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What happens when you try to mix the best elements of Scream, The Ring and Freaky Friday... and then try to create a cohesive horror movie? Nothing good.
Playback's basic plot is this: A group of cookie-cutter teens decide to delve into a murder that took place in their suburban utopia in 1994 for a classroom journalism assignment. The unique circumstance of the crime is the murderer videotaped the entire killing of his family. Cue the cliche discovery of "lost" home video to further the plot along. And this, the plot, is where Playback becomes purely inane. A dark outsider, who listens to generic Dubstep, drives a creepy white van, and works at the local TV station, decides to watch the videotape one night. Upon watching said video, creepy-van-dude is imbued with the spirit of the vengeful-ghost-killer which still has unfinished business apparently in town. What is meant to be an homage to The Ring, comes off as an uninspired rip-off. Things only get worse from here.
Playback claims to star Christian Slater, but he has about 30 minutes of insipid screen time and is killed off so unceremoniously, you can't help but want to watch Heathers and remember how great Slater used to be.
Meanwhile, the rest of the cast attempt their best Scream impressions. Julian, played by Johnny Pacar, is an aspiring film maker and decides to make a movie for his class project about the murders. This "movie" being made within a movie allows Playback to turn into a meta commentary disaster. Characters chime in on how "stupid" the first person handheld camera technique is-- but no more than 30 seconds later-- the director is guilty of doing what he has just belittled. It's hypocritical and contradicts what kind of horror movie Playback wants to be. Yes, it wants to be a satire, but Playback forgets the most imperative ingredient of well conceived satire: intelligence.
It's really one painful and contrived-been-there-seen-that-moment right after the other in Playback. Oh, and the twist at the end is so blatantly obvious within the first 30 minutes, this movie should come with a warning, like: May induce uncontrollable amounts of eye-rolling. Leave the red herring tropes to Kevin Williamson, at least he proved he can still keep audiences guessing until the end with Scream 4.
Perhaps with a little bit more thought, tighter screenplay and some desire to be unique, Playback could have been everything (or at least something) it set out to be. But if you really want to sit down and have a good horror experience, I'd suggest watching the films Playback desperately strives to be: Scream and The Ring. The makers of Playback might also want to adhere to this advice as well, taking a few more notes might help them avoid another capricious atrocity like Playback.
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