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.

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.

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.

That was just downright awful.

First of all, this is a 'found footage' genre movie, and already there the movie is on a steep downhill. This whole genre is just so worn out and bad that it is literally painful to witness. Strap a camera to a rodent and let it run free and you will have better camera-work compared to many movies in this genre.

Secondly, "Reel Evil" was all stereotypical stuff that has been seen in so many proper horror movies prior to this one, and even in other equally bad 'found footage' movies. As such, it was just a farce to witness and the movie seemed sort of a spoof on itself.

The story is about a group of three friends (yeah, always three) who venture into a rundown and supposedly long abandoned hospital in order to shoot a documentary. Strange and unexplainable things start to happen around them and escalate into something life-threatening. And the documentary-makers quickly learn that they are not alone in this sinister hospital where something dreadful and foul once took place.

Alright, stop it right there. This storyline is so worn down and used so many times that it is a death sentence to a movie to be using that straight from the 'how to make a horror found footage movie' manual. But yet director Danny Draven had to take that formula and milk it for anything left to milk.

The whole movie was a nuisance to bear witness to. There were absolutely no shock effects or scary moments throughout the entire length the movie was running for. The story was cliché and stereotypical, not to mention so predictable that you could watch the movie with your eyes closed and still know what would be happening.

The only thing the movie had working for it, and the only reason for me rating this a 2 out of 10 rating and not a 1 out of 10, is solely because of the ghosts or apparitions in the movie. Well, they weren't scary, not by a long shot, but at least an effort was put into making them appear scary. And for some odd reason these ghosts always had to approach any camera in the vicinity and then show some kind of strange - supposedly scary - face once they were right in front of the camera.

And what went through the directors head when he opted to put in that cartoonish scene where a guy was running through doorways along a long corridor? He would go into one doorway on one side of the corridor, but would come out of a whole different doorway and not necessarily on the same side of the corridor. That was just so stupid it was laughable. It is something you see in old cartoons and sit-coms from the late seventies or mid-eighties. It was so bad.

As for the acting in this 'found footage' movie, well, they were doing good enough jobs, however they were struggling a losing battle against a script that was poorly written and executed, a storyline that had been bled dry by other movies, and also the fact that this was a 'found footage' movie.

But at least a thumbs up for the people involved in this project for making it see the light of day. I just regret letting it see the light of day through my DVD player.

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