SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

Softwing Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

Baseshment I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Invaderbank The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

GL84 After losing his beloved wife, a man determined to make a mockery of the paranormal slowly begins to suspect that he's being enveloped by supernatural forces out to play with him for tampering in their domain and must try to remain in control to save his family from the demons.This here wasn't all that bad of an effort. One of the few solid aspects of this one is the rather creepy work done here in regards to how the supernatural rituals are conducted. The variety of different performances conducted here, from the opening showing him subjected to the ritual where he has to be tied down and subjected to the presence of the demonic figure flashing over him to the encounter at the graveyard where he's trapped inside the coffin in the graveyard where he confirms the situation with his wife that propels him to keep going deeper into the world of the black arts, give this one plenty of starting points to get going later on with more intense sequences. Those are more prominent in the second half, where it abandons much of the rather stylish build-up in favor of more overt and obvious genre tropes. This relies specifically on the ranting and contortion he displays while possessed which has some traditional moments here, from how he freaks out on the daughter and chases her around the house to the rather enjoyable series of chase scenes featuring the deformed victim chasing others around in rabid fashion. It's quite thrilling to see this as it adds a different vibe to the film which is quite fun to see play out. That these are shown to come after the work done to showcase the skepticism he exhibits early on, from treating the different rituals with a sense of disdain or outright mockery where he's not surprised at all that the process doesn't work, creates a nice opening to then slowly lead him into far more dangerous rituals that actually do manage to prepare this one for the far more deadly preparations. As he gets swallowed up by these forces the deeper into the film and running through a wide range of experts and their treatments, it leaves quite an impression. These are what really help make this one enjoyable. However much good these positives are, the fact that this one is still quite flawed is quite apparent. The film's main problem is that it just doesn't do much of anything for such long stretches of time as he stands around trying to come to terms with the effects of the possession. A large majority of these scenes aren't in the slightest bit scary or chilling, and the fact that almost all of these are committed with the first-person camera technique examining the fake documentary approach of the whole film really takes this one down considerably by rendering most of the actions quite lame and blase. That the format itself is the real problem here with the majority of the film not in the slightest bit interesting as when it focuses on the guy going around with the camera interviewing various practitioners of these rituals or showing the daily life with his family as these really didn't need to be filmed in that manner to have their impact. It just comes off as unnecessary and just really makes this all the more confusing as to why it chose that format. Still, these are really the only real detrimental angles with this one.Rated R: Graphic Violence, Graphic Language and children-in-danger.

mariiam-57251 This was by far the only horror movie i found entertaining from the start till the end. the main character's acting was a spot on & he did a really great job!

rbrb Were it not for the virtuoso performance of the lead actor in this picture I doubt I could give this movie more than around a vote of 4.However Shane Johnson gives a brilliant portrayal of a man grieving the death of his wife. The story is about a film maker who is trying to find if there is an after life et al; but the question in my mind is whether he is really going crazy due to his bereavement...The special effects and scary moments in this picture on today's standards are at best average but the picture itself is worth a look for the phenomenal lead actor:6/10

lorraineesimpson So the thing about this film, and the reason I gave it 7 stars, is that I quite liked it despite my misgivings. There are a few good frights in it which manage to create a bit of tension and, to some degree, a bit of suspense. However, there really are no surprises. It's all fairly predictable. From early on in the film you realise where it's going and how it will look when it gets there in the end. It's a good performance from the main character and there are a few nice creepy touches but at the end of the day it is what it is, and I can't help wondering whether the world really need another 'found footage' movie? At the time 'Blair Witch' was a new and fresh take on the horror genre, the first couple of 'Paranormal Activity' films carried it forward nicely, but it's been done to death now. But having said all that it was entertaining enough to keep my attention. Some will love it - I just quite liked it.