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Jan 31, 2015Nursebob rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
Combines the choppy verité style of "Blair Witch" with the non-Disney elements of "Poltergeist". Director Peli frames his shots just right and then ratchets up the suspense until you squirm. The nighttime scenes especially had my skin crawling; who knew that looking at nothing could be so frightening? Unfortunately the actors are not quite up to the task especially with a script consisting mainly of bad improv and running up and down staircases. There are too many illogical plot devices (“Gee, something demonic is running amok so let’s keep the lights off as we film the apartment and then go back to bed…”) and a cheap Exorcist rip-off towards the end left me groaning. This type of horror is best played out in the audience’s imagination where subtlety is the key; by bombarding the screen with exaggerated visuals Peli ends his film with the diabolical equivalent of a car chase. When it works it leaves you covered with goosebumps, but when it doesn’t the whole production goes down like a flaming Ouija board.