"The Apparition" Review | Movie Monday

"The Apparition" DVD cover

Four college students attempt to recreate the 1973 "Charles Experiment", where a group of people concentrated on a drawing of a man named Charles Reamer in an attempt to summon his spirit. Using modern technology to magnify the parapsychological study's effects, Patrick (Tom Felton) and his team delve into the dangerous world of the paranormal and they summon more than they bargained for. Now Ben (Sebastian Stan), one of the participants in the study, and his girlfriend Kelly (Ashley Greene) are being haunted by the very thing that was summoned that night.

The beginning of this movie is incredibly awkward - but if you get through the first 15 minutes, you'll probably get through the whole movie. The set-up for the couple's story is so cheesy and unnatural; I think it's a combination of bad writing and directing, which is a shame because I like both Sebastian Stan and Ashley Greene and I know they're better than they seem at the beginning of this film.

The good news is, no part of this film is worse than the first 15 minutes. Once creepy things start happening around the house, the film improves. There was a good build-up of suspense with the mysteriously open doors and nerve-wracking "break-ins" at night.

This movie is pretty creepy if you watch it at night like I did, so if you enjoy being scared, I recommend viewing it in the dark. This is by no means a fantastic horror/thriller movie, but it's entertaining and good for a one-time watch, especially if you're with friends who are easily frightened.