First off I have to say that I love the whole "found footage" ghost in the corner right behind you thing. It totally rocks...when it's done right... this is not I repeat not done right. It's just cheese and not good cheese like nacho cheese but bad cheese like moldy government cheese. This movie takes almost an hr of it's 1hr 22 min run time to set the spooky stuff up and then 10 min of laughingly bad f/x to scare us and then slaps on a government conspiracy in the final ending that just leaves the viewer rubbing his head asking why did I waste time watching this. do yourself a favor and stay away from this pile of smelly garbage.
14 Reviews
Sadly doesn't live up to its ambition...
mercuryrapids23 July 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Browsing the DVD section of my local supermarket today, I came across Paranormal Incident. Reading the cover notes, I thought, ooh, a new found-footage film for my enjoyment. It's a pity that the film turned out to be a little disappointing, despite its ambition. Oh, and the DVD cover erroneously titled the film as 'The' Paranormal Incident. It's just Paranormal Incident. Shame on the UK distributor! What we have is a found-footage film folded into a traditional movie. The sole survivor of a paranormal investigation is being interrogated in his hospital room as we are shown the camcorder and CCTV footage recovered from Odenbrook Sanitarium. Being the sole survivor, John is also the prime suspect in connection with the disappearances of his friends. As he tries to recall what happened, he is shown how the dark forces that prowl Odenbrook picked off his comrades one by one.
The main problem with this film is the format. Is it a normal film or is it a found-footage film? The producers are to be commended for trying to take the genre in a new direction (as Eduardo Sanchez has done with the soon-to-be-released Lovely Molly), but the ambition outreaches the filmmakers' ability, it seems. While the acting is decent and the shaky-cam footage is decent, the 'regular' movie segments are quite pointless (and the climax is, frankly, stupid). The director seems to forget how many people there are in a scene from time to time, as there are more hand-held camera shots than people. On a couple of occasions, the 'found-footage' is being filmed by nobody at all, as we see hand-held footage of attacks from a third person perspective when there is supposed to be only one person (and the ghosts/demons/whatevers) in the scene. That bug-bear of found-footage, the pointless musical score, also comes into effect on occasion.
That said, there are some good scares, but I felt that they should have simply made a regular found-footage movie without the pointless 'traditional movie' inserts.
The main problem with this film is the format. Is it a normal film or is it a found-footage film? The producers are to be commended for trying to take the genre in a new direction (as Eduardo Sanchez has done with the soon-to-be-released Lovely Molly), but the ambition outreaches the filmmakers' ability, it seems. While the acting is decent and the shaky-cam footage is decent, the 'regular' movie segments are quite pointless (and the climax is, frankly, stupid). The director seems to forget how many people there are in a scene from time to time, as there are more hand-held camera shots than people. On a couple of occasions, the 'found-footage' is being filmed by nobody at all, as we see hand-held footage of attacks from a third person perspective when there is supposed to be only one person (and the ghosts/demons/whatevers) in the scene. That bug-bear of found-footage, the pointless musical score, also comes into effect on occasion.
That said, there are some good scares, but I felt that they should have simply made a regular found-footage movie without the pointless 'traditional movie' inserts.
I'm never getting this hour and 30 minutes of my life back
bubba129412 July 2012
Warning: Spoilers
This is not by any means the worst movie I've ever seen. There are worse movies with higher ratings. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it was good. The premise is that a group of kids are looking for paranormal activity at the Odenbrook Sanitarium as part of a psychology project. It starts off with the only survivor of the ordeal (John) being interrogated by some woman in a hospital room. Together, they watch the tapes filmed by John's dead friends (apparently already edited by the cops), who became thoroughly unlikeable for me when they preformed the "Odenbrook dance" and made bad puns about ten minutes in. John, who is the "tech-head" of the group, helpfully informed them that they could conserve battery power by turning things off. Fortunately he leaves the group early; he and Tess planned on pranking the others later in the night. So, he came up with an excuse to leave, planning on meeting Tess back in the asylum later in the night. Naturally, he chains the only exit shut when he leaves.
The rest of the movie follows the group doing investigations, occasionally interrupted by scenes of police questioning. From this point the movie is not slow, but it's not exactly entertaining. It's standard Paranormal Activity fare -- that is, doors slamming and EVP's, with some actual ghosts showing up. Of course, every "scary" scene is followed by the camera person freaking out, and giving us camera work that makes it look like they're an epileptic having a stroke. The first death is about an hour into the movie, and the rest follow quickly.
At this point, I was wondering why John was even under police scrutiny. Each death is clearly filmed on camera, and he's nowhere to be found. The second person to die was killed by something invisible, and then a ghost flickered into existence and kissed his body. The woman then paused the video and continued to question John, still asking if he killed them.
The ending was a doozy. It was, in my opinion, the worst part of the movie. It was a twist that was stupid, and, quite frankly, confusing. So, yes, this was a bad movie, but it was nothing compared to Troll 2 or Manos. However, if you like SyFy original movies, you'll enjoy the ride.
The rest of the movie follows the group doing investigations, occasionally interrupted by scenes of police questioning. From this point the movie is not slow, but it's not exactly entertaining. It's standard Paranormal Activity fare -- that is, doors slamming and EVP's, with some actual ghosts showing up. Of course, every "scary" scene is followed by the camera person freaking out, and giving us camera work that makes it look like they're an epileptic having a stroke. The first death is about an hour into the movie, and the rest follow quickly.
At this point, I was wondering why John was even under police scrutiny. Each death is clearly filmed on camera, and he's nowhere to be found. The second person to die was killed by something invisible, and then a ghost flickered into existence and kissed his body. The woman then paused the video and continued to question John, still asking if he killed them.
The ending was a doozy. It was, in my opinion, the worst part of the movie. It was a twist that was stupid, and, quite frankly, confusing. So, yes, this was a bad movie, but it was nothing compared to Troll 2 or Manos. However, if you like SyFy original movies, you'll enjoy the ride.
Just, no.
bugalicious63021 July 2012
I feel like vomiting in front of a camera would have as good of a story as this film. Probably the most predictable "paranormal movie" I've ever seen. I remembered why I never watch horror movies with any certain kind of GROUP of people. They are all the same, and they are all related to fecal matter. I really hope that these actors find greater opportunities than films like this because MOST of them had far more hope than this movie. FAR. MORE. I don't like to be the person that only thinks that high-budget films are quality, because I really respect the hard work that people do that are just trying to make it, but if you're really trying to make something out of yourself by making movies, you really shouldn't let something with this kind of lame, unexplained ending be one of those things you start out with.
One of the Worst Films
serina2580115 September 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Let me start off by saying that when I first started watching it, I was expecting something along the lines of "Grave Encounters." Boy, was I surely mistaken.
I should have known from the beginning that this was going to be a horrible film when they were using cutaway scenes of one of the guys cheating on his girlfriend. Just a useless sex scene for a chance to show some boob. No reason for it whatsoever. On top of that, these people rarely shake their cameras and just film everything, constantly, with some really poor dialog. At least in other films that do hand-held cameras, it's because they're using the light on them when it's pitch black - it's justified. Not this film, oh no.
Plus, there is absolutely no character depth. You don't get to learn anything about their back-stories, except when one dude's getting killed, you find out that his mother is apparently dead. No mention of that earlier in the film or anything.
Then we have the even more annoying cutaway scenes to John in the hospital. Let me just say that the guy who plays John and the woman who plays the "investigator" have to be two of the worst actors in in the history of ever. The scenes were cheesy, stupid and pointless. The ending to the film made absolutely no sense. Dealt with some "Secret Special FBI" nonsense that, I guess, is supposed to play into peoples' conspiracy paranoia.
If you want a good "paranormal" first-person film, watch "Grave Encounters" or stick to the "Paranormal Activity" franchise. Those are tastefully done and the aforementioned is probably one of the best ghost-films I've seen in over a decade.
I should have known from the beginning that this was going to be a horrible film when they were using cutaway scenes of one of the guys cheating on his girlfriend. Just a useless sex scene for a chance to show some boob. No reason for it whatsoever. On top of that, these people rarely shake their cameras and just film everything, constantly, with some really poor dialog. At least in other films that do hand-held cameras, it's because they're using the light on them when it's pitch black - it's justified. Not this film, oh no.
Plus, there is absolutely no character depth. You don't get to learn anything about their back-stories, except when one dude's getting killed, you find out that his mother is apparently dead. No mention of that earlier in the film or anything.
Then we have the even more annoying cutaway scenes to John in the hospital. Let me just say that the guy who plays John and the woman who plays the "investigator" have to be two of the worst actors in in the history of ever. The scenes were cheesy, stupid and pointless. The ending to the film made absolutely no sense. Dealt with some "Secret Special FBI" nonsense that, I guess, is supposed to play into peoples' conspiracy paranoia.
If you want a good "paranormal" first-person film, watch "Grave Encounters" or stick to the "Paranormal Activity" franchise. Those are tastefully done and the aforementioned is probably one of the best ghost-films I've seen in over a decade.
Worst Ending Ever
mariajonasfahlsing28 December 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Goofs: the heart monitor remains steady regardless of John's emotional state (angry, sad, etc.), whereas his heart should race when angry and be slightly erratic when crying.
This movie had potential, but all of that was thrown away with the introduction of Rebecca, the agent from an unknown organization that apparently murders all witnesses to paranormal activity. The organization's function, the agent's job, what was actually happening, why John was murdered, etc. were not explained. In fact, absolutely zero attempt was made to make the ending make any semblance of sense.
With the last 5 seconds of the movie, are we actually supposed to assume that the blonde girl is still alive, trapped in the asylum forever until she starves to death?
Too many questions were raised, not enough were answered, and there really isn't a resolution. The movie takes a very hard, steep left turn and stops.
Very disappointing.
This movie had potential, but all of that was thrown away with the introduction of Rebecca, the agent from an unknown organization that apparently murders all witnesses to paranormal activity. The organization's function, the agent's job, what was actually happening, why John was murdered, etc. were not explained. In fact, absolutely zero attempt was made to make the ending make any semblance of sense.
With the last 5 seconds of the movie, are we actually supposed to assume that the blonde girl is still alive, trapped in the asylum forever until she starves to death?
Too many questions were raised, not enough were answered, and there really isn't a resolution. The movie takes a very hard, steep left turn and stops.
Very disappointing.
This movie is so bad it will give you a migraine......
lc356625 August 2013
I feel sorry for the actors, they are not to blame for this film turning out to be putrid garbage. To be honest they all turned in a pretty decent performance. The story, while being very derivative of other films in this genre, isn't really to blame either. There were some good ideas for a few scares, a scene where recording equipment was picking up footsteps that the characters couldn't hear could have been very creepy - IF our protagonists hadn't been too busy screaming abuse at each other. BADLY directed, BADLY produced, BADLY edited, BAD screenplay. The actors deserved to be in a better film, THIS could have been a better film with a little more thought & effort. If you have 80 minutes to spare, it would be better to watch dog vomit dry on the pavement than waste any time on this.
This was even worse than "Paranormal Activity"...
paul_haakonsen4 August 2012
Alright, well first of all I should say that I am not a fan of the "Paranormal Activity" movies, but still have seen them, as it is allegedly ghost movies. And already prior to watching "Paranormal Incident" you already know that this is an attempt to cash in on the success of "Paranormal Activity", and as such, you know that it will be bad, just like "Paranormal Activity".
And it was everything I expected! Equally bad, if not worse actually that what they were trying to cash in on. Haven't we soon had enough of these low budget, hand-held and super shaky home videos? I could make something similar with my DV camera and call it "Paranormal Phenomena".
The story is about a group of people spending a couple of nights in an old, closed down mental institute, that is allegedly haunted. Some are believers in the paranormal, some aren't, but of course they are in for a night of terror and they are not alone.
Nothing new to this storyline, and it was a really weak storyline at that. It had a bad script, even though the actual dialogue wasn't too bad. However, the movie was brought to the screen by some very questionable acting performances, some of which seemed so disinterested in the movie that it was painful to look at.
There was nothing scary about this movie at all, just as there wasn't with "Paranormal Activity" (all three of them), and it wasn't much fun to sit through. Then why did I sit through it? Well it was in the odd chance that this movie might actually outdo "Paranormal Activity" and have something that even remotely resembled entertainment.
I am a fan of ghost movies, but am getting very fed up with these particular types of movies. It is nothing but shaking hand-held camera action that you could do yourself, just get a couple of friends together, and you are all set. It is an outrage!
And it was everything I expected! Equally bad, if not worse actually that what they were trying to cash in on. Haven't we soon had enough of these low budget, hand-held and super shaky home videos? I could make something similar with my DV camera and call it "Paranormal Phenomena".
The story is about a group of people spending a couple of nights in an old, closed down mental institute, that is allegedly haunted. Some are believers in the paranormal, some aren't, but of course they are in for a night of terror and they are not alone.
Nothing new to this storyline, and it was a really weak storyline at that. It had a bad script, even though the actual dialogue wasn't too bad. However, the movie was brought to the screen by some very questionable acting performances, some of which seemed so disinterested in the movie that it was painful to look at.
There was nothing scary about this movie at all, just as there wasn't with "Paranormal Activity" (all three of them), and it wasn't much fun to sit through. Then why did I sit through it? Well it was in the odd chance that this movie might actually outdo "Paranormal Activity" and have something that even remotely resembled entertainment.
I am a fan of ghost movies, but am getting very fed up with these particular types of movies. It is nothing but shaking hand-held camera action that you could do yourself, just get a couple of friends together, and you are all set. It is an outrage!
A scary school project.
michaelRokeefe4 December 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Six college students finally get permission to inter the infamous Odenbrook Sanitarium that was closed sixty years earlier after a massive suicide. The students want to earn class credits by taking recording equipment and night-vision cameras into the asylum with the task of capturing existence of residual paranormal activity. Not all of the friends are true believers, but soon after being locked in and lights go out and doors slam harboring mysterious sounds and voices...these classmates looking for a good grade will begin getting scared out of their wits. Not only are members of the group going missing, all but one will be found murdered. The lone survivor will be forced to look at film footage collected by his friends in hopes of proving he was not the one that killed them. Obviously a low budget film, with a few scary scenes. You keep hoping the movie will get better as it progresses; but it doesn't. In the cast: Chelsea Vincent, Oliver Rayon, Derrick Scott, Nadia Underwood, Sabrina Villalobos, Brett Edwards and Amanda Barton.
It's as bad as the reviews say
Biddleforpresident18 August 2013
Warning: Spoilers
Not with standing the building they are using could not have closed in 1949, it too 1990's looking, the cell block for sure is too new for the forty's . the ending is just preposterous . Nice of whom ever found the "found footage" to edit all the film. Just a rip off of other films , nothing new here. And the plot ,.well it's bad. There's too many cameras , and how did they get there in a building closed for 60years . Where's all the pigeons ? Rats and other pests that thrive in old buildings,. Where's the years of dirt? Action starts way too far in the movie about an hour,. The so called cop interviews , lose perspective after the end is seen. Why the interview ? Why put blame on him, it's what's inside that your hiding you know this from the start.
The best film in existence.
d-lahaye8810 November 2012
I have no idea why this has such bad reviews.
I found this one of thee most gripping, chilling films I have ever watched.
Firstly this is a group of extraordinary, brave, young students whom embarked on an horrific experiment.
My hat goes off to them, I would not have the courage to partake in such a dangerous activity.
While on the subject of activity, this makes P.A look like Bambi.
I am not sure if they are acting or if this is 1000% genuine, but if they are acting they are truly outstanding.
Put this on your list of movies to see before you die.
Would more than highly recommend for anyone to see.
I found this one of thee most gripping, chilling films I have ever watched.
Firstly this is a group of extraordinary, brave, young students whom embarked on an horrific experiment.
My hat goes off to them, I would not have the courage to partake in such a dangerous activity.
While on the subject of activity, this makes P.A look like Bambi.
I am not sure if they are acting or if this is 1000% genuine, but if they are acting they are truly outstanding.
Put this on your list of movies to see before you die.
Would more than highly recommend for anyone to see.
Better then Reel Evil
adi_200225 March 2014
Warning: Spoilers
A group of students go to a deserted mentally asylum in order to shoot any paranormal activity that is about to happen over there. Meanwhile John is questioned on a hospital bed concerning the events that happened over there and at the same time he wants to prove his innocence and that he had nothing to do with the death's of his friends.
When they all arrive John has a excuse to leave the location in order to scheme some pranks to scare the others. They have no idea about this so they go and explore the sight and soon weird things happens and now they must find a way to get out of there and escape with life.
I think the movie is better then Reel Evil simply because is more "soft" and it's close to Grave Encounters but not that good. The acting was OK for a bunch of unknown actors and for a low budget it came out something with quality against other movies with a crappy image acting and story.
For a quiet night when you are alone this one goes well.
When they all arrive John has a excuse to leave the location in order to scheme some pranks to scare the others. They have no idea about this so they go and explore the sight and soon weird things happens and now they must find a way to get out of there and escape with life.
I think the movie is better then Reel Evil simply because is more "soft" and it's close to Grave Encounters but not that good. The acting was OK for a bunch of unknown actors and for a low budget it came out something with quality against other movies with a crappy image acting and story.
For a quiet night when you are alone this one goes well.
Insert Face Palm Image Here...
One_slice_of_pizza1 September 2013
Warning: Spoilers
I was in the mood for a scary movie and I found this movie on Netflix. I really would like to save you time, so just read the title and do not watch this movie unless you want to be bored to death for 82 minutes.
The acting, directing, story line... Everything is just awful. I understand the hard work and respect people who are trying to create something with a very low budget, but this project is just plain wrong.
It is full of plot holes, bad acting, bad dialog and the lame ending is the biggest slap to the audience's face. Nothing is bothered to be explained by the director and everything is left for our imagination. However, nothing was provided to begin with so when the credits roll, you end up with a confused look and say "what the...did I just watch?"
I am wondering where the director found these two actors from (the interrogator lady and Brennan.) Brennan is not only bad in acting, he also just over acts in most of his scenes, which makes him the most obnoxious character i have ever watched. The other lady is just not right for this role. She has no emotion, no mimics, and she definitely cannot reflect the weight of her role on to the screen. The other guys in cheap suits also looked like imposers rather than actual agents.
Most directors disregard this fact and try to make the next Blair Witch and/or Cloverfield. Yes, it is a lot cheaper to make a hand held footage movie however, it requires sub par acting to pull it off. If the acting and the story is bad, then the film falls flat on its face. Because you are playing straight to a digital camera with limited light work, so there's really nothing to hide here.
Overall, this is one of the worst low budget movies I have watched. Sometimes a great story can make up for the bad acting or visa versa. This movie lacks both.
1/10 Awful
The acting, directing, story line... Everything is just awful. I understand the hard work and respect people who are trying to create something with a very low budget, but this project is just plain wrong.
It is full of plot holes, bad acting, bad dialog and the lame ending is the biggest slap to the audience's face. Nothing is bothered to be explained by the director and everything is left for our imagination. However, nothing was provided to begin with so when the credits roll, you end up with a confused look and say "what the...did I just watch?"
I am wondering where the director found these two actors from (the interrogator lady and Brennan.) Brennan is not only bad in acting, he also just over acts in most of his scenes, which makes him the most obnoxious character i have ever watched. The other lady is just not right for this role. She has no emotion, no mimics, and she definitely cannot reflect the weight of her role on to the screen. The other guys in cheap suits also looked like imposers rather than actual agents.
Most directors disregard this fact and try to make the next Blair Witch and/or Cloverfield. Yes, it is a lot cheaper to make a hand held footage movie however, it requires sub par acting to pull it off. If the acting and the story is bad, then the film falls flat on its face. Because you are playing straight to a digital camera with limited light work, so there's really nothing to hide here.
Overall, this is one of the worst low budget movies I have watched. Sometimes a great story can make up for the bad acting or visa versa. This movie lacks both.
1/10 Awful
You've seen this film before
Leofwine_draca8 June 2023
Another cheap found footage flick with an unknown cast. This one has a group of students heading to an abandoned sanatorium to shoot a documentary that will either prove or disprove the existence of the paranormal, apparently. It's supposed to be part of some thesis project but I wasn't buying any of that. This one has a really annoying wraparound story that I felt was added just to pad out the running time, and it builds to a ludicrous twist ending I could have done without. The asylum scenes are okay but it all descends into the usual screaming and running around, so if you've seen any of the famous films this genre has to offer there's no real reason to tune in.
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