Director – Todd Norris (Call Me Snake, Nighty Night)
Starring – Josh Anderson, Dave Byerley, and Davide Baldin
Release Date – 1999
Rating – 3/5
Blu Release – 4/5
The 90s was the decade that I gound my love of horror. It started with my grandma letting me watch Tom Savini’s remake of Night of the Living Dead and then showing me the original immediately after. It wasn’t long after this that my love for reading, at the time, sent me down the path of horror with R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps and Fear Street along with several collections of Appalachian ghost stories and Stephen King from my local library.
Horror also took hold with my T.V. as well with Goosebumps, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Tales from the Crypt, and so much more. I know the 90s is easily one of the most hate decades in regards to horror but it’s a decade I cherish. I’m always open to check out horror from the 90s and when Visual Vengeance announced the release of 1998’s The Paranormal, I knew I had to see it. I once again want to thank MVD and Visual Vengeance for sending this one over!
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows a paranormal investigator who is sent back to his hometown to investigate a movie theater that was said to be the site of unexplained phenomenon. What he thinks would be a routine investigation but finds himself, along with some others there for the investigation, locked inside the theater when it hit midnight. Now they have to figure out what is going on and why everything paranormal happening in the theater is connected to an old zombie movie. **Spoiler Alert**
This is one of the many movies I had never heard of prior to Visual Vengeance releasing it. The press release for this one really peaked my interest and the artwork for the release sold me on it. The movie was just as good as I had hoped and this release from VV is now among my favorite releases in my collection.
The acting in this one is solid which is surprising considering how inexperienced the cast is. The cast works very well together and do a decent enough job at bringing their characters to life. Also, they do a great job at showcasing their wide range of emotions that fit the scene.
The story for this one is not what I was expecting at all. I knew it was going to be supernatural based story but I did not expect the movie subplot and how well it was going to play in the film. The character development is a little off and the pacing has issues in some of the scenes but the overall story works.
Finally, the film has some make-up effects but that is the extent of it. we don’t get any memorable deaths or fun effects. We get some classic movie magic and that is it. Overall, The Paranormal is the kind of movie that I really enjoy watching late at night. It’s not that well made but it’s fun for what it is. Check it out on blu from Visual Vengeance.
Special Features:
Region Free Blu-ray
New director-supervised transfer from original tape elements
Commentary with director Todd Norris
Commentary with director Todd Norris and Composer Paul Roberts
New Cast and Crew Interviews
The Two Todds: Todd Norris and Todd Sheets interview
The Paranormal Channel 5 TV Airing Bumpers
Blooper Reel
Deleted Scenes
Original Script Excerpts
Storyboard Gallery
Short Film: The Closet
Short Film: L…
Short Film: Night of the Growling
Short Film: Parallax
Visual Vengeance Trailer
Trailers
Optional English subtitles
Folded mini-poster with art by Giorgio Credaro
Reversible Sleeve Featuring Original VHS Art
‘Stick Your Own’ VHS Sticker Set
Limited Edition O-CARD featuring art by Uncle Frank – FIRST PRESSING ONLY AND WHILE SUPPLIES LAST
Limited Edition ‘Ghost Finder’ viewer – FIRST PRESSING ONLY AND WHILE SUPPLIES LAST
Limited Edition Promo flyer for ‘Z is For Zombie’ movie
Featuring original sleeve art by The Dude
