A call girl investigates a house in London.
I can’t say this move was particularly gripping. Eventually the film devolves into a tired trope.
The Sleeping Room
Ouija
“Ouija” is the story of five high-school friends searching for answers about the apparent suicide of their friend, Debbie. With the assistance of the Parker Brothers classic, they set out to request answers from their dearly departed. Who they contact however, is someone far from helpful.
This movie has everything: Attics, basements, moving objects, and even a Hispanic maid who seems to know way too much!
The film is slow, rather dark, and relies heavily on shadow-play to build tension and suspense. It does this to dubious effect, but there are a few nice scenes in which the filmmaker attempts to display contrast. It has a twist, albeit an obvious one and I found myself playing on my phone through most of it. This movie may prove thrilling to some children, but not to anyone else. Not worth the time.
Haunt
A family moves into a house that has a troubling past.
“Haunt” has a few jump scares and is pretty slow and meh throughout, but the film does have its redeeming qualities and a few scenes are creepy. If you’re pressed for a film, it’s worth a one-time watch.
Classroom 6
A TV crew investigate the haunted happenings at a school.
This is a “based upon true events” story. In it we see the dismal tale of a group of kids running around a school at night in search of the paranormal.
Your time watching this will not be well spent and the search for horror in this movie will be just as fruitless.
Skip it.
Abattoir
A journalist investigates locations of murders and discovers a bigger story.
It’s rare that new ideas bubble through the horror genre. “Abattoir” is one of them. I was pleasantly surprised that this film was not a regurgitation of tiresome tropes. This film offers the viewer the premise of locations having memories of past events and without giving too much away, what to do with them.
Worth a watch.
Lights Out
A family with a history of problems adds one more.
Not too bad. The film makes good use of light and shadow to build suspense. I like the premise and while a bit predictable, it was enjoyable.
Paranormal Activity
A young couple encounters an unexpected visitor in their new house.
I saw this one in theaters and liked it. It is a “found footage” movie that follows a couple in their experiences in discovering what is happening. Some of the scenes are a bit boring, but it is worth it for the scenes that aren’t. Watch.