Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Paranormal Entity: The best supernatural horror film since The Entity

I had one unexplainable experience when I was a teenager living in Omaha -- 14 or 15 at the time, I think. There was a lucid dream where I was inside a church. A very tall, elderly bald-headed man wearing an all-white robe was serving communion. My body began trembling, as I was amid a single file line slowly approaching the altar. All movements were very slow and deliberate. What terrified me about this man I didn't know. It was like I was possessed and had lost all control. Suddenly, I woke up.

I blinked my eyes a few times and looked to my right where my two white painted closet doors were. Illuminated by a street lamp post across the street that's light seeped through the closed blinds, it was one of the only things visible. O.k. I'm back in my bedroom. Suddenly, I saw something at my door that was wide open. It was the same very tall, elderly bald-headed man clad in his all-white robe I just saw in my dream at my doorway. Immediately, I sat up and pressed my back against the head board. In complete disbelief, I rubbed my eyes. Go away. Please, just go away. After I opened my eyes again, I looked to see if he was still there. Gone.

Canesha decided to join me in watching Paranormal Entity last night. On Saturday, I saw it for the first time. There were a few details I missed from my first viewing. After watching the film, she agreed this was much better than the low budget blockbuster, Paranormal Activity.

First, the viewer won't be lulled to sleep by the obligatory, "This is our bathroom." (camera holder walks a few steps). "This is our closet." (opens and closes the closet door). O.k. We get it. You're just an average couple showing off some random two-story ranch house that looks like hundreds of others. Why try to sell me on it? Get to the point. Whenever you see a nonsensical news story about a murder that has no impact on our daily lives, do you ever see the anchor person as he or she is approaching the home where the murder took place? No. The anchor is shown in front of the house where you see the yellow tape in the background along with one or two random cops going in and out of the shot.

Yes, there were a few moments of quirky small talk caputured, but they weren't nearly as painful as the numerous times they happened in the Paranormal Activity films where it seemed you were so excited to see an object move. This film wasted no time playing the alleged actual 911 call made by the main character, 20s-something Thomas Finley. He was sobbing on the phone before he burst into screams, "They're all dead." This is where some viewers and critics said a plot void occurred. If someone is hysterical and rightfully irrational, how can someone else say what was blurted out didn't fit the events that followed?

This film was similarly shot and formatted like Paranormal Activity. Cameras on tripods film events that transpire in the mother and sister's room along with the den. And yes, it's formatted the same in how there is a sequential buildup i.e. Night One 1:07 a.m. The events were more provocative throughout. You see (text) and hear the recording of the 911 call, so that inevitably resonated. Just what happened that led to the hysterical phone call with two people ending up dead?

Ironically or not, the term "Manro" is seen in this film. This was also the last name of Barbara Hershey's character in The Entity portraying the real life character of Doris Bither which was one of the most famous subjects of paranormal activity ever recorded. Manro is a Germanic term that means nightmare.

At the end of the film, the screen goes to black. Several seconds go by before seeing the disclaimer that all events portrayed are fictitious... any resemblance is purely coincidental... So, this leads one to believe it's fake. However, it's misleading and confusing. There is a mugshot of Thomas Finley out of Clearwater, FL. The film states it has received actual footage from the police department where Finley filmed what was happening in the home. Whether or not it was fake, we were impressed.

The first time I saw this I needed to keep the kitchen light on. And after Canesha saw it, she had that same feeling. I began listening to her how paranormal activities are possible.

It made sense. She said entities form out of energy. Some are much more powerful than others. Typically, she said it takes over a person or persons who are weak -- depressed, substance abuser, etc. She compared it to a microwave:

"We don't see the waves but know it can heat something up. If we have something like that (microwaves) exist through energy, why shouldn't we believe an energy force (entity) we can't see exists?"