Haunted Poland

Haunted Poland is a found footage genre film that most people will pass by, pre-judging it simply because it's "found footage"...sometimes, this is justified, because perhaps 8 out 10 of these genre films just don't cut it - they try to do too much, which mostly doesn't work.

Pau Maso has taken the found footage premise and come away with something that is exactly how FF films should be...something that The Last Broadcast and the early pioneers of the genre mastered - producing a low budget film that actually does scare you. Couple that with the little things, like no credits, no phoney FBI warnings etc, and you've got something that to an extent, can be construed as believable.

There's no gore, there's no monster, there's no killer on the loose wearing a ski-mask - what there is though - is a dark, brooding storyline that Maso develops brilliantly throughout, culminating in an ending that can only be described as chilling.

From a well thought out plot, to subtle fast cut scenes - the characters are developed with an expert hand, rapport with them building as the film goes on. There's no forced dialogue, all characters are clearly at ease with each other which shows in their performances.

Haunted Poland is not a movie to go and see if you are expecting blood and guts, this is a psychological and progressive look into what could happen as events overtake normal people going about their everyday lives.

Outstanding addition to the Found Footage sub genre.

9/10

Polish girl Ewelina and her foreign boyfriend Pau travel to Poland.He wants to visit her family who lives in Chodecz on Pojezierze Kujawskie.Pau is sceptic and Ewelina is spiritual and religious.The young couple walk a lot,talk a lot and drink a lot.They visit some abandoned places.Not much happens.But it seems that Ewelina becomes slowly possessed by some sort of paranormal evil connected with her past.I wanted to see "Nawiedzona Polska" because the film was shot in Poland:in Poznan,close to I live plus in Chodecz and Torun.Unfortunately "Haunted Polska" is a disappointing clone of "Paranormal Activity".The film is suspenseless,the characters are annoying and the dialogue is often terrible.I quite enjoyed its hysterical climax which is a bit eerie.It's a fairly promising conclusion of disappointing supernatural story.4 out of 10 and that's being kind.

Magnificent "footage found" based chiller full of pleasant surprises: This is the way this kind of films should be done.

What starts as a couple (Newcomers Pau Masó and beautiful Ewelina Lukaszewska, both of them directors of this little gem) traveling to a fun trip to Poland progress into an effective bone chiller supernatural story.

I wonder if Pau and Ewelina are a real couple as the screen chemistry is one of the best (Better than some couples in mainstream films) I've seen: You get to care for them.

The third main actress (Irene Gonzalez) fares a bit under average (Sometimes you feel she's reading her lines), but the whole effort makes one forget the film shortcomings if you remember that this was made on a shoestring budget (Only 900 dollars!).

As I mentioned before, this is how this kind of stories should be made: Engaging main characters, great locations and set pieces, gloomy streets and places (You've got real cemeteries, old churches and abandoned old houses and buildings with legends surrounding them)that will make your body tremble.

The tension keeps growing as the film goes on until its chilling climatic scene.

I just can wonder what this talented guys (We gotta keep them on sight for future films) will do with a bigger budget.

Not to be missed!!

10/10