Paranormal Entity

Last updated
Paranormal Entity
Paranormal Entity.jpg
DVD cover art
Directed by Shane Van Dyke
Screenplay byShane Van Dyke
Produced byDavid Michael Latt
StarringShane Van Dyke
Erin Marie Hogan
Fia Perera
Norman Saleet
CinematographyAkis Konstantakopoulos
Edited byBill Parker
Distributed by The Asylum
Release date
  • December 22, 2009 (2009-12-22)
Running time
90 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Paranormal Entity is a 2009 American supernatural horror film written, directed by and starring Shane Van Dyke (in his feature directorial debut) and produced by The Asylum in 2009. It is one of many films dubbed as a "mockbuster", a movie designed to capitalize on the success of a more popular film. Paranormal Entity is a knockoff of the successful low-budget horror film Paranormal Activity . The film was followed by indirect sequels 8213: Gacy House in 2010, Anneliese: The Exorcist Tapes in 2011, and 100 Ghost Street: The Return of Richard Speck in 2012. The film's premise is that of a series of allegedly factual surveillance videos documenting the downward spiral and eventual supernatural rape and murder of a woman named Samantha Finley.

Contents

Plot

A notice reveals that a young man named Thomas Finley has been convicted of raping and killing his sister, and murdering Dr. Edgar Lauren, a psychic. He claimed a demon had committed the murders. He was sent to prison, where he committed suicide.

Samantha Finley (Erin Marie Hogan), her older brother Thomas (Shane Van Dyke), and their mother Ellen (Fia Perera) believe that Ellen has been making contact with her deceased husband, David. Soon the family claims that a demon is haunting them. At first, they think it is David, but after a series of horrible attacks on Samantha, they suspect otherwise.

One night the camera records Ellen sitting up in bed and leaving her bedroom. She walks into the living room, where she writes something on a piece of paper. She then crumples the paper and walks back down the hallway. Thomas finds the paper under Samantha's pillow and sees that it spells out the word "MARON". Thomas suggests that Ellen and Samantha stay at a hotel while he sets up traps around the house with bells and wire. When the bells ring, Thomas investigates. The wire and bell outside his door are ripped from the wall and thrown at him. Thomas shuts himself in the bedroom and the demon bangs on his door.

Thomas receives a phone call from Ellen, who is in hysterics after the demon apparently followed them and attacked Samantha. Upon returning to the house, Samantha hunches over in pain. Thomas awakens at night and finds his sister missing. He finds the attic ladder hanging down and ascends it to find her standing there in her bra and panties, in a trance. Upon awakening, she is unable to remember what happened.

Thomas asks the previous owner of the house if anyone named Maron ever lived there, but the previous owner does not recognize the name. Thomas hears Samantha screaming and rushes to the bathroom to find her lying topless in the bathtub, severely traumatized. Ellen wakes after hearing thuds from outside. In the living room camera, she is seen standing in the archway with a knife before returning to her bedroom. Thomas wakes up after hearing a door slam shut, and finds that Ellen has slit her wrists, weapon still in hand. She is taken to the hospital.

Thomas and Sam are left at home when psychic, Dr. Edgar Lauren (Norman Saleet), arrives. He explains that there is a powerful dark entity in the home and that Samantha is the focus of its attention. He says that the entity gained entry into the home when Ellen attempted to contact the spirit of David. Dr. Lauren explains that "maron" is Old Germanic for "nightmare", a creature similar to the incubus, a demon that rapes women in their sleep. The psychic agrees to help evict the entity and the video fades to black.

After a pause, the camera's POV shows the doctor's bleeding head and blank face, fallen on the floor and "looking" toward the lens. Thomas is heard panicking. He grabs the camera after hearing Samantha's scream and runs to her bedroom. The house is in disarray. Thomas finds his sister naked and levitating in her room, covered in blood, being raped by an invisible demon. He drops the camera and runs out of the room to find help. A gurgling noise is heard off-screen, and an unseen figure (heavy breathing can be heard), picks up the camera and focuses it on Samantha's lifeless face.

Thomas is charged with Samantha's rape and death and is sentenced to life. Not long after, he commits suicide.

It is revealed, upon hearing of both her children's deaths, Ellen also commits suicide. It is also revealed that the recording made by Thomas was found in the family's attic one year later.

Cast

Reception

Criticisms were mostly focused on the script, plot and direction. [1] [2] [3]

Sequels

Three indirect sequels were released, each one year after the other and also to coincide with the Paranormal Activity films, entitled 8213: Gacy House , Anneliese: The Exorcist Tapes and 100 Ghost Street: The Return of Richard Speck . All of these films follow the same elements as the Paranormal Activity films such as the films being a documentary style movie and involves different people experiencing supernatural events from unseen entities.

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>The Entity</i> 1982 American film

The Entity is a 1982 American supernatural horror film directed by Sidney J. Furie, and written by Frank De Felitta, who adapted his 1978 novel of the same name. The film stars Barbara Hershey as a single mother in Los Angeles who is raped and tormented by an invisible assailant.

<i>White Noise</i> (2005 film) 2005 Canadian film

White Noise is a 2005 supernatural horror thriller film directed by Geoffrey Sax and starring Michael Keaton. The title refers to electronic voice phenomena (EVP), where voices, which some believe to be from the "other side", can be heard on audio recordings.

<i>The Fury</i> (film) 1978 film by Brian De Palma

The Fury is a 1978 American supernatural horror thriller film directed by Brian De Palma and starring Kirk Douglas, John Cassavetes, Amy Irving, Carrie Snodgress, Charles Durning, and Andrew Stevens. The screenplay by John Farris was based on his 1976 novel of the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ghost hunting</span> Investigating reportedly haunted locations for ghosts

Ghost hunting is the process of investigating locations that are purportedly haunted by ghosts. Typically, a ghost-hunting team will attempt to collect evidence supporting the existence of paranormal activity.

Paranormal fiction is a genre of fiction whose story lines revolve around the paranormal.

<i>Noroi: The Curse</i> 2005 Japanese film

Noroi: The Curse is a 2005 Japanese horror film directed and co-written by Kōji Shiraishi. It stars Jin Muraki as Masafumi Kobayashi, a paranormal researcher investigating a series of mysterious events for a documentary. The film employs a pseudo-documentary style of storytelling and utilizes found footage conventions, with the majority of the narrative being presented as if it were Kobayashi's documentary, made up of footage recorded by Kobayashi's cameraman. The film's cast also includes actress Marika Matsumoto, who plays a fictionalized version of herself, as well as Rio Kanno, Tomono Kuga, and Satoru Jitsunashi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ghosts in Bengali culture</span> Overview of the devils and ghosts in Bengali culture and folklore

Ghosts are an important and integral part of the folklore of the socio-cultural fabric of the geographical and ethno-linguistic region of Bengal which presently consists of Bangladesh and the Indian states of West Bengal and Tripura. Fairy tales, both old and new, often use the concept of ghosts. References to ghosts are often found in modern-day Bengali literature, cinema, radio and television media. There are also alleged haunted sites in the region. The common word for ghosts in Bengali is bhoot or bhut. This word has an alternative meaning: 'past' in Bengali. Also, the word Pret is used in Bengali to mean ghost. In Bengal, ghosts are believed to be the unsatisfied spirits of human beings who cannot find peace after death or the souls of people who died in unnatural or abnormal circumstances like murders, suicides or accidents. Non-human animals can also turn into ghosts after their death. But they are often associated with good luck and wealth in Bangladesh.

Midnight DJ is a Philippine reality drama-horror-action-thriller television series about DJ who works at night and at the same time, together with his team, they work to find solutions to the paranormal problems of his listeners. The series The series aired on TV5 from August 11, 2008 to May 14, 2011, replacing Impact: Stories of Survival. One of the original Midnight DJ played by Paolo Contis, Oyo Boy replaced him after Paolo's character died on the last episode of Season 1. The show ended on Season 11 in a different format than the previous seasons.

<i>Paranormal Activity</i> 2007 film by Oren Peli

Paranormal Activity is a 2007 American supernatural horror film produced, written, directed, photographed and edited by Oren Peli. It centers on a young couple who are haunted by a supernatural presence inside their home. They then set up a camera to document what is haunting them. The film uses found-footage conventions that were mirrored in the later films of the series.

<i>Paranormal Activity 2</i> 2010 film by Tod Williams

Paranormal Activity 2 is a 2010 American found footage supernatural horror film directed by Tod Williams and written by Michael R. Perry, Christopher Landon and Tom Pabst. The film is a prequel to the 2007 film Paranormal Activity, beginning two months before and following up with the events depicted in the original film. It was released in theaters at midnight on October 22, 2010 in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Poland and Ireland. An unrated version of the film was also released.

<i>8213: Gacy House</i> 2010 American film

8213: Gacy House, or Paranormal Entity 2: Gacy House, is a 2010 American horror film written and directed by Anthony Fankhauser and distributed by The Asylum. It is a mockbuster of the film Paranormal Activity 2.

<i>Paranormal Activity 3</i> 2011 film by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman

Paranormal Activity 3 is a 2011 American found footage supernatural horror film, directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman. It is the third installment of the Paranormal Activity series and serves as a prequel, mostly set 18 years prior to the events of the first two films. It was released in theaters on October 21, 2011. Paranormal Activity 3 was also Joost and Schulman's first horror film.

<i>Paranormal Activity</i> (film series) American supernatural horror film series

Paranormal Activity is an American supernatural horror franchise consisting of seven films and additional media. Created by Oren Peli, the original film premiered in 2007 and was widely released in 2009.

<i>Lovely Molly</i> 2011 American film

Lovely Molly is a 2011 American supernatural horror film directed by Eduardo Sánchez. The film initially had a working title of The Possession but was later changed to Lovely Molly. The plot follows newlyweds Molly and Tim as they move into the bride's childhood home, where painful memories and a powerful demon soon begin to haunt Molly.

<i>100 Ghost Street: The Return of Richard Speck</i> 2012 American film

100 Ghost Street: The Return of Richard Speck, or Paranormal Entity 4: The Awakening, is a 2012 supernatural horror film written and directed by Martin Andersen and distributed by The Asylum. It is a mockbuster of the film Paranormal Activity 4.

<i>Haunt</i> (2013 film) 2013 American film

Haunt is a 2013 American supernatural horror film directed by Mac Carter in his feature film directorial debut. The film premiered at the Film Society of Lincoln Center on November 6, 2013, and was later released on video on demand on February 7, 2014. Haunt stars Harrison Gilbertson as a teenager who moves into a new house and goes through not only a sexual awakening but also a terrifying haunting.

<i>The Possession of Michael King</i> 2014 American film

The Possession of Michael King is a 2014 American found footage horror film written and directed by David Jung, in his directorial debut, from a story by himself and Tedi Sarafian. The film had its world premiere on August 14, 2014 in Singapore and had a limited theatrical release in the United States on August 22 of the same year. It was released on to video on demand on August 26, 2014. It stars Shane Johnson as a widowed, atheist filmmaker who finds himself the target of demonic forces.

<i>Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension</i> 2015 film by Gregory Plotkin

Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension is a 2015 American 3D found footage supernatural horror film directed by Gregory Plotkin in his directorial debut, and written by Jason Harry Pagan, Andrew Deutschman, Adam Robitel, and Gavin Heffernan. Plotkin served as the editor for the second, third, fourth, and fifth films. Most of the film takes place after Paranormal Activity 4 (2012), though the plot ties in heavily with the events of Paranormal Activity 3 (2011).

All Hell Breaks Loose (<i>Supernatural</i>) 21st and 22nd episodes of the 2nd season of Supernatural

"All Hell Breaks Loose" is the joint title for the two-part second-season finale of The CW television series Supernatural. It consists of the twenty-first and twenty-second episodes of the second season. "Part One" was first broadcast on May 10, 2007, and the second part aired the following week on May 17, 2007. The narrative follows series protagonist Sam Winchester —a young man who travels the continental United States with his brother Dean hunting supernatural creatures—as he is abducted by series villain Azazel and sent to an abandoned town. Azazel intends to find a leader for his demon army by having Sam and other psychic children like him fight to the death. Sam is eventually killed, but is resurrected after Dean sells his soul. The sole survivor, Jake Talley, is sent by Azazel to a cemetery protected against demons, where he opens a gateway to Hell. At the end of the episode, Azazel is finally killed by Dean with the mystical Colt revolver, but not before hundreds of demons are released into the world.

<i>BuzzFeed Unsolved</i> Investigative web series

BuzzFeed Unsolved is a documentary entertainment web series created by Ryan Bergara for BuzzFeed that ran from February 4, 2016, to November 19, 2021. It first appeared on the YouTube channel BuzzFeed Blue and was later given its own flagship channel BuzzFeed Unsolved Network.

References

  1. "Paranormal Entity (2009)". Kicking the Seat. 2012-05-18. Retrieved 2023-08-28.
  2. Foywonder (2009-12-15). "Paranormal Entity (2009)". Dread Central. Retrieved 2023-08-28.
  3. "Paranormal Entity (Movie Review) | Bloody Good Horror". www.bloodygoodhorror.com. Retrieved 2023-08-28.