Whether it features ghosts, monsters or aliens, no movie is too sacred from fresh critique when at-home critics don the guise of the Rental Reviewer and explores the best (and worst) of paranormal pop culture. If you'd like to write for Paranormal Pop Culture, please email press@paranormalpopculture.com with your story submission.
We’ve all either seen it or heard of it, and thought "It was so scary" or "so lame" (except for those who were simply too afraid to check it out). Paranormal Activity, directed by Oren Peli and made for a measly $15,000, grossed $193 million at the box office in 2009, and was such a smash hit that a sequel was rushed to theaters October 2010. Made for a meatier, but still small, budget of $3 million, the film grossed $172 million and picked up a 60 percent fresh rating on RottenTomatoes.
There was good reason to be skeptical of a quickie sequel to the movie, but there's good news because Paranormal Activity 2, which comes out on DVD/Blu-ray today, is a prequel/parallel retelling of the first installment - and if you liked part one be prepared to jump out of your seat ... or your sofa for PA2.
The plot: If you remember, Paranormal Activity follows young couple, Katie (Katie Featherston) and Micah (Micah Sloat), who are haunted by a presence in their home. To catch the demonic force in action, the couple set up a camera in their bedroom and encounter evidence that suggests the energy is connected to Katie's family. The scare factor of the original relied heavily on the shaky documentary-style, single-cam. It didn't hurt that, ala Blair Witch Project, people believed the story was for realz.
Whether it features ghosts, monsters or aliens, no movie is too sacred from fresh critique when at-home critic Denise Purvis dons the guise of the Rental Reviewer and explores the best (and worst) of paranormal pop culture.
The Uninvited Since I recently re-watched The Ring and rekindled my love for it, I decided to give The Uninvited a whirl because both are from the same producers. The film received mediocre reviews when it was released in January 2009 - and was certified "rotten" with 32 percent on RottenTomatoes - but did acceptable business for a horror movie and grossed about $29 million domestically.
The plot: The film opens with a devastating house fire that kills Anna’s (Emily Browning) terminally ill mother. This fire disturbed young Anna causing her to be institutionalized for attempting suicide. She has convinced herself that Rachel (Elizabeth Banks in a VERY unlikely role for her), her father’s girlfriend and previous nurse to her mother, caused the house fire in order to kill her mother so she could move in on her father (David Strathairn). Needless to say, little Anna and her sister Alex are a little tweaked out by Rachel and are involved in a series of shenanigans to try to figure out anything about her. There are some twists and turns in the plot, but generally this is fairly predictable and very unspectacular.
The scene: Of course, I have some serious fascinations with people twitching and morphing (like the spider-walking old dude in The Unborn). The most interesting scene in the film is when Anna’s boyfriend creeps into her window, starts stripping down and then the camera closes in on his spine and you hear it cracking and
Whether it features ghosts, monsters or aliens, no movie is too sacred from fresh critique when at-home critic Denise Purvis dons the guise of the Rental Reviewer and explores the best (and worst) of paranormal pop culture.
I just realized this movie came out in October 2002, nearly eight years ago. To this day, it’s one of the scariest horror films that I've ever seen. From Gore Verbinski (director of all of the Pirates of the Caribbean films) and starring Naomi Watts, it’s not your typical B-style horror flick. In fact, The Ring is a remake of a 1998 Japanese horror movie, introduced the J-horror genre to the States and spawned a sequel.
The plot: A mysterious, cursed videotape (VHS because not even the devil uses Beta) of creepy, seemingly-unrelated images surfaces and kills anyone that watches it within seven days of viewing the tape. Just in case they weren’t sure they were going to die, they get an ominous phone call moments after watching the haunting grainy tape saying, “You will die in seven days.” Apparently the Grim Reaper is pretty meticulous about delivering its message.
Anyhow, the footage on the tape of the woman brushing her hair, the tree, the well - and pretty much all of it - gives me hardcore goosebumps. So does the twisted corpse of teen Katie (Amber Tamblyn) who watches the film and croaks, who happens to be the niece of main character Rachel Keller (played by Watts). Keller is a journalist who decides to investigate the tape that caused her niece’s death, which ultimately puts both her and her son’s life in danger after she finds out about a dark, evil girl named Samara who caused all of the weird happenings.
The scene: The one scene that still makes me shaky to think about is when Rachel’s ex-husband, Noah, goes over some film prints in his apartment when the television mysteriously comes on with static - in the same exact way that Rachel’s niece’s death occurred. He attempts to turn off the television which promptly turns back on. Creepy Spoiler Alert: A gross, soggy undead Samara crawls out of the television. AHHHH!!! It freaks me out even now to type about it.
The take: This is without a doubt the most frightening and well made horror film I have seen in my entire lifetime. I remember when I originally watched it at the movie theater when I was still attending UGA and my demonic roommate unplugged all of the cable wires from the TVs so they would only show static. I, to this day, cannot stand static on a television because of this movie.
The extras: 10 minutes of deleted scenes & trailers for some other movies.
The extra extra: Since the DVD is thin on extras, we decided to include the video from The Ring's videotape embedded below.
This hit theaters in August 2009, and was released onto DVD Dec. 22. I watched it in the theater, but figured it was worth another whirl from the comfort of my own home – where I can wallow on my couch in my underwear (too much info? Nah). The film was directed by Neill Blomkamp and produced by Peter Jackson after funding fell through for the Halo movie based on the video game. It was just recently nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
The plot: The story is adapted from Blomkamp’s 2005 short film, Alive in Joburg. When the spaceship of these awfully shrimp-like aliens (known as “prawns”) breaks down above Johannesburg, South Africa, they’re forced to
Released January 2009, this was produced by Michael Bay, and written and directed by David S. Goyer (story creator of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, director of Blade: Trinity). The film picked up only a 12 percent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and was a commercial disappointment.
The plot: Wow, this one is a stretch, but all the strangeness begins when Casey (Odette Yustman) - who can be found in underwear for at least 30% of this film - has nightmares about a creepy boy and a demon dog. After she gets hit near the eye with a mirror by a kid she's babysitting, her eyes begin to change color and her visions become real. (OK, don’t roll your eyes! I didn’t come up with this plot.)
Released in 2003, this zombie flick from genre-tackling auteur Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, Sunshine, Slumdog Millionaire) not only spawned the sequel 28 Weeks Later, but also kickstarted a new undead era in mainstream movies.
The plot: The movie begins when animal rights activists set free a bunch of lab monkeys infected with the "rage virus" and have a serious anger management problem that causes them to attack and eat their primate pals. The virus jumps species and humans get hungry eyes (one look at you and they can't disguise). So that's how the Zombie Apocalypse begins? See that PETA?
Anyhow, our hero Jim (Cillian Murphy of Batman Begins) wakes up after being unconscious for 28 days to find London is seemingly vacated. As the tagline says, “His fear began when he woke up alone. His terror began when he realised he wasn't.”
(Very catchy, eh? I couldn’t have phrased it better myself.)
Jim meets up with two other non-infected Brits, and without them wouldn’t have lasted very long in rage-infected London. The cadre eventually meet up with another man and his daughter, and they make their way to a military survival compound where the film shifts tone from just scary to disturbing and scary.
The scene: There are many jump shots in the movie where I nearly bounced to the ceiling, but the best scenes come early in the movie when Jim first wakes up and walks around a lifeless London. The eeriness of a major city ceasing to bustle is chill-inducing before we see the zombie. Then Jim pops into a chapel for a little solace, and the real fun begins that doesn't let up for the rest of the movie.
The take: Technically, the victims of 28 Days Later are infected with the “rage virus” and undead, but they have that I-will-eat-your-brains vibe, so they're zombies in my book. As such, this is one of my favorite of the zombie genre movies. I'm a sucker for indie movies, and this one is right on up there with the best high-budget terror flicks.
This alien abduction movie has been brought to you by Eduardo Sánchez, director of The Blair Witch Project (promoting motion sickness for 10 years going!)
The plot: It revolves around Wyatt (played by Adam Kaufman), who was abducted 15 years ago with his group of friends. One of Wyatt's friends never survived the experience, so when the group - being the good old boys they are - hunt and capture one of their alien abductors, it's time to get revenge.
The scene: Things get really creepy when the alien tracking device Wyatt digs out of his intestines starts clicking in its Mason jar (seems like an unsafe place to keep an alien tracking device to me, but would you expect him to keep it anywhere else?)
The take:Altered is dark, frightening and is in the low-budget realm just like its Witch sister. But instead of the shaky handheld camera work you would expect from Sánchez, it's shot with concise and oddly-surprising poignancy. The film is mostly set at the home of the main character Wyatt, which makes Altered captivating and intimate.
simply too afraid to check it out). Paranormal Activity
, directed by Oren Peli and made for a measly $15,000, grossed $193 million at the box office in 2009, and was such a smash hit that a sequel was rushed to theaters October 2010. Made for a meatier, but still small, budget of $3 million, the film grossed $172 million and picked up a 60 percent fresh rating on RottenTomatoes.
There was good reason to be skeptical of a quickie sequel to the movie, but there's good news because Paranormal Activity 2, which comes out on DVD/Blu-ray today, is a prequel/parallel retelling of the first installment - and if you liked part one be prepared to jump out of your seat ... or your sofa for PA2.
, people believed the story was for realz.
