JackBurtonsMullet
Paranormal Entity is one of those films that you have to really see to believe. Not because it's good, but because it's unbearable. We witness the footage of the Finley family as they deal with paranormal occurrences in their home. The daughter, Samantha, is repeatedly being attacked and raped by the evil spirit that resides in the house. These events lead the family to believe that they're dealing with an Incubus. I will have to say that the idea is pretty cool, but the execution is abysmal. The acting is beyond horrible, especially in the crying scene after Samantha is assaulted in the bathtub. Even with the laughably bad performances, the movie is surprisingly boring. Most of the dialog is exposition. Something happens, we don't see it, but we're told about it in very long and tedious scenes of the characters just sitting around and talking. The ending of the film is predictable and incredibly rushed. This film is the same old garbage you can expect from the Asylum. Try your best to avoid it.
MaximumMadness
I've been going through a phase where I've been watching a lot of haunted house films and ghost movies. Mainly because I'm writing my own for a college project, and I want to educate myself on conventions of the genre, and partially because I am a slight believer in the paranormal, and find ghost stories generally frightening."Paranormal Entity" is a film from The Asylum- a company that makes low-budget "mockbusters"... basically, they make rip-offs of popular Hollywood films, in order to "piggy-back" off of their success by appealing to fans and by confusing the public. (Ex. After "Transformers" became a hit, they released "TransMOPRHers", after "Speed Racer", they released "STREET Racer", etc) I actually helped a family spare themselves from a purchase of an Asylum film the other day, when they confused it with the Hollywood film they were actually looking for. It's very shameless, and causes a lot of confusion with the public. A lot of their sales are generated this way- I've never known anyone who has consciously bought their films, but I've known more than one person who accidentally purchased their films thinking it was the Hollywood version.However, as I had heard their "Paranromal Activty" rip-off (this film, "Paranormal ENTITY") was slightly better than their other rip-offs, I decided to watch it, thinking it might actually be a decent scary ride.This film does not work... at all. It's too flawed, has poor pacing, and is hilariously cheap.The film centers on a family of three living in their home. We have the mother Ellen Finley, and her two grown children Samantha and Thomas. About a year ago, Ellen's husband passed away, leaving a void in the family. Ellen, missing her husband, begins using Automatic Writing as a way to try to communicate with his spirit, and at first feels as though he is nearby. However, as strange occurrences begin to plague the house, it becomes apparent that there is something else in the house with them- possibly a demonic force.The film is told from the perspective of Thomas, whom has set up cameras in the house in order to try and capture the activity, in hopes of making the footage into a documentary that he can make money on. And we witness it as it grows more and more violent over the course of the film.You will notice that I didn't list the actors, and this is for a reason- they are all unknowns. (With the exception of director/co-star Shane Van Dyke, grandson of Dick Van Dyke) And they are all very, very mediocre, sometimes even blatantly bad. The family has no chemistry to speak of, and seem very uncomfortable interacting with each other. It doesn't feel like a family, it feels like a group of actors who have never met before awkwardly trying to rehearse. (And at times, it becomes downright eerie, as the actors playing the siblings almost seem as if they are flirting, which makes their on-screen relationship creepy) The acting is very wooden, as well, which combined with the lack of chemistry makes every seem amateur and bland. Bad acting.The storytelling is also very objectionable. The character-development is all phoned in, and too blatant. The film lacks subtlety. In addition, the pacing of the film is very poor. It follows the exact same formula as "Paranormal Activity" (days/nights, ramping up of activity over time), however, it doesn't accomplish the same quality- there is no flow to the film, some scenes shoot by in seconds, while others drag on for minute after minute of absolutely nothing. It was poorly put together.I also have to comment that the film isn't scary. Part of what makes supernatural horror work is the build up and subtle content (small things, like doors opening and closing, or knocks on the door), but this film doesn't understand that- it ramps up the activity too quickly, and it becomes more funny than scary. Too much happens for it to really get under your skin.Finally, I also have to comment on how cheap the film looks. The house is absolutely baron- it looks like a cheap rented house with no detail or character. I've never seen someone with a house so empty in my life. It feels too manufactured, and makes the filmmakers look to cheap to decorate their sets. Also, the activity seems much more like cheap, lame effects in this movie- and you can obviously tell a lot of the "haunting" is caused by crew members hiding behind doorways and throwing things from off screen. It's just too poorly made.This is just a bad, bad, rip-off. It doesn't work, suffers from a weak cast, has no subtlety at all, and is too cheap to really get under your skin. I give this a 3 out of 10. Avoid it.
