlier.

BODYCAM, as its title suggests, is a fictional film comprised of bodycam footage from several police officers, plus footage taken by police vehicle cams.

Partnered cops Jackson (Jaime M. Callica) and Bryce (Sean Rogerson) are sent to respond to reports of a domestic disturbance. The neighborhood is rundown, with people living in tents on the sidewalks, even though the area is residential and most of the houses look occupied. We learn that Jackson grew up around here.

Nobody answers the door at the home in question, but the officers can hear screaming, so they enter. In under ten minutes of screen time, some terrible things happen, leaving the men with a dilemma made more complicated by the fact that they will eventually have to explain what their cameras have captured.

Adding to Bryce and Jackson’s already major problems, the tent dwellers keep making ominous pronouncements, and there are occult symbols everywhere.

The mythology in BODYCAM is familiar enough for us to understand what’s happening without it needing to be explained or even fully comprehended by the main characters. This allows more time to increase our discomfort and tension, while preventing much exposition.

Director Brandon Christensen co-wrote the script with Ryan Christensen, working from a story they crafted with Kurtis David Harder. What the filmmakers do very well is create a sense of dread of both the seen and the unseen. We’re afraid of the unpredictable right in front of us, as well as whatever may be lurking in darkened doorways.

We’re also worried that our protagonists are so preoccupied with their immediate problems that they can’t even focus on information that might be helpful. Bryce really wants to take advantage of the cover provided by his badge, while Jackson hopes he can stop his partner from digging himself in deeper.

Christensen depicts unsettling grunge and menacing movement. We don’t get to know the characters very well, but they are credible, with Callica as someone trying to do the right thing, and Rogerson building up slyness and stubbornness as Bryce’s options decrease.

BODYCAM can be read as a critique of how quickly things can escalate if a cop is desperate. Mostly, though, it’s effectively textured and nightmare-like.

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