Audrey Rose (1977)

Now that out whirlwind trip to North Carolina is behind us, it is time to dive back into the blog. To get there, I had to find something to watch. After some debate, I decided to venture into the strange world of reincarnation. With that in mind, I decided on the 1977 film Audrey Rose.

Plot/ A stranger attempts to convince a happily married couple that their daughter is actually his daughter reincarnated.

It had been some time since I have watched Audrey Rose, but it is always fun to revisit movies from my youth to see how they stand up. For me, this journey into reincarnation was one of the more memorable flicks from that timeframe. The story is intelligent, with enough tension and creepiness to draw you in. The acting is solid, the scripting works, and the storyline does a great job at diving into one of the more controversial subjects that still mystifies society. Yes, there are some pacing issues, some overacting, and there are some predictable moments, but that does little to drag the film down. In the end, this one is more of a psychological thriller than horror movie, but it does stand the test of time. If you have not seen it, give it a shot, it is much better than some of the modern ilk that hits the screen.

Paranormal Incident (2011)

After enjoying Abraham Lincoln vs. Zombies, I decided to continue flipping through Netflix to see what I could find. After some searching, I decided on something paranormal. Yep, another hand-cam flick, 2011s Paranormal Incident.  

Plot/ The infamous Odenbrook Sanitarium closed after a mass suicide occurred within its walls. Sixty years later, six college students armed with cameras and recording equipment venture into the asylum to prove the existence of the paranormal. Thrills turn into nightmares as members of the group go missing without a sound, cell phones mysteriously vanish, corridors turn into mazes, walls appear where doors once stood, flashlights fail and something or someone begins toying with the group. Days later, when five of the six friends turn up missing, the lone survivor must go through the recovered footage in order to clear his name and find out what happened to his friends.

Let me start by saying that I am not the biggest found footage fan, in fact, I believe that they are becoming too common, and wish that directors would leave that genre alone for a while. However, I do watch them, and at times even enjoy them; unfortunately, this was not the case with this one. There was not much new with it, as most of it was full of cliché, the pacing uneven, and the mix of filming techniques did not do it justice. Yes, the story was not all that bad and the acting was tolerable, but it really did not boast any features that would make it stand out in a diluted genre. Even if you are a major fan of this genre, you should stay clear. It really is not worth your time.