Paralysis

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.

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.

Not a genre I typically watch, nor typical for the genre. Emotionally wrenching and lots of twists and turns with a satisfying ending. It is incredible that this film was created and shot using a mobile phone on a shoestring budget. The entire film had a sense of dreaminess and semi consciousness, as though you are drowning and your synapses are randomly firing, blending reality and memory and fear and guilt until you are unable to discern which way is up, your lungs burning as you flail for the surface and air. That the scenes are confined to a handful of rooms and locations drives home the isolation of the main character and her being tethered to her grief, unable to move, paralyzed.

(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.

I really wanted to like Paralysis. The premise is intriguing, and I'm sure there's a solid story underneath it all. Unfortunately, I found it almost impossible to get into the film because of the acting. It felt more like a local theatre production or a student project than a professional film. The performances just didn't carry the emotional weight needed for this kind of story - they often felt flat, awkward, or overly dramatic in a way that pulled me out of every scene.

I don't say this lightly, but I genuinely believe someone with no acting background could have delivered a more natural performance. That made it hard to connect with the characters or feel any real tension, which is a big problem in a psychological horror like this.

That said, credit where it's due: the team clearly had passion and a vision, and the concept could've worked with stronger direction and casting. I just hope future projects put more emphasis on performance quality, because that alone can make or break a story like this.