Paranormal Entity (2009 Video) User Reviews

Badly Written but not sorry I watched it *Spoilers Ahead*

[dml_68 · 4/10 · 22 October 2010]

Was not expecting much when I sat down to watch this movie. Was pretty slow paced. The writing in this movie was so bad as to almost make you root for the evil spirits because these people were so stupid they deserved what they got. Some Examples The mother's part was written horribly a real mother would never have let her daughter sleep alone in her room with the door closed and lights off night after night while getting attacked by the evil spirits. It became just silly after 3 nights of this and just plain unbelievable after a week. Also she could have stayed awake and watched the girl at night while the son slept and he could have watched over her during the day. Sleep in shifts, all together in same room would have made even the most basic of sense.

I am sorry but after a few nights of these attacks and repeated phone calls with just voice messages left to the spiritual expert who is on vacation it is time to pull up google and do a search for other people who can take care of the problem, contact a local church or even look up ways to fight on your own.The whole leaving multiple voice mails to ONE GUY while your family is being terrorized by an evil spirit is just Darwin at work.

Just felt like the characters in the movie were more for cannon fodder rather than intelligent people willing to at least try something besides voice mails and 8 hours in a hotel room to survive.

Was great movie to Riff on. Not sorry I watched it. 4/10

Good concept, bad execution

[sunniva_reilly · 4/10 · 5 November 2010]

I decided to review this film as if it was not a knock off of Paranormal Activity. The title and the execution invites comparison, but what are the film's own merits?

The set up in Paranormal Entity is quite interesting: Having lost her husband, a woman seeks contact with him through automatic writing. Something from the beyond reaches out to her, but it becomes increasingly clear that is it not her dead husband. And soon the entity starts showing an unhealthy interest in her nubile, young daughter. What is it and how can they stop it?

In the hands of a skilled film-maker, this plot could have had the makings of a blockbuster. Instead the device used is "found footage", which is very much hit or miss. If it's done well and is believable there is very little chance of screwing it up. If it's done badly, it is vaguely embarrassing to watch, like failed attempts at viral videos. Paranormal Entity is not too bad, although, occasionally over-acted.

The pacing is more of a problem. It starts out fairly decently, with the creepiness being turned up slowly. But about halfway through, the creepiness is dialled up to 10 and left there for the remainder of the film, completely desensitising the viewer. By the end of the film, I found that I just didn't care any more.

Another problem is the inactivity of the family. Beyond calling and calling a parapsychologist that inconveniently has gone on holiday, they don't actually do anything to solve the problem, which means that it's difficult to root for them.

This film should have been thrilling, but it isn't. The concept is good, but the execution just doesn't live up to it.

sloooooooooooooooow

[trashgang · 4/10 · 30 May 2010]

I have said it in my Paranormal Activity review that there are rip offs of that movie. Mostly those rip offs aren't as good as the original and some even doesn't make it on DVD. Paranormal Entity did and is available all over the world. I wouldn't buy it but my horror buddy, you know who you are CREEP, told me to watch it. So I did, and was lucky to still find a copy here in our country. It's a lot slower and less scarier than the original flick. Some scene's are too long and nothing really happens. It's a complete rip off, starts off with a laughter but slowly the entity appears. Slowly it goes to the final but that is were it goes wrong. When the mother and daughter go to a hotel all things are happening in their room at the hotel but we don't see it. That's a shame because when they are telling what happened it looked really freaky. I admit, it is a so called documentary but in one way or another they should have taken a camera with them. The low budget can be noticed in two scene's. One, when the sheets are removed by the entity you surely can see that they were attached on a rope. The guy who tear them away stands too high. It gives the effect of a flying sheet. Second, in the last minute there is a big continuity mistake. When Samantha is laying naked in her room she's covered with blood. A few seconds later when the camera pans her body all blood has gone. Still, it's worth watching if you like those kind of movies.

Paranormal En-titty.

[dunmore_ego · 1/10 · 28 December 2010]

I watched PARANORMAL ENTITY at night and I was not able to sleep afterwards. I was laughing that hard.

A guy walks around his badly set-dressed house with a Point of View camera for ten nights, recording evidence of the titular paranormal entity haunting him and his bland mother and big-breasted sister. Boring has a new middle name.

Knowingly ripping off, plagiarizing, stealing, copycatting - call it what you will - Oren Peli's 2009 smash, PARANORMAL ACTIVITY, this movie is one of those "found footage" films (Uh, yeah, the footage was "found" so there doesn't have to be any, you know, quality or nuthin'), supposedly cobbled together for public viewing after the principal characters are dead, so we can see "what really happened"; courting authenticity with the cunning use of text screens:

OPENER: "...Thomas Finley was arrested for the murder of his nineteen-year old sister, Samantha, as well as the murder of fifty-two year old, Edgar Laruen, a paranormal Investigator. In his *POLICE STATEMENT* (my emphasis), Thomas claimed that the victims were attacked by a demonic entity of unknown origin. Days later, he committed suicide." And the CLOSING text screen tells us Thomas was found dead holding the body of his sister. Guess the police beat the statement out of him.

Big WARNING label across the DVD cover: "Actual Crime Scene Footage. Contains violent and disturbing images." There's only one word of truth in that warning. The word "and."

PARANORMAL ENTITY is produced by Global Asylum, the company that alters the names of blockbusters (you know, like porn movies: SHAVING RYAN'S PRIVATES, THE SPERMINATOR, et al) and makes crud straight-to-DVD ripoffs: THE DA VINCI TREASURE, SNAKES ON A TRAIN, AVH: ALIEN VS. HUNTER (starring William Katt - excuse me, the F-List is calling), hoping they fool some of the people all of the time into thinking there is even a shred of quality associated with their blatant plagiarism and zero production skills. It must be working. Global Asylum is still in business.

But it's a wonder they're still in business: firstly, how do they stay out of copyright infringement courts long enough to produce more features, and secondly, exactly how numb-brained are the DVD-viewing populace to actually rent their trash? (I didn't rent: I was held down by a paranormal entity and forced to watch it on cable.) Writer-director-star Shane Van Dyke plays Thomas Finley, mostly holding the POV camera (which dutifully shows us hours of nothing happening - hey Shane, that's why they call it "editing"), but occasionally doing some great Shakespearean acting in front of the lens which involves screaming like a girl and not lighting his own face when he does monologues into the camera.

The mother looks like she just started acting last week; the daughter, the week before that. Fia Perera is the mom whose blank face can teach a few professional poker players a thing or two; Erin Hogan is the daughter, whose massive chest out-acted everyone including the ghost. In keeping with copying every element from PARANORMAL ACTIVITY (sheets pulled off bed, doors opening, banging noises), Hogan matches the bazoongas of Katie Featherston in ACTIVITY tit for tat.

Just when we think the acting can get no worse, in steps Norman Saleet as Edgar, a "paranormal investigator" (a job which requires only the skill of - ironically - "acting" as if you really do sense supernatural presences).

Keep in mind we are not yet taking into account the absolute malarkey of the concepts in the actual story: the superstitions of poltergeists and evil spirits, "You can talk to the dead by writing to them," "It followed us to a motel room," "When someone loses a loved one and they're trying to make contact with that loved one, they sometimes unknowingly invite in a dark entity, it's like an open door, a free pass." My head's about to explode.

And I haven't even gotten to the footprints on the walls - Thomas follows ashen footprints on the walls, which lead down a narrow staircase to the basement. The staircase is two feet wide. The footprints are on the side walls. Think about it: either the spirit was making its feet solid to make the footprints while keeping its upper body incorporeal enough to float through the other side of the staircase wall - or it was crouching. What are the rules? It's a spirit, so it can walk through walls - but how come it can't come through the door when Thomas locks himself in his room, instead rattling the handle and banging on the door screaming like a chick whose been told those jeans make her look fat? Let's ask a priest in between his busy schedule of raping school boys.

Nice segue, Poffy: the entity rapes Samantha in a funny, screaming, bloody, naked scene that lets the twins out at last.

Okay, you can go to bed now. If you can stop laughing.

The terror of off screen demons or ghosts or ......really boring stuff.

[pankoeken · 1/10 · 13 March 2010]

I read about this piece of crap in a thread for Paranormal Activity. PA is not the best horror movie ever but it had a few creepy moments that I enjoyed. Most of the people who reviewed or posted about Entity claimed it was creepier and cooler than PA with better acting. Those people were all obviously involved with Entity. Like a film watching novice I got suckered in and watched entity for free online.

For your own sake don't make the same mistake I did friends! Nothing ever happens in this lame boring pile of dung. Pardon me, nothing happens on screen. Nothing beats the excitement of having a really bad actor describe something that may or may not have been "paranormal" that happened off screen and then describe it again.....in the same scene!!? No one involved here is very good, but the mom is really weak in the acting dept. and she has the most lines in the movie! I wasn't expecting much from a no budget rip off of a low budget movie but my expectations were far too high.

There are no good effects, no tension, no scares, the script makes no sense. It even contradicts itself several times for no reason. This is by no means a positive comment but the best thing about this POS is the sister has a decent rack. I only mention her boobs because they are a big part of the "terrifying" conclusion.

If the mention of boobs in any way makes someone reading this interested in watching PE, DON'T!!!!!!! There are millions of pages and clips of free boobs on the net. Check those out instead. The mind you save may be your own.

Bad even by Asylum standards

[dinhwood · 1/10 · 11 February 2012]

I watched this on Netflix instant watch one night out of boredom, and it's awful. Although the actor playing Samantha does her best, she is working with a crappy filmmaker who apparently decided to improvise the "frights" in the film. This means a lot of slamming doors and Shane Van Dyke yelling "OH MY GOD!!!!!!!" or "WHAT IS HAPPENING!!!!!! OH MY GOD!!!!!!!" Many of the plot points are identical to those in Paranormal Activity (demon that follows characters around, sleepwalking women, mysterious messages from the demon, something creepy in the attic, sudden shock ending). To be honest, the only thing this has that PA doesn't is naked breasts.

If the people associated with this video are wise, they will strike it from their resumes and deny that it ever happened.

Horrible ripoff

[daletheminoltaman · 2/10 · 10 September 2011]

Wow they ripped off the plot of paranormal activity so much I am amazed they were not sued! I would guess they got away with it because this "version" is so poorly acted and boring that no one would want to watch it. What a piece of crap movie, super generic and super boring. The acting and effects are terrible. Do not waste your time with this movie. Terrible, just terrible. For those that rated it high, you must have really low standards. How anyone could think this is worth watching is beyond me. Awful, just awful.

Paranormal boring. Paranormal poor acting. Paranormal piece o crap. No one should have to suffer through this trash.

An interesting attempt to capitalize on the genre, but adds up to a lot less

[b1lskirnir · 5/10 · 9 January 2011]

I'm a huge fan of the first "Paranormal Activity" but I love B-movies and especially horror films so I gave this a shot. Granted, it's of course no masterpiece, but The Asylum's more or less direct rip-off of the "found footage" hit has its moments.

The film begins when Thomas invests in a few small home camcorders to videotape the odd and supposedly paranormal events that have been plaguing the house ever since his mother's attempt at communicating with their recently deceased father. The entity has had a particular inclination for terrorizing his sister, Samantha, who bears an intolerable likeness to Katie Featherston in terms of hairstyle and large endowment (which also of course get more screen time in this film than P.A.).

Beyond that, the film is more or less a cookie cutter copy of the original's even most minute details: the night-time photography, the possession scenes, the cinematography, the "low rumbling" sound when the spirit is present, the title cards for the night scenes, the idea that leaving the house will do nothing as the entity will "follow" the cursed, attempts at contacting a demonologist, footprint markings, you name it.

With that said though, this film does have its gems. This film is definitely more visual and graphic in its depiction of the entities' activities, which is in a way good and also bad. It's nice to see that they didn't skimp on special effects as what you actually see on camera is more interesting and in a way, scarier (one night in particular). However, it's also a lot less subtle than "Paranormal Activity," as the long, patient scenes of waiting for something to happen are less common. A lot of the original film's subtlety is sacrificed for immediate scares and it works against it rather than for it.

The bigger issue with this film is that, while the acting is not nearly as bad as one might think given The Asylum is behind it, the characters are a lot less likable and developed than the original, if you can actually believe that to be possible. Beyond milking the loss of their dad and the direness of the situation for all its worth, the characters are completely one- dimensional and the beautiful and entertaining chemistry between Katie and Micah is nowhere to be found. The scenes add up more like a series of irrelevant moments and transitions are far less smooth. The ending in particular is fairly abrupt and leaves you with a sense of complete and total confusion.

Also, the camera-work and editing in "Paranormal Activity" was far more subtle in the ways that it made you feel like it was legitimately a 'found footage' film (while the sequel did indeed break that formula). Beyond the fact that the multiple cameras break the laws of the film not feeling "edited," there are multiple scenes where any audience member could discern that there is legitimately no reason for the camera to be running at that given time and that certain angles feel very forced or deliberately edited, which unfortunately takes you out of the moment and works against the "mockumentary" style.

Overall, it's not bad, but it's certainly not as good as the original. Good for fans of the genre and style but not much else.

Surprisingly good for a blatant rip-off

[deathscythe_42 · 6/10 · 16 June 2010]

OK, the first thing that must be said about this movie is that yes, it is essentially the same exact premise as "Paranormal Activity." Therefore, it loses serious points in the originality category right from the start. It is unsettling to me that a filmmaker would make such a blatant copy of another film rather than trying to make something truly original but nevertheless, here we are with "Paranormal Entity." All that being said, I was surprised to find that this movie is actually good. Despite being upsettingly similar to "Paranormal Activity", it does set itself apart in certain subtle ways that make an interesting difference in the overall mood of the movie. The "real footage" gimmick is starting to get a little worn out, but it's used very effectively here.

While I think good film reviews in general should not compare films directly to another one, in this case I think it's safe to say that that's a little unavoidable, so I will say that next to "Paranormal Activity" this film almost comes out superior, originality issues aside. While I found the first version of this story to be a solid, suspenseful build-up to a satisfying pay-off, I felt that the "rip-off" was in fact more suspenseful throughout. While there were few actual scares, several of the scenes were incredibly tense. It did a very good job of putting me on the edge of my seat and getting my heart rate up from anticipation. I normally don't expect to be able to say this about such an unoriginal film, but I genuinely felt nervous about what was going to appear on the screen next during 2 or 3 of the scenes, which I have to admit is horror the way it should be.

Unfortunately it didn't quite pay off as well as "Paranormal Activity." The ending seemed rushed and while it was a bit unsettling, it didn't leave me feeling as tense as some of the scenes earlier on, and most certainly didn't leave me feeling terrified. The acting in the film is nothing Oscar-worthy but I found it to be adequate and mostly believable. There are a few continuity goofs that some may notice. I personally didn't find them to be terribly distracting, though they do suggest a bit of laziness by the filmmakers.

While some may feel that the obvious lack of originality should make this film completely dismissable, I feel that some of the content of this movie is indeed impressive and is worth checking out. Therefore, on a scale of good film-making i'm going to give this a fairly lenient 6/10. However, on the overall enjoyment scale I would give it an 8/10, and had this film been completely original and perhaps had a more exciting ending I would have given it a solid 8.5 or 9 out of 10 overall.

So in closing, it loses significant respect for obvious reasons but gains a little back in certain ways and is worth watching.

I hate 'found footage' films & films made by The Asylum so guess what what I thought of this...

[poolandrews · 1/10 · 18 September 2012]

Paranormal Entity starts as Thomas Finley (writer & director Shane Van Dyke) makes a frantic call to 911, he claims that his mother & sister are both dead & have been murdered. What follows is real footage leading up to the death of his sister Samantha (Erin Marie Hogan) which proves conclusively that no living being could have been responsible & that Thomas is innocent of the horrible crime, released against the wishes of the authorities the families of those involved wanted the footage released so the truth can come out...

Written, directed & starring Shane Van Dyke who also lists the classic Titanic II (2010) in his directing résumé this is yet another rip-off 'Mockbuster' from the very untalented folk at The Asylum & your not going to win any prizes for guessing Paranormal Entity was made to cash-in on the huge success of Paranormal Activity (2007) & as expected it's total crap that I found painful to endure, I don't watch films like Paranoraml Entity I endure them. Sitting through Paranormal Entity is a real double edged sword for me since I hate this kind of 'found footage' horror film & usually despise anything that The Asylum makes so I pretty much knew that the chances were I was going to dislike it even though I was willing to give it a chance & boy I wasn't proved wrong in the slightest. The whole idea that this is real is just ridiculous, there's one huge continuity goof that is unmissable as during Thomas's opening phone-call he clearly says that his mother & sister are both dead & that it killed them but some text at the end states that the mother committed suicide in hospital which is a massive contradiction. As has already been said Paranormal Entity should get it's fake facts right before claiming to be real. I found the whole film so boring it took me about four attempts to make it to the end, this really is dullest & most boring film I have seen in a while. Nothing of any note happens, sure there are some feeble attempts at cheap scares & something happens to Samantha at the end (off-screen, by the way) but otherwise it's like watching paint dry. There isn't even anything here to laugh at as the script takes itself extremely seriously, I just didn't care enough about anyone or anything to be interested or want to carry on watching it. At almost 90 solid minutes of this crap I am amazed I managed to sit though it all.

Paranormal Entity is one of the most basic & minimalist films ever made, there are only four people in it & one of those is in it for about five minutes at the end while I will admit the makers got the whole amateur home made camcorder vibe spot on. Whether this was deliberate is probably up for debate as it could just have easily have been down to ineptness but whatever the reason Paranormal Entity is a chore to watch with long scenes & shots where nothing happens or where the action takes place just off-screen & the camcorder is totally static. There's some night vision & plenty of shaky cam too just to add to the cheap do-it-yourself feel. I really dislike this style of filmmaking & I found the look & feel of Paranormal Entity utterly horrible. Forget about any blood or gore or special effects as there aren't any but Samantha is seen topless for a few seconds if that's any sort of recommendation.

Filmed in about three or four rooms in some house Paranormal Entity never leaves this location, surely this didn't cost more than a few hundred dollars. I mean there's no special effects, no outside locations, no music score, only four people in the entire thing & it looks like it was shot on hand-held camcorder. The acting is maybe a little better than I expected but no-one is going to win any awards.

Paranormal Entity is a film that I hated, maybe not liking 'found footage' films & films made by The Asylum means I am biased a bit but I really can't the average person getting anything out of this crap film where next to nothing actually happens. Definitely one to avoid & if you do see it don't say you weren't warned.

Genuine spooky moments.

[MLadyHawke · 8/10 · 21 October 2010]

This film is in the same vein as Paranormal Activity and is just as good. Unlike another reviewer here I had no confusion about this being a "real" situation. The film is not as stark as PA.... and more goes on. But it maintains that edge of tension and there are moments when your skin will pop with goosebumps and your heart will jump. There is no gore, just good old fashioned mood and ambiance. Some of the acting is a bit stiff and the female characters are less than sympathetic...but the movie moves along and you don't have time to be worried about emotional involvement with them anyhow. This movie is about the events more so than the people. Its a good watch... catch it if the opportunity arises... its not a hyped up movie so just watch it and let it play out... you won't be sorry.

A Descent Asylum movie

[kdnor2011 · 6/10 · 16 December 2010]

I'm surprised that the same people who made Monster, Transmorphers the fall of man, and H.G. Well's War of the Worlds made a relatively descent movie. the Asylums rip off of Paranormal Activity isn't great, but it's definitely in the category of good.

The acting is, OK, it isn't amazing, but the actors do their jobs. The atmosphere is great, although stolen. The scares are pretty descent, and it's an entertaining time.

Can I say it's amazing, no. Paranormal Activity is far superior to this film. But if you want something to warm you up before you watch that scare-fest, watch this.

6/10

No Good

[alexholding · 2/10 · 27 January 2010]

Since watching this film I have started checking the IMDb reviews for every movie. It's that bad.

Poor acting and cinematography don't help, but it's the story that really let's this movie down.

It manages to spoil the whole story before the cameras even start rolling, and you get nothing more than this initial (two sentence-odd) disclaimer. It does not flesh it out at all. You don't at any point care what happens to the characters as it has already been spoilt, and you don't ever get the feeling that they stand any chance.

It doesn't attempt to be a "Torture Porn" movie except for one fairly gratuitous scene, and it doesn't have the scares of a horror movie.

Although they do ramp it up exponentially towards the end throughout most of the movie you're left feeling that if they didn't have cameras rolling you wouldn't really put any of the activity down to paranormal sources. Sort of like waking up and seeing a door open and wondering if you forgot to shut it last night before going to bed. As it turns out it probably doesn't matter, the dog probably knocked it open.

But most importantly, the movie isn't fun. And that counts for a lot.

approximately 45 minutes of my life I will NEVER get back

[kerry_john · 1/10 · 15 May 2010]

Pros: I never paid to see it.

topless girl <--- all 5 total seconds of it STILL did not warrant watching such a stupid movie.

nudity <--- filmmakers last ditch effort to polish a turd

Cons: approximately 45 minutes of my life I will NEVER get back thank god for whoever created the fast-forward button.

even my 9 yr old son fell asleep waiting for ANYTHING to happen, when something did happen it was not worth waiting for the 5 seconds of "scare"

I cannot vote in the negative so 1 will have to do

Not among The Asylum's worst but that is saying very little

[TheLittleSongbird · 2/10 · 5 September 2012]

As far as Asylum movies go, Paranormal Entity is not as bad as Titanic II, Alien Origin or AVH: Alien vs Hunter. It did have a decent concept and started off decently. Sadly it very quickly goes downhill. The effects and editing are haphazard to look at so you can't really enjoy anything visually. The writing is awful also, it reeks of cheese and never feels as though it is natural in its flow. The characters are not identifiable at all, you know little about the family and the chemistry isn't there between them. Plus everything feels so clichéd. The acting is very poor as well, Shane Van Dyke overacts embarrassingly while the rest of the cast are insufferably bland(especially in comparison). But the worst asset about Paranormal Entity was the story, once it falls downhill from its somewhat promising start it is all very predictable and the scares and such have the feeling of being improvised and badly. All in all, not their worst, but a very bad movie still. 2/10 Bethany Cox

paranormal entity

[cute_babyhamster · 2/10 · 25 August 2010]

well, i watched this off the internet. It was not that scary, i skipped some parts just to get to see the scary parts. Only one part scared me when the dude put bell on those doors, the chair popped out and it scared me. That was it. Anyways but at night time , i did got nervous a bit.

Well, i guess they did good job... but i still won't recommend people to watch it.

oh yeah, by the way... the end sucked... why? because when i was really up for the ending, i thought there was a twist but there was no twist. When i heard about it from somewhere else, it sounds scary then i watched it... it was not.

Yea....NO

[lisaryan95 · 8 February 2012]

The first time I tried to watch this movie I turned it off within the first 5 min of it. I decided to watch it again and through the whole thing this time. This movie not only was uninteresting it was stupid. It was so horrible it was laughable! This is not only like PA it is just as funny. Though it being so horrible I don't think it doesn't even deserve a rating. Other than me typing this only one thought crosses through my mind when watching this is YAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't even think of enough lines to actually be able to post this review. If you wish to watch this movie my say on this is DON'T! I'd rather hit my head on the wall then watch this movie. Also if this gets posted I am surprised since I'm sure it's so negative that it won't.

Not really worth it

[ben_thurber · 2/10 · 7 June 2011]

SPOILERS: First, I have to take points off for the complete discontinuity in regards to the family members and how they supposedly all died off. Any even sub-rated film editor should recognize that people won't go for films that are wildly discontinuous.

Then I do have to remove some for the discontinuity of the "entity." If it was worried enough to cover the camera in the first "attack," why would it not care for the "killing?" Plus, and this should be a notification, there will be NO jury in the land that would convict "Thomas" of the rape if his DNA is not found inside "Sam." That, alone, has convicted many and exonerated as many. The only way it could convict is if incest was going on.

While I would buy that Thomas is being the "man of the house" and trying to protect his mom and sister, why was it so obvious they were uncomfortable around each other? Granted, the ideas presented might make them uncomfortable, but why would they seem to be such if they are supposed to be a family sticking together? And what teenage girl, in her right mind, wouldn't yell at her brother for barging in on her while she's not decent (even naked in one scene)? The special effects were corny. When the covers were removed, even though I didn't see anyone pulling the string, it was so obvious and not frightening at all. It seemed more like a way to portray "Sam" as a hot chick rather than a way to portray her as a target. Then having her naked a couple scenes later did nothing to dispel that idea.

About the only really good effect, I'd say, was the ash footprints on the ceiling and walls. Otherwise, the whole movie was a waste of time, like a lot of the "found footage" phenomena going on out there.

Ridiculous

[OldSchool_Cinephile · 1/10 · 10 December 2010]

This review DEFINITELY has spoilers. Please exit now if you don't want to read them.

This movie is ridiculous. It may be a good screamer, and have some good blood shots (e.g. the camera pan to the mother with her slit wrists) but the story is way off.

The 911 call at the beginning states "please send help, they killed her, they killed my family is dead! ... please, just send help, THEY KILLED MY MOM, they're dead! My sister's dead!"

After the introduction it states against black backdrop "Last fall, Thomas Finley was arrested for the rape and murder of his 19 year old sister, Samantha Finley. He was also charged with the murder of Edgar Lauren, a paranormal investigator.. Shortly after, he committed suicide while imprisoned."

During the movie, after the mom slit her wrists while under the influence of the demon, the protagonist states that the hospital says she'll be out in a few days.

Again, against backdrop, at the end, it states "Upon the news of the death of her CHILDREN, Ellen Finley took her own life inside the hospital."

I can handle bad acting. I can handle bad directing. I can even handle bad B-movie CGI. What I can't handle is bad writing.

First of all, we have a son, saying his mom was murdered, when his mom wasn't even there, she was in the hospital. Then, we have her killing herself in the hospital, after hearing the news her children were dead. While it might be explainable that the son committed suicide that night or the next day while in holding and then word got to the mother in the few days before she was released, it still does not explain why he'd scream they killed his mother during the original 911 call.

Bad. Very bad. 1 star.

Other than that, there are some very clichéd scenes that have become very overused.

If you want to watch it, see what you think, and leave a review.

Scary as hell, but inferior compared to "Paranormal Activity"

[paulo_ljcc · 6/10 · 23 January 2010]

First of all, It was very difficult to find out information about this movie, so I ended up creating this page on IMDb. Any extra information you have, please supplement it! ;)

Regarding the film PARANORMAL ENTITY, I was not sure what to expect, but in the end, It turned out to be a pleasant surprise! Obviously, and as might be expected, the SIMILARITIES with "Paranormal Activity" are huge, although the plot have a completely different course. The whole concept is the same: a demonic and malevolent entity that haunt a house and tortures members of a family! However, the origin of this force and its consumptives aims and purposes are different and, therefore, the means and the ways in which this entity shows itself are also changed.

As the film progresses, it creates in the viewer a feeling of terrible FEAR and a big SUSPENSE atmosphere! Moments like when the evil spirit walks the roof, doors and walls, finishing by throwing to the ground the pot containing the ashes of a loved one; or when Thomas is alone in the house and put three bells in strategic points of the house and suddenly they're playing frantically ... Well, it is to be grounded and bonded to the screen!!

However, the film has its FAILURES! One of the worst points ends up being the final scene, since it ends abruptly and did not realize very well what is going on. Another downside is also the misrepresentation of the actors, far below than the intensity of the film required! Therefore, we conclude that is a bet partially achieved by The Asylum ... To me, this production can continue to "rely" on other successes and recreate them, I'll always see them with much pleasure!

Proves it by yourself! But prepare to be psychologically scared! (Not as much as desired, yet itself sufficient!) 6 out of 10.

If I was John McClane, I'd know what a TV dinner feels like.

[kurt-w-mathisen · 2/10 · 16 March 2012]

The title of my review is just an example of what is more interesting or remotely exciting than this film.

For a second I thought it seemed familiar, Paranormal Entity... Paranormal Activity, oh but which is which!? It could indeed easily be mistaken. "Hey man, you hear about that film?" "What that Paranormal uh..." "Oh god what was it? Acti-Entity?" "Hmm, it's something like that! The one where the girl gets dragged out of bed," "Ha-ha, oh yeah, I think it might be Paranormal Entity? I can't be sure; we'll just have to buy both of the DVD's to find out for sure." "Well that was crap, let's watch Die Hard!" "YEAH!" As you can see, it's a clever tactic in a way, the fact it can be easily mistaken means it can be easily watched; then you feel so low after, having wasted your money and then need John McClane to restore the equilibrium again.

This film is a complete rip off. The style of filming is identical to Activity too; the only slight difference is... Okay to be fair the story isn't exactly the same as PA, but the plot is pretty much the same thing. There are even scenes in particular which share a remarkable resemblance to PA.

Overall it's not worth noting anything more about this film, compared between the two films, PA wins. So the conclusion is pretty obvious really. I thought it deserved a two, just because of how the film ends; okay I lied. The ending was pretty bad too, but what did make it worthwhile, was that after I used the DVD as coaster for my coffee cup; not straight away or anything, just over time, used a crappy DVD I found lying around; ended up being this one by coincidence.

So just a quick, bullet point overview.

1) Acting is laughable in some instances.

2) If you're desperate for any kind of nudity, skipping to the end is all you need to do.

3) Poorly directed, poorly written (even for a rip off).

4) Can use DVD as a coaster.

Netflix prompted...but it's worth watching again.

[jhusk13 · 8/10 · 6 July 2010]

This movie is fantastic! Of course it's going to garner it's fair share of "haters" and people who generally distaste the 'rip-off' aspect of Paranormal Entity Vs. Paranormal Activity. I have now seen both of these movies; I thought Paranormal Activity was spooky and clever, genius marketing and an ungodly return on investment, but I watched Paranormal Entity last night, and fell in love.

Entity has such an awesome creepy-factor to it. Of course the movie has some "borrowed" themes or ideas from former horror films (the bedroom cross = nightmare on elm street, the sister standing in the dark corner of the attic = blair witch project, countless themes and parallels with Paranormal Activity, etc.) but that can all be forgiven if you develop a certain sense of discomfort and unease while watching Entity. If this movie enters your thoughts as you go to sleep after watching it for the first time, everyone involved in it's production has accomplished their goal. (I don't think this movie was ever intended to win Oscars and academy awards.) It was created to ride the coat tails of the super popular P.A., and maybe even improve on the formula of that film in the process. A heavy majority of IMDb.com patrons have found the contrary to be the case, but personally, i thought this movie delivered a better story, a creepier demon/apparition and a more thrilling product with multiple peaks/valleys.

Two quick examples of the extraneous nuances which make this movie work better than Paranormal Activity: 1). the para-psychologist who divulges to the family what a "Maron" is, from Germanic Folk-lore, revolving around nightmares. I thought that was a great touch. 2). The fact that this Maron wants to torture/subjugate this family so much that it goes to the extreme of shattering the father-figures ashes and picture from the family's small shrine in the basement, and uses the ashes to create footprints all of the ceilings and walls.

Of course it's my humble opinion, but i went into this movie with no expectations, and found that it is very unsettling. In a good way.

A rip off of Paranormal Activity actually succeeds where the sequels fail.

[tacomunky303 · 7/10 · 14 November 2012]

For being a direct to DVD rip off of a more popular, more polished film, this movie has quite the following. And for good reason. All the things that the "Paranormal Activity" films have failed to grasp, this movie grabs onto firmly.

We have a family, the Finley's, being attacked, or at first just bothered, by an unseen spirit. What does this spirit want? They aren't sure. At first they think it's their deceased father and husband trying to communicate. But then it does, well, unmentionable things to the daughter Samantha, and the family becomes more confounded.

Through a series of clips filmed with home cameras, the demon knocks crosses off of walls, turns on appliances, and basically straight up tortures the hell out of Samantha. At one point, it walks on the ceiling, leaving footprints in its wake.

My favorite thing about this movie is that it acknowledges that this entity can act without a camera pointed at it, as it follows Samantha and her mom to a hotel, and we only hear about the demon's actions. We don't' see them, and while some people want visual stimulation, I'll trade that for a story that scares me.

And this one does. To the max. While the ending may be a bit too much for my tastes, and the very odd voyeuristic actions of the brother Thomas seem out of place, this movie has far more of a dreadful feeling than any of the Paranormal Activity sequels to date, although it still pales in comparison to the original.

I'd take this one as a nice little companion piece to Paranormal Activity. Watching them back to back will leave you unsettled, especially with the excessively dark ending of this one. _________

For all of the Horror Banana reviews, visit http://morozov924.hubpages.com/

Really!?

[schmitz-tyler-8087 · 1/10 · 20 October 2010]

HAHAHAHA! at 1 hour 1 min and 42 seconds a hand comes into the shot and pulls the covers off the girl??? don't know if this constitutes a spoiler..... just throwing it out there because its funny.

cheap knock off of paranormal activity but what else would you expect.

its the same actor from titanic 2 and transmorphers.

wouldn't have expected anything less and glad i didn't pay for it.

laughed through the whole movie.

especially at the end with possibly the most abrupt non explained ending.

would recommend this to every one.

only because it is the worst movie ever... next to The Room.

Oh Shane...

[leejohnson-nwuk · 6 July 2012]

I have to give Shane Van Dyke some words...just because you come from a TV family does NOT mean you are capable of being a TV or film star! I have seen Shane in a few productions and to be honest, he is a talentless actor and now, as a writer and director, he proves he is also useless at these roles too. I have just sat through one of the worst productions I have ever seen. It was not only badly filmed (we all had a giggle at the shot of him on his lap top when he is pretending to press keys and scroll!), the acting was bad! The woman playing the mother in this film was terrible! if you want actors to improvise Shane, then get actors who can improvise! This woman was appalling. I watched Paranormal Activity a few years ago and found it boring and terribly written, acted and directed, however, having now seen this atrocious piece of garbage, I consider paranormal activity a genius production. I have read some reviews of this on IMDb and am totally surprised anyone could class this as good. Are these people part of Shane's gang? Look folks, before you consider watching this, let me save you time, it is a complete and badly done rip off, using a cheap camcorder and BAD acting. Writing wise, it's suffering a great deal from the fact it has no writing and seems all improvised. Badly Improvised I might add. Somebody should inform Shane that a new career really does need looking in to. It is surely not enough to merely trade on your family name, surely you Americans can see where the talent is and where, in Shane's case, it is so obviously lacking. I am a fan of Dick Van Dyke, but Shane, I am sorry love, you just haven't got what it takes.