Nowadays we've become accustomed to seeing surveillance cameras inside and outside, everywhere from retail locations to private homes. It's a reflection of a society that's aware of the threats posed by unknown intruders. Ideally, surveillance cameras should warn prospective thieves to stay away, though they are often seen merely as challenges to be overcome by criminally-minded individuals.
In more and more horror movies, however, surveillance cameras play a different role, bearing technological witness to terrors that we shudder to contemplate. Here are a handful of examples, sometimes with the surveillance completely out in the open, sometimes with the cameras carefully hidden to avoid detection. The characters in the movies are all similar: no matter who's watching, or why, their terror becomes absolute.
The Cabin in the Woods (2012)
As this clip shows, an entire crew (here represented by Bradley Whitford, Richard Jenkins, and Amy Acker) is keeping watch on the titular cabin, but their true motivation remains a secret until it's far too late, and things have gotten far too scary, to do anything about it.
The Den (2013)
A college student decides to study a web chat site for her graduate thesis, doing so from the safety of her own home. But her rather sneaky surveillance of the surfing habits of random internet users, while occasionally making her jump -- watch the clip below -- turns truly frightening when her computer is hacked and she is exposed to a horribly disturbing video. Soon her life is placed in terrifying danger.
Paranormal Activity (2007)
For one young couple, the idea behind installing surveillance cameras in their home is to record any possible paranormal activity, which is unnerving Katie even as it fascinates Micah. What begins as fairly benign slowly morphs into something that is life-threatening.
Vacancy (2007)
Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale get stranded overnight in a decrepit old motel, but the poor condition of their room only begins to tell of the terror they face when they realize that someone is watching -- and recording -- their every move.
Halloween: Resurrection (2002)
The clip starts with a boy and a girl in a dark basement. They're part of a group of six teenagers who've been equipped with video cameras to record their actions during a single night in the home of a legendary serial killer. Little do they know that their reality show is about to be interrupted by Michael Myers.
