Paralysis

I'm currently working my way through this one and it's rough, to say the least. Definitely a low budget flick. The acting is the worst part about this so far, making it extremely hard to immerse myself into the atmosphere and genre. The acting feels like what you'd get from a cheap highschool film project, most notably, the wide angel single camera found footage movies that flood streaming platforms such as Tubi and Freevee, to name a couple. They're not all bad, but the acting is generally the worst part in them. I get it, amateurs gaining experience and whatnot... Anyways, I'm going to finish it and then come back to this review and hope that between then and now, I've got something positive to say about it.

This indie horror film is impressively refreshing in that it deals with grief in both a straightforward manner and involves truly caring people. The storyline is one that far too many of us can relate to. Similar in tone to Babadook, but with more engaging pacing and characters who are more relatable. Several creepy images with solid writing that doesn't need to rely on jump scares. Ethereal, dreamlike sequences blend well throughout the film, leading to a satisfying ending. At times, this didn't even seem like a film--Very natural acting. Interesting, earnest characters who you will find yourself thinking about after the film is done.

This movie is a slow burn, exploring grief and it's many facets. It takes you through all the stages and you really feel for Hayley. I can not recommend this film enough. Alison Lobel and Levi Austin Morris play their characters to a tee. The relationship and character arcs feel genuine. As you travel through the grief that Hayley is experiencing, you feel the growth as she comes to grips with her inner turmoil. Alison's portrayal of the many stages of grief are nuanced and a tterly heartbreaking at times. Do yourself a favor and check out this film. While the beginning can be a little slow, it's needed to develop the characters and story. Don't let this one pass you by.

I enjoyed this film. Lots of threads weaving around and brought together for a satisfying ending. Very good use of some scary images and it keeps the floating sense of unease and unreality going. I don't like an unresolved "you figure out what happened" ending, and this film avoids that nicely. Good depiction of the distress that family can cause. No time wasted in diving into the story, and a generous amount of creepiness. The main character does a very good job of portraying how debilitating poor sleep/bad dreams can be. This movie digs right into personal horrors without having to resort to a bucket of blood.

(2022) Paralysis PSYCHOLOGICAL HORROR

Edited, co- cinematography, co-associate produced, written and directed by Levi Austin Morris that has Haley Stone (Allison Lobel) interacting with her brother, Nicky Stone (Levi Austin Morris) who happens to be be a painter/ artist. At the same time she is seeing and dreaming about things that are not there, such as a demonic presence sometimes with her brother, Nicky present sometimes not. And although, she takes medication we find out she suffers from sleep paralysis/ nightmares. It is during then she seeks help from a paranormal investigator, Anissa Bradley (Lisagaye Tomlinson) who may or may not be the solution to all of Haley's nightmares.

Self-explainable psychological horror movie that is slow and boring in parts but may have been better if it had a bigger budget.