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This short film will likely make you want to throw all your in-home security cameras in a fiery dumpster. A straightforward found footage horror that delivers a hefty amount of chills in its short ten-minute runtime. The fact that the video is uploaded with zero information about the filmmaker gives it a very Blair Witch “Are we sure this is fiction?” feel to it. The concept of weaponizing the very thing we invite and install into our homes as a safety measure deeply resonates at a time when most households have at least one of these things in place.
Exposure has been live on YouTube for a few of weeks now, the account has the same name as the movie, and this short is the sole video uploaded to the Exposure account. Naturally, this piqued our curiosity. The short had its premiere at Screamfest earlier this year, and we tracked down Scottish filmmaker Kris J. Cummins to thank him for fueling our paranoia in the safety of our own homes.
This was uploaded to YouTube somewhat anonymously, which adds another layer to creeping people out. Has anyone tracked you down yet? Have you since claimed this?
Well, I’m a big ham, and I enjoy a bit of showmanship, so I thought it’d be good to upload it to YouTube and post it around as “real footage” until people started watching. It initially screened at Screamfest so people had already seen it there, but it felt appropriate to have fun when uploading it to social media. I’d love to spark some mass panic in America and cause the security camera market to collapse.
What was the inspiration behind Exposure?
I’d always wanted to have a go at “found footage” but it was just a case of figuring out a new angle. I forgot about it until my sister got a German Shepherd, along with a kitchen camera to keep an eye on her when out. One night, she showed me the live footage. It had this grainy black-and-white look that got under my skin. Then she spoke to the dog through her phone.
Poor thing looked terrified. Months later, I read a news article about a teenager who had hacked into a family’s CCTV system and started talking to a little girl in her bedroom. Thankfully nothing bad happened beyond that, but I’m a worrier, and I couldn’t help but dwell on the worst-case scenario. I suppose that’s what horror writing is.
Is this concept something that personally freaks you out?
Absolutely. It should freak everyone out. It used to be that voyeurs crept around your garden, hoping for a crack in the curtains—now we’ve let them into our homes. I’m not just referring to CCTV cameras but smart devices, laptops, phones, nanny cams—all of it. Did you know Mark Zuckerburg and James Comey keep tape over their laptop cameras? Even the elite know they aren’t safe. So what trouble is it to hack into an average family’s cameras?
Ultimately, Exposure is meant to twist something that’s supposed to make us feel safe into something that’s used against us. I kept saying it had to feel like a new urban legend, a simple cautionary tale that could happen to you. After all, The Boogeyman always changes with the times.
We’re always fascinated by independent filmmaking. It always feels like a small miracle that a filmmaker persisted against all odds and got their work out into the world for others to see. Walk us through the process a bit, from inception to getting it on our screens. Writing, funding, shooting, etc
Well, I run all my ideas by my wonderful girlfriend, and her reaction usually tells me if they’re worth pursuing. With this, she said something like, “Eugh, yeah, that’s awful,” so that really encouraged me.
It was zero-budget. Everyone involved were just friends of mine, people who love filmmaking and wanted to make something. I asked my married friends if I could use their home to film a child abduction horror. They rolled their eyes and said, “Sure.” They’re good people. Even the camera was borrowed from my sister. We taped it to the wall and shot everything from that one angle, then taped it somewhere else and did it again, over and over.
The girl, Leah, is my friend’s little cousin. She’d never acted before but she was great. I just wanted a real kid and not some overconfident child actor. For her scenes, I went into the next room and spoke to her through the camera, giving directions but mainly messing about, trying to get her to laugh and talk, etc. Then afterwards, I wrote the abductor’s dialogue to suit what she’d said, edited out my voice, and put his in.
So it was almost like reverse engineering the scene. She had no idea she was in a horror movie, she just thought it was a laugh. In fact she never even met Paul, the man playing the abductor. We shot all their stuff separately on different days and then cut it together. I’m not keen on traumatizing children if I can help it.
I just got lucky with the actors. Hazel Beattie, who plays the mum, is incredible at everything, including raw terror. Paul looks amazing but I wanted a different voice for the Nanny Cam. I auditioned loads of guys until Ian Plunkett came along. Everyone else had tried too hard to be creepy, but he understood this guy had to talk like a friendly uncle to be manipulative.
When we got to the edit, I felt compelled to include subtitles. I understand that to many people, the Scottish accent may as well be Klingon.
What has the reception been like?
It’s been great, but it’s just nice to have eyeballs on it. Most indie filmmakers know too well the pain of making a movie and having it vanish into the ether. I submitted it to Screamfest at the final hour of the final deadline, which I can’t recommend if you have anxiety. It played at L.A’s Chinese Theatre, so that helped a great deal. It was awfully humbling. Not that I had the time or money to attend, but I hear it really terrified people.
I’ve received lots of kind messages from people saying they’ve turned their cameras to face the wall now. It’s like a new fear has been unlocked, which is lovely to hear. I guess the reception also taught me most US homes have a latch on the front door. We don’t really have that in the UK. We use keys to lock the front door at night. “But what happens if you lose your keys in the house? Aren’t you locked inside?” Yes, I am. It’s one of the many reasons I don’t go outside.
Would you like to get into making features in general? If so, how would you say making short films prepares you for that next leap?
I’d love to make features. Shorts are a great way to cut your teeth and learn what works and what doesn’t – especially when they’re bad. It’s important to labor over a short, screen it and feel humiliated. It teaches you. Moreso they’re a good way of figuring out what you’re actually interested in. What kind of stories do you want to tell? What’s your voice?
If you had the choice, would you rather make an original horror movie or adapt an existing franchise? If you pick a franchise, which one are you choosing?
What a fun question. I’d love to start an original horror franchise and then go to conventions as a grumpy old man and complain about how the sequels weren’t as good and how no-one asks about the boring drama I made. What a life.
But if I had to pick a franchise I’d choose A Nightmare on Elm Street. I think it’s the scariest horror concept ever thought of. The first one is a masterpiece. Englund is obviously the king of Krueger but that role is so iconic I think it can be endlessly recast in interesting ways, like Dracula. I’ve always maintained Will Poulter would make an excellent Freddy Krueger. You heard it here first.
Who are some of your biggest inspirations and who are some contemporary filmmakers you’ve appreciated recently?
Deary me, it’s a long list. Some of the usual suspects include Hitchcock, Serling, Romero, Carpenter, Craven, Raimi, Spielberg, Wilder, De Palma. I’m just as inspired by writers like Stephen King, Shirley Jackson, Ira Levin, Nigel Kneale, Richard Matheson. I love classic EC comics, too.
When it comes to contemporary horror, we’re so lucky that there are too many to mention. Obviously, Jordan Peele shows us what’s capable. Ti West has been doing special stuff for the past ten years, The Innkeepers is a real favorite of mine. David Bruckner’s movies are amazing. I love everything Leigh Whannel does. The scariest film I’ve seen in the last five years is actually Nia DaCosta’s Candyman. It reminded me how much I love being scared watching a movie. Nothing’s more fun than that.
Turn off the lights and watch Exposure below.
For more, check out our list of the scariest found footage horror movies.
