Reel Evil

When people say they "don't like found footage movies" this is exactly the kind of movie they're talking about... Bad acting to start, but what's worse is whoever wrote the characters made everyone cringy and gross. They're all poorly written stereotypes for some reason? From the unnecessary sex scene (in like the first 15 minutes) to the unoriginal, not climatic, not scary buildup - You're better off passing on this one.

I happen to like "found footage" films, so thought I'd give this one a shot, despite the negative reviews and low score.

It was very poorly executed. The acting was in great need of help. The special effects weren't at all believable. The make up jobs weren't done well. The storyline was lacking and jumped all over the place. There is no real rhyme or reason to why the things that happen are happening.

To those that feel that the presence of breasts make up for a bad storyline/acting, don't bother. The breasts they show aren't even very nice. They're incredibly uneven, or have weird nipples that look like they half melted tootsie rolls and stuck them to their chest.

Overall it was just a lame attempt at a found footage film. If you're stuck in an elevator for an hour and a half and for whatever reason this film is the only thing you could watch to occupy your time, please watch it. Otherwise save yourself the trouble.

Reel Evil is a found-footage paranormal flick directed by Danny Draven and starring Jessica Morris, Jeffrey Adler, Kaiwi Lyman-Mersereau, Jim Tavare, Galen Howard, Lino Dumont and Spencer John Olson. The movie follows struggling film makers Kennedy, Cory and James who are hired to shoot a 'behind-the-scenes' documentary for a major studio production. The story has the young crew spending down time on the shoot exploring an old hospital facility that seems to be rife with entities. It is a classic case of haunting of malevolence. This film comes from Full Moon, a studio that whether you love them or hate them has a pretty tight systematic approach to horror that has lasted for decades.

The story for Reel Evil is pretty cut and dry. A standard tale of haunting where the spirits are far from friendly. The film uses all the expected tricks of found-footage that has come to define the sub-genre so there is nothing new within that aspect of the movie. The effects are a blend of traditional organic effects combined with the more modern CGI produced material. In this film the director took care not to over use the computer generated effects so that what is used is tolerable. When it came to the gorier organic effects there was just as much care taken and it provides expected realism to those necessary moments. The story is a good story which is entertaining and convincing. It doesn't seem contrived or forced upon us. The actors are pretty tight in their performances and give a believable performance as well which makes the movie watchable.

Reel Evil could have been one of those opportunities for the studio to shine but unfortunately as a horror story the movie fails. The director seems to have forgot the main ingredient-the thrills. There are absolutely no moments in this film that are scary or suspenseful at all. It is a pretty standard ghost story that tells a great tale but beyond the standard cookie cutter pattern of story telling there is nothing that stands out about Reel Evil. Watch knowing it will be a cool ghost story from a staple studio in the horror genre but don't expect to be scared or have those intense moments of suspense because they are just not in this movie.

Really?????? 3.0 out of 10 IMDb. After watching some God-awful found footage films like Episode 50, Back from Hell, Bucks County Massacre and Knock Knock 2 it was nice to embrace another gem. You can line Reel Evil next to other greats of the sub-genre such as Evil Things, Evidence and Crowsnest. This film had great acting for this type of film, FANTASTIC location in a real insane asylum in Los Angeles and some nice chills packed into a tight 72 minute creep-fest. My only problem with the film was the last five minutes but I am willing to forget about that and give Reel Evil a solid 7 1/2 out of 10. As a side note there was another horror film released in 2006 called Boo that was filmed in the same hospital.

With such an awful title, I was expecting the worst... and I got it. This resembles a kiddie ghost train, with spooks popping up in the background throughout and ominous noises aplenty. Unfortunately, we also have to contend with a trio of so-called documentary filmmakers, who cannot act for toffee and have some of the most fake 'authentic' conversations amongst themselves ever. Yep, we're back in hand-held camera/Blair Witch territory, where every scene is shot by the cast in a dark, damp area using various devices. Done right, this can be a chilling experience, as you feel the sweat pour down your back, feeling every moment of fear as it happens... Done wrong though, and you get... well, this.

Desperation sets in early, as we get the first of three extended nude scenes which are completely irrelevant to the story (Needless to say, the hottest girl keeps her togs on). They must want to distract us from the ever present crushing tedium. Nice try, not no cigar. It tries to rip off Paranormal Activity by having our heroes set up various lenses around the abandoned mental institution where it's set, to catch a glance a glimpse at the supernatural. The difference is though, that movie had a special effects budget, this has PS1 (Playstation 1 for the uninitiated) graphics done by an amateur. The 'big finale' is a cross between Benny Hill and Scooby Doo, with lots of camp running about while dubious looking ghosties fly into view.

My faith in the 18 certificate is shaken. Again. 3/10