Apartamento 143

The reviews of this movie really got me excited. I had just about given up on this style of horror films, so to hear that one was getting some very positive buzz got me fairly excited. But as with "Grave Encounters", I found myself feeling letdown the further the movie progressed.

The idea behind "Apartment 143" is interesting, you have a group of scientists investigating a possible paranormal haunting. Seeing them act very professional about the whole ordeal was fairly entertaining. This alone is what made the film feel a tad fresh and original. The scares were decent but as events unfolded I found myself getting tired of seeing things move around and what not.

With the recent explosion of films along this genre it is hard to really surprise the audience, and that is the main problem this movie had. You arn't going to see anything here you haven't seen before. That doesn't mean that the movie's not entertaining, it will hold your attention throughout, but you can't help but feel like you've seen this entire thing before in tons of other movies.

If you really have an urge to watch a "Found Footage" horror film and you have already seen "Paranormal Activity", than this is probably the best available option atm. Just don't be fooled by all the buzz, this isn't anything great, it is a entertaining yet forgettable movie that is worthy of killing a week day night.

Apartment 143 gives us a look at a supposedly haunted apartment. The difference here is that the scientific investigators are looking for scientific explanations rather than the supernatural. It's a neat idea, but leads to some heavy exposition scenes that betray the found-footage set-up. Perhaps if these had been explained in talking head interviews it wouldn't seem so clunky and forced. The film does well to have a little mystery behind it and the cast are generally rather impressive. One of the biggest problems is how quick it wants to start. I don't find that these films work without a decent amount of build up. Here, the camera crew walk in and stuff is happening almost immediately. I also got tired at the scientists continued explanations of stuff when it was clear that some of these things were impossible to explain. Some decent effects and genuine scary parts make this a fine effort, but with a bit more time and some better pacing this could have been so much better.

Even though this is a movie based on the recipe of "Paranormal Activity" it builds on the concept of the "found footage" sub-genre, and it takes it one step further. By combining footage of many cameras and points of view this movie is just the right combination of "first person witnessing" and actual traditional cinematography. The thing with this movie, is that even though you can predict the scary moments before they happen, you still get very very scared. This is the brilliance of this particular genre - and film ! By trapping the viewer in the scene of the "crime", and forcing him to experience first hand whatever the bad "spirit" wishes to "communicate", the viewer is affected even when he is certain of what is about to happen!. The acting is nothing special. I think the actors took it abit too far by pretending to be "real people". However, that is not damaging for the movie, since it is not the actors that are important here, but YOU the viewer ! I would recommend this movie to brave horror fans, and those who want to make their girlfriends shriek in terror. I would also recommend this though, to film students, as this genre has great potential!

There are some great scares in this movie that kept me going. Then there were the terrible ones. And the long, drawn-out drama scenes that just didn't work for me. Maybe because they tended to be clichéd scenes that I already knew the ending to that they tried to extend for dramatic effect but fell flat. At the end of one of those scenes, one of the actors was laughing, and I don't think she was acting because it was ridiculous. The premise was okay, but I don't feel like they stuck to it. In the end, you don't know exactly what happened or why. And I didn't even care. It's just not that good. On a side note, as I looked this up, I saw Michael O'Keefe in the cast! I realized, "Oh! It's the kid from Caddyshack!" He didn't do a bad job, but I thought it was funny.

There are lights in every corner of the house, and the electricity is on, but the film is so amateur that only camera light is used just to "scare" people. I don't understand people using only camera light and get scared instead of simply turning the lights on. It's even pitch dark near the door- while the outside corridor is brightly illuminated. The owner of the house doesn't need to turn the lights on when opening the door. Another vampire movie scenario would be more appropriate. Amateur, amateur movie.

A four-year old kid is hanging around and not even scared when things go real crazy- another big fail. There's no rational and sensational explanation of a four-year old kid walking in the house without even screaming and taking everything so natural.

Why does not the family move away ? This is another question the scenario-maker needs to answer. Yes the "haunting" is about the family not the place, but at least the family needs to try communicating to the soul and solve the problem, instead of hiring a crew to put cameras and take pictures of the house. A lack of rational scenario.