Hooked Up (film)

Plot

After one breaks up with girlfriend, two American men go out for a wild night of partying in Barcelona, Spain. They are initially excited when two women invite them back to their house, but they find trouble in the form of a killer ghost who locks them in and attacks them.

Cast

Production

Casting took place in the United States over video. In the absence of any contracts, Larcuen and the two male leads got tattoos together, which Larcuen reasoned would keep them interested in the project. The film was shot on an iPhone 4S in 2011. Larcuen said that he chose the iPhone because he could not afford to shoot on film, and he did not want to use a cheap digital camera. Three iPhones were cycled during filming; battery power and storage space were issues. Hooked up had a cinematographer who shot the film traditionally; it was not shot by the actors themselves. Apple was not involved in the film's production. Post-production took an extended period of time, as the sound designer, a volunteer, could only work on weekends.

Release

Hooked up premiered at the Sitges Film Festival on 15 October 2013. In the US, Uncork’d Entertainment will release it to video on demand on 7 April 2015 and on DVD on 9 June 2015. It will be released in the UK on 27 April 2015.

Reception

J. R. Southall of Starburst rated it 5/10 and wrote, "This will never be regarded as a great, but it is unexpectedly entertaining and if the iPhone conceit is an indication of things to come, it might have been a lot worse." Jessy Williams of Scream rated it 1/5 stars and wrote, "There is nothing in Hooked Up that is remotely original; it’s basically an extended version of the winged succubus segment from V/H/S, but not quite as effective." Patrick Cooper of Bloody Disgusting rated it 2.5/5 stars and wrote, "Though it certainly goes in an unexpected direction, Hooked Up's end fails to make an impact. If you can make it past the painful first 20 minutes, I’d say it’s definitely worth renting solely for the great middle chunk." Matt Boiselle of Dread Central rated it 0.5/5 stars and wrote, "do yourselves a colossal favor and bypass this 'hook-up' at all costs". Michael DeFillipo of Horror Society rated it 6.7/10 and called it "a pretty solid flick" with a boring lead-up and poor plot twist. HorrorTalk rated it 3/5 stars and wrote that "it's not all bad, and it's competently directed", but it "doesn't offer anything new".