Paranormal Entity

Clearly designed as a cash in on the enormous success of Paranormal Activity (made in 2007, released 2009), Paranormal Entity has the same set up as its more profitable inspiration. No doubt the filmmakers will claim that they came up with this idea by themselves and that any resemblance to Paranormal Activity is purely coincidental, a bit like the debate with The Last Broadcast and The Blair Witch Project, but the similarities are to close and numerous to be anything other than to be, to put it crudely, a rip off.
 
Anyway, on with the film and, as you might expect, this is about a regular suburban house where Thomas Finley, his sister Samantha and recently bereaved mother Ellen have been having sleepless nights due to a strange presence in the house that has been rearranging furniture and attacking Samantha. With physic Dr. Edgar Lauren on vacation, Thomas decides to document things for his return by rigging up cameras in his sister's and mother's bedrooms and the living room, plus carrying a video camera with him at all times to capture the strange activity.
 

It isn't long before things start to happen with Samantha's crucifix mysteriously falling off the wall and ending up in the corner, Ellen sleepwalking and writing a cryptic message in the living room, lights flickering, doors opening and closing, the TV misbehaving and something, or someone, leaving ash footprints on the ceiling.
 
You know from the opening titles that Samantha was raped and killed, Thomas was blamed and he ended up dead. What happen to Ellen is left until the end. The conceit is that these tapes were found a year after the incident and have been put together so you can make your own mind up as to what happened, a little like The Blair Witch Project and several other 'found footage' movies.

 
I'm not quite sure who to credit with any of this because there are no opening nor closing credits, something obviously designed to add to the documentary and realistic approach to the subject matter. I never bought in to these events being real and took this purely as a fictional film, something you can't do with the better films of this nature that suck you in and that have you truly believing what you are seeing is real. However, the film is well constructed, with interesting uses of cuts, dissolves, time stamps and ellipses and the three family members are pretty believable. It is interesting that Thomas spends virtually the whole time behind the camera and, the only time he addresses you, he is backlit so his face is obscured.
 
I really liked Paranormal Activity so approach this with caution, trying to keep an open mind but expecting a sub-par rip off. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Paranormal Entity holds its own and is a remarkably atmospheric experience with a series of well developed jumps and shocks.  
 

The Disc

 
The Picture
The visuals perfectly suit the subject material as the film is entirely shot on a handheld camera and fixed cameras in three rooms. As this is supposed to be a amateur recording you shouldn't expect perfect framing, blocking and lighting and you don't get it which helps to maintain the sense of realism. The paranormal aspect is very well delivered, with furniture moving and bedding disturbed in a way that you can't see how it was done.
 
The Sound
As with the visuals, this maintains the 'home video' aspect with a clear stereo track - a 5.1 mix would have ruined the illusion. The bangs, scratches and other strange noises are neatly added and, if you have your amp set to Pro Logic II, the simulated surround adds to the experience.
  
 
Final Thoughts
As a film taken on its own merits and with an open mind, Paranormal Entity delivers enough shocks and unease to justify a watch. The lack of extra features is understandable as, if they don't even put credits on the film, the last thing you would expect is a commentary or making of! For fans of this type of film, and those who liked Paranormal Activity, this is worth at least a rental.