my thoughts on.... 'Apartment 143'

Good lord, where do I begin? First off, I really dig the 'found footage' movies that are out there. There have been a few pieces of garbage, but overall, they're pretty solid. 'Apartment 143' was suggested to me by a friend and falls vaguely into the 'found footage' sub-genre. Secondly, It was billed as a 'Paranormal Activity', but with the action those films were missing. Sadly, it was missing all the good stuff from those films and the action they were talking about was horrible.... at best. It showed its low budget shortcomings loud and clear. I've seen countless films that had little to no budget that have pulled off amazing things. This one obviously had some money behind it, but they must have spent it on milky white contacts, instead of a good script or decent actors. Everything felt stiff. It was like watching paint drying on cardboard. This movie was really just an exercise in trying to cash in on a proven sub-genre. The only really new things it brought to the table were.... nothing.

The plot was centered around a guy and his two kids that moved to an apartment. The house they used to live in became haunted after his wife (the kids mother) died suddenly. However, once they moved.... the spirt moved with them. So, they got involved with a paranormal investagative team and soon the team was hunting ghosts. There's some vague sub-plot about murder and possilbe incest. None of it ever really goes anywhere. There is some backstory with the investagators that is bland and unfinished. That's about it. Good guys win.... or do they?

All in all, this movie was a turd. Maybe I missed the hidden nuggets of candy that were wedged in the middle of the movie? Maybe I was not in the right mindset to watch a movie of this type? Maybe it just sucked? I think so. I didn't care about the characters. I lost interest in the movie after about 20 minutes in. The special effects were poor. They location was okay, but there are tons of apartments out there that are kind of creepy. And to top everthing off, there's a little 'surprise' at the end. I only wish I'd turned it off before that part happened. It made an already terrible movie, that much worse.

I think what the reviewer must have missed about the difference between this movie and the 'PA' films was the stuff you didn't see. I hear that said a lot about movies and films that rely on your brain over CGI. 'PA' is so successful because it plays on our fears and only we know what those fears are. So, if you have a fear of spirits or the things that go bump in the night, then you can relate to the films. And since you never really see what's haunting the characters in the film, then you can make that horror anything you want. 'Apartment 143' laid all its card on the table and left you with no room to imagine the horror within. Because what you are afraid of in your mind is FAR scarier than anything a guy behind a computer can create. But if you are someone that has to SEE the scary parts, the maybe 'Grave Encounters' is more for you. It falls into the same sub-genre as 'Apartment 143 and the 'PA' films. It also shows you the stuff you're scared of. The big difference between 'Apartment 143' and 'Grave Encounters' is, the ghosts in 'GE' are unique and actually quite frightening. There's suspense and terror there. 'Apartment 143' just re-hashed every ghostly cliche you've ever seen. Another one that is in the same boat is 'Paranormal Entity'. It's really just a 'PA' knock-off, but it succeeds on so many more levelas that 'Apartment 143'. It feels like something you've seen before, but it still creates tension and horror. I'd recommend that one over this one any day of the week. That's it.... plain and simple. 'Apartment 143'....it sucked.

All in all, I give 'Apartment 143' a 1 out of 5 star rating. It's a ghost story with no real scares and no re-watchability. If you decide to watch it, keep your expectations low and you bottle of Jack Daniels even closer.

Other films that 'Apartment 143' wanted to be like: 'Paranormal Activity' 1 through 4, 'Grave Encounters' and 'Paranormal Entitiy'

my thoughts on.... 'Paranormal Activity 3'

Let me start this review by saying that a lot of the trailer isn't in the film. Most obviously, the "Bloody Mary" sequence. Having read about the film after its release, I found out that there is a huge amount of additional footage that was shot and that this is what ended up in the trailer. In the end, tons ended up on the cutting room floor. Since the DVD release, you can now see it in the special features and they've also release a version of all 3 films called the 'Chronology'. It places all the films in order and includes additional footage. (This does not include the Japanese 'Paranormal Activity: Tokyo Night') With that clarified, we move on....

Anyone who's read my blog and my previous reviews of the other 'Paranormal Activity' films, knows that I am a big fan of them all. Despite the "uncoolness" of using the 'found footage' genre, these films continue to impress me and use that genre to its fullest potential. I think the market is a bit oversaturated, sure, but there is always room for anything that's good no matter what the format. That holds true for everything. Put out a good product and it will overcome any obstacles. When I came into this film, I was ready to see the series fall on it's rear end. I was hoping for something great, but expecting something mediocre or worse. When it was over and I was watching a blank screen, I felt like I took the rollarcoaster ride all over again. It was like this was the first film and it was all still brand new. I needed the references from the old films to make this one make sense, but taking that part out of the equation, it was a great film all on its own. It brought the slow burning creepiness from the others and the constant curiousity of what was going to happen next and from where. I was literally glued to the screen for the entire run time. The script was creative and kept the story alive, without it slipping into a cheesy soap opera comfort zone. It didn't really up the ante any, but rather kept things on an even playing field with the others.... that way you can watch them in any order and end up with the same result, fear. That, to me, is an accomplishment.

The story begins with a box of videotapes missing. The contents of the tapes are unknown, but the sisters from the original films eventually find out. While viewing the tapes, we flashback to 1988 when the girls are kids. Their home is haunted by a spirit or spirits (as mentioned in the original) and no one seems to see it, but them. As the activity becomes more and more intense, soon the adults are starting to see what's going on. As we delve deeper and deeper into the horrors of the spirits, we learn that something far more sinister may be going on underneath it all. That's my basic version of the storyline. I couldn't find one that really summed it up in a way that I agreed with. The story is there and complex enough, but it's really something you have to see to enjoy. It's one that plays on our deepest fears as a child and all of the things that we eventually grew out of. It kind of makes you wonder if perhaps what you were afraid of.... really was something to be afraid of. Granted, I am in need of a second viewing to really absorb the ending, as it is a bit 'unique' and I am not 100% sure how I feel about it. You'll have to make up your own mind on that one.As this is a sequel/prequel to the first two in the franchis, many of the same characters return. Maybe not in the way we met them, but as their younger selves for most of the film. It's a good plot device and a good way to get repeat viewers back into the storyline by having something familiar to latch on to. This film also answers a lot of questions laid out in previous installments. It also fills in some gaps and somehow advances the story in reverse. Not that we needed a visual explaination of the past events, but it's kind of nice to re-live it the way the girls did. There are many genuine scares here. Anytime you have little kids and ghosts mixed up, things get creepy. I'm not entirely sure why that is, but it's a proven formula and it's taken full advantage of here. Those wonderful little moments where a child sees something that isn't there. Is it really there? Or are they just imagining it? It also makes us wonder if when our kids are out of our sight, what is really going on? Are the things that happen to them really happening or is it just a game? It's all that much more striking when you have kids of your own and see this film.

Here's a quick timeline for the films, before I sum everything up: (in chronological order)

1) 'Paranormal Activity 3' (2011) [takes place in 2006 and 1988]

2) 'Paranormal Activity' (2007) [takes place in 2006]

3) 'Paranormal Activity: Tokyo Night' (2010) [according to Wiki, it takes place in 2010.... however, the storyline actually takes place in 2006, pretty much right after the original 'Paranormal Activity']

4) 'Paranormal Activity 2' (2010) [it takes place 2 months prior to the original and then immediately right after the end of the original]

Now that this one is under my belt, I'm already hearing rumors of a 4th in the franchise. I am concerned that this win streak can't go on forever. We'll just have to wait and see on that one. In the meantime, we have 3 solid films with 1 additional for good measure and that's plenty. If this was the end of it, so be it. This is yet another 4 star experience and one that will be added to my DVD library some day soon. It's a trip that I want to take again, to see what I missed and to have that creeped out feeling all over. This may not be the same way everyone will feel about 'Paranormal Activity 3'. I can already imagine that many of you think that this well has run dry or perhaps you won't like it because it's a prequel. However, you're in the minority. This film was very well received by critics and fans alike. Not saying that you're wrong, but rather just asking you to keep an open mind when you see it. You may be surprised at what you see. This isn't the greatest ghost story ever told. It's not the greatest horror film of all time. The acting isn't amazing and the direction isn't the best I've ever seen.... but that doesn't mean it can't be a great film anyway. Sometimes it just takes a good established storyline and a lot of heart. It seems funny to say that about something like this, but it's exactly the way I see it. This is a great chapter in a great story and one that I think will stick with me for years to come.

If you like this, check out the other three films: 'Paranormal Activity', 'Paranormal Activity 2' and 'Paranormal Activity: Tokyo Night'

my thoughts on.... 'Paranormal Activity 2: Tokyo Night' aka 'Paranômaru akutibiti: Dai-2-shô - Tokyo Night'

We've all heard of or seen the cultural phenomenon of the 'Paranormal Activity' films. To date, there are three that have been made in the states. Two have already made their way to DVD and the third is finishing up production as we speak. However, not everyone realizes that after the success of the original hit our neighbors overseas, the Japanese wanted in on the game. They decided to make an unofficial sequel to the original that basically ties together with the American version and continues the story. Meanwhile, we were continuing the story on our own. What resulted is an interesting twist on something that was already interesting to begin with. It's another take on an already established franchise and it's kind of fun to see how it all plays out in another culture. Sadly, the version I watched had terrible subtitles and even though I don't speak the language, I could tell that what was written on the bottom of the screen, did not match up with what was actually being said. You don't have to be Japanese to understand that. What I did because of that was to read what was written on the bottom of the screen and made my best effort to make sense of it all. I think I got the entire story and I left feeling that I fully got the story and what happened. Is it a worthy addition to the franchise? That kind of remains to be seen. I haven't heard too much feedback on it yet and from what I have heard, it's not the most popular ghost film out there. All I'll say right now is that I'm a fan of the series, even if that's kind of unpopular, and I love seeing anything tied together with it.... no matter how removed.

So, how does it tie together ploy wise? Here's the plot according to Wiki: "The Yamano family lives in a secluded home in a remote Tokyo residential area. Their 27-year-old daughter Haruka (Noriko Aoyama) suffered a compound fracture in a car accident while traveling in America. Haruka returns home in a wheelchair. There to meet her is her younger brother 19-year-old Koichi (Aoi Nakamura), her younger brother. Their father is away from the Yamano resident due to a business trip abroad. Koichi is left to take of his sister for until she can walk again. Not long after, strange occurrences happen in the Yamano home. Haruka's wheelchair, which was left in her room, is found in another room. Their is salt found spread around their house. Koichi becomes uneasy by these events and, because of this, he persuades his sister to set up a video camera in her room. The video camera is connected to a computer screen so Koichi can see what is going on and, if necessary, run to Haruka's room. What Koichi discovers is beyond anything he could have imagined. Noises at midnight, a cup on a table breaks, even a friend, who never gets scared, becomes terrified. The situation worsens with Haruka and Koichi threatened directly. Finally, a terrible fact is revealed." I don't think the secret is anything to amazing. As it turns out, the person who part Haruka in the wheelchair is Katie from the original film. It took place AFTER the end of the original, so I guess the theory is that the entity followed Haruka back to Tokyo? Based on the subtitles I read, that's the jist of it. Yes, that does seem a bit confusing and can almost be tied to the original timeline.... but you might need to take a small leap of faith.Well, how will this be received by me or by the general public? I'm a bit of a biased fan and I've already kind of made it clear, that I enjoyed this installment.... problems and all. But the rest of the world? I don't know. I think with the proper subtitling this might go over fine. The ending is quite a stretch and it felt like the makers weren't quite sure where to go with the storyline. It's sad to me, because there was a lot of strength earlier on in the story. Seeing how things were handled in a totally different culture vs. how the American counterparts handled it was the refreshing part of the film. All in all, the result still kind of ended up the same. The film also has some slow points, but so does the American version. This film and the others are not built around non-stop action, it's more about the slow build up to each scare. You never quite know exactly what's about to happen and that's right on par with the rest of the series. I think that despite it's obvious faults, this film still qualifies as a worthwhile addition to the story.

I may get letters of confusion about my feelings on 'Paranormal Activity 2: Tokyo Night', but I would like to add this to my collection. I think the Japanese did the best they could based on the source material and made sure to put their own spin on the storyline. It felt like a part of the original, but still had it's own identity and voice. The actors were decent and sold the fact that they were supposed to all be living what was happening in the story. I kind of think that the side story with their father was a bit off track with everything else. The two leads were old enough to live on their own, I don't quite understand why they were still living with him. It also felt a little forced when they had guests over and one of them HAPPENED to be able to see spirits and quickly picked up on the haunting in their home. It was all a little too easy. In the end, I felt it deserved at least 3 out of 5 stars. Not the strongest in the series, but it didn't have to be.... it was unofficial. It was merely "based" on the original 'Paranormal Activity'. I'm left wondering how much re-watchability this film has? And exactly where I would watch it if I was watching them all in order? Would it come after number one or number two? That's all kind of moot anyway. Go out and track it down for yourself and let me know what you think. It's not readily available here in the states just yet, but you can track it down if you look.... bad subtitles and all.

If you like this, watch: 'Paranormal Activity', 'Paranormal Activity 2' and 'Paranormal Entity'

my very brief thoughts on.... '8213: Gacy House'

When 'The Blair Witch Project' came out, the whole "found fottage" phenomenom was brand new. Now days, it's everywhere. It's an inexpensive way to make your first movie and a lot of people are taking advantage of that. Some have been pretty effective, then there's '8213: Gacy House'. I'm not saying it's ineffective, but it is not as good as some of the others movies like this that i've seen. I do feel like it's kind of in bad taste to use the tragedy of John Wayne Gacy's crimes as a backdrop for this movie. I can't think of any movies that have used the ghost of a real serial killer as the main villan. I remember the whole John Wayne Gacy story. I was alive when it all went down and even celebrated on the night of his death with friends. Because of all that, I have to say I felt this was a little bit in bad taste. Granted, there is a pretty big niche market for movies that are being made about serial killers. There are a few examples of big budget ones, like 'Zodiac' by David Fincher. Then there are countless others that are made on a low budget and for the lowest common reasons. Like 'Dahmer', 'Gacy', 'Bundy', etc. I've seen some of these and for the most part they're exactly what you'd expect. Direct to DVD stuff that is just made to cash in on a famous name. Some of them feature big named b-grade actors and same make the careers of future actors. Case in point: 'Dahmer' starred a young Jeremy Renner. I felt like he was the only worthwhile aspect of that movie. He brought that character to life and now look at him. He's quickly becoming the toast of Hollywood. Anyway, I'm off track. '8213: Gacy House' is less about the real events of his life, but more about the fictional events of his afterlife.

This is the basic breakdown of the plot from both http://www.imdb.com and http://www.Netflix.com: "A group of paranormal investigators enter the abandoned home of pedophile and serial killer John Gacy, hoping to find evidence of paranormal activity. Upon entering the house they set-up cameras throughout the abandoned house while going room to room with hand-held cameras, performing séances and asking for John Gacy to come forward. As the evening progresses it seems the investigators are not prepared for the horror still within the house. Although Gacy's house of horrors has long since been demolished, with another house erected in its place, the tortured spirits of his 33 victims seem to be alive and well." I can say that this is pretty much the exact storyline. 6 people walk into a supposed haunted house of a former serial killer to find out the truth about the hauntings and no one walks out alive. This is the fottage of that night found later. BOO!

Don't get me wrong, I love a lot of these kinds of movies. 'The Blair Witch Project' even made it into my 'Top 50 Films Of All Time' list. There is something eerie about them. I've always been fascinated by ghosts and realized a long time ago that we might not ever have real proof of paranormal activty caught on camera. Therefore, these types of movies are the closest thing to that for me. I felt kind of dirty watching this because of what it was cashing in on, but at the same time I was looking forward to seeing it as it looked like a decent example of the found fottage genre. It reminded me quite a bit of 'Death of a Ghost Hunter' in the feel of the movie. I'm pretty sure it was in the same budget as well. It's OnDemand right now and may or may not be worth your time, but I don't recommend you renting it.

What I liked about this movie was the cast, they were pretty good. I liked the location, it was pretty effective for a ghost story. I liked the cinematography, it was fairly well done for this kind of movie. What I didn't like, was the fact that the house looked damn good for being abandonded for so long. I also didn't like the fact that this isn't the original house (as it was no longer around) but a rebuilt house. The cast still treated it like it was the original house that the crimes occured in. It overall just just felt kind of off. I'm not 100% sure why that is, perhaps it was the ghost in his 'wife beater' shirt and tighty whitey's attacking one of the victims. Who knows? For taking a new spin on an old genre, I gave it 2 out of 5 stars. I may be being generous or perhaps it's something else. Either way, you're watching this movie at your own risk. I am not planning on seeing it again at any point. Perhaps the next movie from these people will be better, perhaps it will be about spending the night in the apartment across from where Jefery Dahmer lived in Michigan! OOOO, scary. I'll stick with my 'Paranormal' Activity' and the like.

my thoughts on.... 'The Baby's Room aka La habitación del niño'

Here's another installment in my recent Spanish horror film-athon. This particular one was another part of the 'Six Films To Keep You Awake' series. I actually had started this one previously, but turned it off because I wasn't in a good place at the time to watch it. The first, like, 45 minutes are pretty intense.... the rest of it, not so much. I don't know what happened with this that they made the decision to go down the tired and boring route, but they did. This movie had a lot of potential and it's not that the rest of it wasn't original, it just didn't feel like anything new at all. This movie felt like a bad re-run of 'The Twilight Zone', but in Spanish. If it was in black and white, I honestly would have thought it was something from another time. I kept hoping that it would get better and a movie that's just shortly over an hour long, it didn't give it much time to be screwed up. Somehow, the director managed it. Now I just feel like I'm harping on it and to be fair, it had its good points. But before I get to that:

Our story opens on some children playing by an old building. It appears that they're playing hide and seek and one of the kids ends up inside the building. Something terrible happens and when he comes out, he's not the same. Fast forward to the present day and a young family is moving into the aforementioned house. They have a little baby and are still in the early stages of parenthood. The sister of baby's father drops off some gently used baby items, which includes a monitor. During the night, the father hears some breathing besides the baby and after going into the room he becomes paranoid that someone else has been in their home. His solution is to head down to the local baby store and pick up a video monitor. What happens over the next several nights freaked me the 'F' out. A man with glowing eyes keeps appearing on the monitor. The police can't figure out what's going on and so the couple install a security system. Nothing seems to keep the man out of the house and the father slowly begins to descend into maddness. His wife leaves with the baby and the father learns the terrible secret behind the man in the house and what's been happening. The rest is, well.... the rest.

So what's good about this movie? The ambiance, the ghostly appearance of the man in the baby's room and the early part of the story itself. It's very well done and accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do. It creates a sense of fear and dread and it honestly scared me. The idea of your baby being watched at night by a creepy man with glowing eyes is frightening. And add to the fact that no one can figure out how he's getting in the home and how no one is seeing him come or go is even scarier yet. That is the good aspects. What happens in the second and third act of the movie involves time and space, alternate realities and some bullcrap that just doesn't belong in a ghost story. I can't recommend that you watch this movie, there is so many other ghost stories out there that are more effective and better made. Ah well....

This movie, in my book, built up a really strong case in the beginning for a good movie, that I ended up giving it 3 out of 5 stars. Maybe if you just turn it off after the first part of the second act? That way you get all of the good stuff and none of the bad. That's kind of the way it is with a lot of movies being made out there today. It's like the folks in the film industry come up with an idea and then build a movie around it, but leave the script writing to some third grader in order to save costs. So what starts off really strong with that initial idea that got the movie greenlighted in the first place, ends up being ruined by whoever gets their hands on it after the fact. At some point, the audience will rise up and retake control of the industry. It's already started with the rise of cheap, good quality cameras and the internet. So either the movie making machine in Hollywood will listen to the demands of the public or the public will continue to grow it's own Hollywood system and everything will go the way that music is already headed. Either way, the audience will eventually be the winners and I'll have a lot tougher time deciding which movies are the good ones, as they'll all be high quality. That's all I have to say about that.

If you like this, check out: '[REC]', 'To Let aka Para entrar a vivir' and '[REC]2'

(This is the trailer for the '6 Films To Keep You Awake' series, of which.... 'The Baby's Room aka La habitación del niño' is a part of.)

my very brief thoughts on.... 'Ju-On 2' (2003)

if you watched 'Ju-On' (2000) the movie that started the whole franchise machine of 'Ju-On' and the American counterpart 'The Grudge'.... then you've seen 30 minutes of 'Ju-On 2' already.... yup, they recycle a whole lot of the footage from the first movie.... which doesn't lend itself to a great sequel.... not that the original was all that great to begin with.... it was death after death and a confusing plot inbetween.... the second one kind of follows the same formula, but with only an hour of new movie.... kind of feels like cheating, you know....? i personally found the remakes of part 1 and 2 to be much better than the originals.... i rarely say that, but it's true.... i did hate part 3, but they can't all be winners.... the same thing holds true for 'Ringu' and the American counterpart 'The Ring'.... the remake was so much better than the original.... actually, 'The Ring' holds up as a great horror movie all on its own.... but stay away from 'The Ring 2'.... good god it's a trainwreck of a movie with no redeeming qualities.... ugh....

i can't say that i even remember exactly what the plot was from this movie.... but what i do remember is that the house from the first one is re-visited and the killings start again.... the woman and the little boy start popping up all over town killing those who've entered the home.... that is pretty much it....
in the end, i'm kind of surprised that i gave this 2 out of 5 stars.... i guess i'm a sucker for the stringy haired ghosts from Japan.... they creep me out.... but in this movie, she's not scary.... the story isn't great.... there just isn't much good to mention about this movie.... nothing at all.... which all in all is a damn shame.... it just means that it's one more nail in the coffin for these types of ghost stories.... maybe they're overdone, but i don't care.... i like em'.... just not this one.

if you actually watch this, don't blame me.... i didn't make you

my very brief thoughts on.... '100 Feet'

every so often a movie comes along that has a lot of promise and a great actress, but just ends up being mediocre.... a 3 out of 5 star movie.... '100 Feet' is an example of raging mediocrity.... granted, Famke Janssen is good and the ghost is creepy for a mojority of the movie, but in the end none of that makes much of a difference.... you can't overcome a bland script and questionable special effects.... tried really hard to like this movie, it actually held my interest for the first hour or so.... after a while, things just started to go south.... and by the end, the ghost was a bit of a joke to watch and it turned into the 'Hollow Man'.... there was a reason this was direct to DVD.... it would never have survived in the theaters....

in the movie, Famke Janssen plays a woman who's just come home from prison where she's been locked up for killing her husband.... she is to serve out the rest of her term as a prisoner in her own home.... complete with an ankle bracelet and a maximum radius that she can move it of: wait for it.... 100 feet.... soon she begins to be terrorized by the spirit of her dead husband.... and things start to come out about how he beat her and what not and she begins the long journey to getting him to leave.... it's over the top and silly at times.... but it has a certain charm that i can't quite put my finger on.... that doesn't mean that i want to watch it again anytime soon.... even though it's OnDemand right now.... and as i stated earlier on, i gave it 3 out of 5 stars.... mostly because i like Famke Janssen and was happy to see her in a starring role.... i suppose if you don't expect the greatest ghost story ever told then you won't be let down.... if you wallow in the most mediocre and mundane things, then you're gonna be in hog heaven over this one.... LOOK OUT BEHIND YOU! IT'S A WIFE BEATING GHOST....! yeah, that about sums it up.

other ghost stories that are worth watching: 'The Ring' (2002), 'The Grudge' (2004), and 'Paranormal Activity'

my very brief thoughts on.... 'The Gravedancers'

what happens when you take a lame concept, throw two B-grade actors amongst Z-grade actors, and then film it with mediocre special effects....? answer: 'The Gravedancers'....

this is one movie that i should have turned off when i realized exactly how bad it was becoming.... but for some reason i kept watching.... i suppose the masochistic side of me was thinking it might get better, however that never happened.... if anything, it just got worse and worse.... i mean, the concept alone is terrible.... three old friends go into a graveyard after the death of a friend and proceed to dance on the graves of three people.... they find out later that the three people were BAD people.... and they were in the BAD part of the cemetary.... and because they danced on their graves, the BAD people would be coming back from the grave to kill them within mere days of the dance.... the three BAD people are: a rapist, an axe murderer, and a pint-sized pyromaniac....
this movie comes off like a SyFy original presentation.... hell, those are better than this was.... i'm sure some people are out there that enjoyed this movie, but there are also people who really enjoyed 'Ernest Scared Stupid'.... i barely gave it 1 out of 5 stars.... i wish i could get my money back, but it was free OnDemand.... and time is something that you can never get back, even if you fly around the earth backwards really really fast.

if you like this, you should probably watch some SyFy original movies like: 'Anonymous Rex', 'Bloodsuckers', and 'Reign of the Gargoyles'

my very brief thoughts on.... 'Kuchisake-onna aka Carved: The Slit Mouthed Woman'

this movie had so much promise.... an evil looking spirit.... an interesting concept based on an urban legend.... it was a 'ghost' movie not made in America.... but what i saw was something so much less than i was promised.... granted, it had its moments where it seemed like things would be scary, but that's just it...they were moments.... in another context, the slit mouthed woman could have been a great horror icon.... they created something very iconic.... but in the end this was just another foreign ghost story with no big payoff at the end.... if i knew then what i knew now, i would re-watch it with only the good parts left in and instead of an hour and a half it would be like 15 minutes.... but a good 15 minutes....
according to Netflix, i gave this 2 out of 5 stars.... and the reason i know this....? because i'm the one who rated it.... if you have the choice, watch some of the other better known foreign ghost stories instead of this one.... i gave it a chance because of all the images and the trailer i saw, sometimes picking a random movie based on only a little bit of info is a dangerous thing....

instead of seeing this, watch.... hmmmm.... i can't think of any recent ghost stories that were very good

my brief thoughts on.... 'Lake Mungo'

with a title like 'Lake Mungo' it really doesn't tell you much about what to expect with this movie.... it's vague at best.... however, once you've seen the movie you understand the title.... it still seems to be a poor choice for a title to me, however i understand why they picked it.... that being said.... this is a well done movie.... not an entirely new premise, but still one that is pulled off decently.... the actors are well cast and do well with the source material.... this type of movie is almost becoming a genre unto itself.... the documentary style horror movie.... from 'The Blair Witch Project' to 'Paranormal Activity'.... this is another one to add to the list.... it's not based on any actual events, but it's presented in a way that you wouldn't be sure if you didn't know it was fictional....

the story centers around a 16 year old who mysteriously drowns.... and not long after her death, strange things begin happening around her home.... and her family isn't sure what to make of it.... so they begin to investigate to see wht they can find out.... what they find is disturbing.... and slowly over time a puzzle emerges as they find out more and more about their daughter.... and who she was before she died.... it raises more questions and brings about more problems.... and soon things come to a head as they finally get all of their answers....
i found this to be a 3 out of 5 star rating.... i don't think it really deserved more or less.... it's an average movie.... not really scary, but clever.... something that's worth the time to watch.... just not something for repeated viewings.... and i have to admit that the scenes at Lake Mungo are the most shocking and interesting of the entire movie.... and i recommend that if you do watch this OnDemand that you stick around through the credits to see some more questions that you didn't even know you had, answered.... it's not gory.... it's kind of slow....but the payoff is pretty well worth it.... and i'm not a huge fan of ghost stories....

if you like this, watch: 'The Blair Witch Project', 'Quarantine' and 'Paranormal Activity'