Primetime is not a horror movie, but it can be deeply uncomfortable to watch. Lance Oppenheim’s first fictional feature is a satirical crime thriller about the making of To Catch a Predator, with Robert Pattinson starring as host Chris Hansen. The film has no monsters, gore, or supernatural threats. Instead, its unease comes from its grimy, claustrophobic style and from the real subject matter at its center: sting operations built to catch adult men trying to meet minors.
Read our full review of Primetime
Much of the film’s creepiness comes from how Oppenheim shoots it. The boxy frame, saturated colors, and heavy grain give the early-2000s setting a sleazy, nightmarish texture, and several critics have compared its look to an arthouse horror movie. Pattinson plays Hansen with an intensity that can feel almost villainous, as the show’s pursuit of ratings starts to blur the line between justice and spectacle. For a more harrowing look at the real program, David Osit’s documentary Predators makes a strong companion piece.
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Is Primetime More of a Thriller Than a Horror Movie?
Primetime is much more of a thriller and media satire than a horror movie. It isn’t built around jump scares, and the tension comes from the stings themselves and the moral questions they raise rather than from anything designed to make you leap out of your seat. The film also has a dark, often absurd sense of humor that keeps it from feeling relentlessly grim. Viewers who are sensitive to stories involving child predators may find the subject matter upsetting, but anyone expecting a scary movie will likely find it more squirm-inducing than frightening.
