Review of Paranormal Entity (2009) by Matt R — 21 Jul 2010

You've GOT to love the horrible movies that try to piggy back on the success of other movies. Paranormal Entity, as if it wasn't obvious enough, is one of those movies. Based on the success of the brilliant Paranormal Activity, Asylum greenlit this almost direct copy. While almost all originality is wasted, the movie gets a points for the fact that it wasn't completely horrible and while, mostly the same as PA, it brought some interesting concepts to the table.

I'll spare you the whole plot outline and give you the quick version. The Finley family (Thomas, Samantha, and Ellen) are being haunted by a spirit that was unknowingly welcomed into the home when mom, Ellen, helped along by a medium, began to converse with her husband in the afterlife.

The script was largely a rehash of PA, as stated above. Be that as it may, the movie gains some points for adding in ideas that PA actually would have benefited from. In one part of the film, Thomas, is left alone at home and sets a trap for the spirit, to catch it on tape. Thomas finds some wire and three bells and ties one into three different doorways. After falling asleep, he is awakened by a bell jingling. He goes to check it out and finds the bell, still jingling then a moment later, the wire is clipped from the wall. Thomas wonders backwards and over another bell trap and this bell is grabbed from the wall and flung at him. The effect is brilliantly choreographed and honestly blows my mind how the effect was executed. Another effect, in several scenes there is a shot of Samantha as she sleeps. In her room is a cross that hangs above her bed. In two scenes the cross is scene falling to the floor but at an angle. The effect is nice and seems simply enough achieved. Others were there but at the moment they escape my thoughts.

The acting, as was expected, was quite bad, but not bad enough to cause a scene about. The direction was not half bad but it also wasn't good either. The tension was set up nicely but seeing as the movie was shot with mostly no cut aways, all in one take.

That in a nut shell my friends is Paranormal Entity, not a complete waste of time. A film with some inventive ideas but nothing special.