Jennifer & Kevin McCoy ::
Horror Chase, 2002

multimedia object with projection
custom hardware and software
dimensions variable, approx. 50 x 55 x 50 cm
courtesy Postmasters Gallery, New York

Horror Chase is a direct assault on the traditional linearity of cinematic narrative. It is a one-shot horror film inspired by Sam Raimi's »Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn« [1987] long considered to be a cult classic of the genre. The scene where Ash, the character originally played by Bruce Campbell, is pursued by an unseen evil force that eventually possesses him, is not only one of the its most arresting visual moments of Raimi's film, but it also encapsulates pretty much the entire horror movie genre.
The material of the scene's remake by Jennifer and Kevin McCoy is played back through custom computer software and hardware that constantly varies the speed and direction of the film in real time. The playback algorithm creates an endlessly recurring but never repeating »chase to end all chases«, pointedly fake but nonetheless terrifying.