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Paranormal Attraction Review
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Brooklyn Haley– Sara Meyers
Nicole Cinaglia– Evelyn Bennett
Eden Shea Beck– Kelly
Hunter Johnson– Nick
Jennifer Nangle– Melanie
Ashley Vetere– Natalie
Robert Downs– James
Darell M. Davie– Jeff
Directed by Alexander T. Hwang
Screenplay by Richard J. Aguirre, based on a story by Alexander T. Hwang
Produced by TiberiusFilm Limited
Not Rated
Runtime– 89 minutes
Paranormal Attraction Official Facebook Page
Paranormal Attraction, directed by Alexander T. Hwang, stars Brooklyn Haley as Sara Meyers, a somewhat down on her luck young entrepreneur hired to clean out an abandoned home as part of an estate sale. This house cleaning is the first contract for her new business (which is cleaning out houses for estate sales and whatnot), and Sara hopes that the job, which will take a few weeks (she has until the end of August to finish it), will be the start of something big for her. As part of the contract, Sara will stay in the house until it’s cleaned out, which means she will be able to use the heated pool in the backyard whenever she wants (Melanie, the real estate agent handling the house’s sale played by Jennifer Nangle, can’t stop mentioning that the pool is heated). Starting a new business and getting to relax every so often? This situation could be amazing for Sara.
Could be. It won’t be, though. Sara is worried that her abusive ex-boyfriend Jeff (Darell M. Davie) may try to track her down and abuse her again, and there’s also something wrong with the house. Something seriously wrong with the house. During the day, odd things happen, like rooms that she just cleaned become messy again, even though no one else is in the house. Sara also experiences weird dreams at night, dreams she can’t explain. Plus, there’s this goddamn creepy photo that Sara found under the bed, presumably a photo of someone who lived in the house. But when? And who is the woman in the photo? Sara’s best friend in the whole world, Kelly (Eden Shea Beck) pops in every so often with her boyfriend Nick (Hunter Johnson) and attempts to help her out by cleaning, hanging out, and offering up possible supernatural explanations for her dreams and the weird happenings. Sara also befriends a female cop, Evelyn Bennett (Nicole Cinaglia), who thinks there’s likely a real world explanation for the weird things Sara is experiencing. Bennett gives Sara her card and tells her to call her if anything weird happens again. Bennett also wouldn’t mind seeing Sara socially.
So what the heck is going on in this house? Is it really something supernatural? Does any of this stuff have anything to do with that photo Sara found? The photo is of a woman named Natalie (Ashley Vetere), who was murdered by a nut job named James (Robert Downs) years ago. Why didn’t Melanie tell Sara about the house’s history? And where have all of the other people that have lived in the house gone to? Why did they all just disappear?
Thankfully, Paranormal Attraction explains, in detail, what’s really going on. I won’t say what the ultimate explanation is, but it makes sense and, while not wholly original, is satisfying. The movie features a nice build to that explanation, and is chock full of jump scares that actually make you jump and some truly disturbing imagery. The movie might play a little better if it somehow moved a tad faster, but I can appreciate the sort of slow burn that director Hwang employs. The dread is palpable, and with this kind of movie that’s what you want. Dread. Because what the heck is going to happen next?
Paranormal Attraction also spends time allowing the audience to get to know Sara, to experience her ambition with her new company, and her sense of trying to hold back personal defeat. Will Jeff come back and ruin her life again? Will this new business venture fail before it gets a chance to start? And those weird dreams and whatnot, are they something that’s happening to her from the outside or is she creating them in her head? When Sara agrees to go on a date Bennett it’s a momentous occasion because, if it works, we’ll get to see Sara experience happiness. You get the sense early on that Sara hasn’t experienced much happiness in her recent life. And Sara and Bennett make such a cute couple you want them to succeed. So when the weird stuff gets weirder and weirder and the supernatural threat grows, you root for the heroes more and more.
As I said earlier, I don’t want to say what, exactly, is happening, but I do want to say that the ending is devastating and a real deal surprise. Looking back on it I probably should have been able to piece together what was likely to happen, but the movie had me fooled. Just be aware that the movie isn’t going to end the way you think it’s going to end.
The cast is phenomenal. Brooklyn Haley is terrific as Sara Meyers. At first, she seems like a well-adjusted, enthusiastic businessperson, but as the movie progresses you see just how scared and damaged she really is. Sara is barely holding on. Haley has amazing chemistry with both Eden Shea Beck and Nicole Cinaglia and their relationships are real. Haley also sells all of the weird things Sara goes through, things that couldn’t possibly be real and yet they are real. I am curious, though, how Sara came to the idea of starting up a house cleaning business. And why did she go into business by herself? Cleaning up houses, especially estate cleanings, seems like a two person job. What made her go “Yes, this is what I want to do with my life!”? Was it the potential solitude? She seems content with being alone.
Nicole Cinaglia does a great job as Evelyn Bennett, the cop that has a thing for Sara. Bennett is a rookie cop, but she seems awfully seasoned, despite all of the things she says. And her chemistry with Brooklyn Haley is so spot on and infectious, I wouldn’t have minded seeing a movie that was just about their growing relationship. And while I think they’re disgusting, Bennett’s interest in grilled cheese sandwiches is just adorable. She’s as devoted to them as much as she’s devoted to being a cop. Why didn’t she open up her own grilled cheese sandwich business?
Eden Shea Beck is hilarious as Kelly, Sara’s best friend in the whole world. Kelly really seems to love life, not to mention her boyfriend Nick (Hunter Johnson also does a great job), and their relationship is one more outrageous joke away from being in an American Pie sequel. And Kelly’s interest in the supernatural and the occult, at first seems out of place, but as the movie progresses you start to believe that she really believes in all of this stuff. Kelly’s enthusiasm is infectious, and Beck is just a joy to watch. You will love her.
Robert Downs is quite disturbing as James, the murdering psycho we see via dreams and flashbacks. Holy shit this guy will creep you out. You really feel for Ashley Vetere’s Natalie, as you know she’s going to be his victim. You don’t want that to happen but it does.
The most disturbing character in the movie? Darrell M. Davie’s Jeff. You know he’s a bad guy, but actually seeing him in action, in all of his badness, is eye opening. The man is absolutely appalling. It’s great how Davie goes for being reprehensible. So few actors seem to want to go really go for it as a bad guy.
Paranormal Attraction is a well-made, thoroughly engrossing low budget horror flick. It features a great story, a terrific build, a superb cast, and a real sense of dread. It’s exactly what you want in this kind of horror movie. When Paranormal Attraction is released upon the world, be sure to track it down and check it out. If you’re a fan of well-made horror flicks, Paranormal Attraction is something you’re going to want to see.
See Paranormal Attraction. See it, see it, see it.
So what do we have here?
Dead bodies: 5
Explosions: None.
Nudity?: Briefly.
Doobage: A dead woman’s eyes, a guy flipping out in the bathroom for some reason, drone footage of a neighborhood somewhere, a white pickup truck, a brief house tour, crushed beer cans, laptop hooey, personal video production, a backyard jump scare, house cleaning, a missing camera, a spooky moment involving garbage, a police visit, a weird voice, a dream, off screen cunnilingus, a door that opens and closes by itself, exploding clothes, girl talk, sliding glass door hooey, off screen grilled cheese sandwich eating, skinny dipping, more dreams, donut eating, bruised wrists, more mysterious garbage, bath by candlelight, attempted drowning, a weird hand, an of screen first date, and awkward but still beautiful kiss, a flashback, gut stabbing, heart stabbing, a sage ceremony, barbecue hooey, beer drinking, a goofy lap dance, an unexpected takeover, head bashing, choke out, more attempted drowning, of screen sexual encounter, an underwear ceremony, underwear smelling, a dream attack, underwear destruction, neck snap, a shooting, a surprise, and the prospect of a sequel.
Kim Richards?: None.
Gratuitous:A house, talk of a heated pool, people spraying Lysol into the air and then smelling it, unexplained garbage, talk of how great “the spin cycle” is, off screen cunnilingus, girl talk, “Stay Weird” and “Weed” T-shirts, potential unexpected chemistry, bikinis, a phone alarm, talk of grilled cheese sandwiches, driving with the inside car light on, an old newspaper that doesn’t look like an old newspaper, a sage ceremony, people fucking around at the heated pool montage, “Truth or Dare,” a dreamcatcher, a pentagram written in chalk on the floor, the sexiest underwear, a messed up possession, a surprise, and a the prospect of a sequel.
Best lines: “Why won’t she like me? Drop the knife!,” “So, this is the house,” “They were only here for a year?,” “Have I mentioned that the pool is heated?,” “Jesus Christ! Did I ruin the shot?,” “You brought Nick with you?,” “Sara, can I have this?,” “Wow! There are a lot of hotties out here! You’re in luck!,” “Hello! You’re not supposed to be here! Get lost or I’ll call the cops!,” “I could be dealing with a swan diving serial killer and they send a rookie to save the day?,” “You swear you didn’t stop by?,” “Ooh, a lady cop! How progressive!,” “I am not sticking a crystal in me!,” “Are you seriously on the phone with me while he’s going down on you? I have needs, okay,” “Jeff, if that’s you I swear I’ll call the cops!,” “I don’t think I’ve ever had a grilled cheese that good,” “I had a vision in the bedroom. Kelly, no offense, but the last time you had one of your visions I wound up with a broken arm and chained to a radiator,” “What’s wrong? You look like you’ve just seen a ghost,” “Wow! You are stunning!,” “I like you. I really do,” “You know, for a rookie you sure seem to know a lot,” “Sara, would you like to do this again? Absolutely,” “No! I’m not the villain! I’m a nice guy!,” “I think it’s safe to say Melanie lied to you,” “This is a lot of smoke. Should we open a window or something?,” “Nothing worse than a burned weenie,” “Officer Bennett! Goddamn!,” “Bitch, I know I’m a psychic!,” “James! Stop! Please! James!,” “Murder? A fucking demon?,” “How is a safe house going to stop a sex demon from finding her?,” “There’s no such thing as overkill when it comes to demons,” “Now go change into your sexiest underwear,” “Bingo!,” “How you doing? I never shot anyone before,” “I think it goes without saying that I’m moving back in with you,” and “I’ll always love you.”
