Film Filter: Off - Don't be Afraid of the Dark

Don't be Afraid of the Dark R (2010)

Katie Holmes, Guy Pearce, Bailee Madison

Film Filter: On When Sally is told by her mother that she will be living with her dad and his new girlfriend, she is less than pleased.  To top it all off, they are both busy re-modeling the house, and there are no children her age to play with.  Lonely, and feeling unloved, Sally turns to strange creatures that live in the basement to seek solace and friendship.  As her interactions with the creatures heightens, she realizes they are not looking for friendship, and that the hungry critters do not want to eat raisins.  With the help of her dad's girlfriend, Sally must find a way to get rid of the creatures for good, before they can get rid of her.
Things to note: Great scenery, well cast, several circumstances of illogical thinking, interesting antagonists, confusing ending, contradicting scenery to character interactions.

You'll like this movie if you enjoy:

Children-centered mythological scary stories, like 

Pan's Labyrinth, The Others, or The Orphanage

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Film Filter: Off - Paranormal Activity 2

Paranormal Activity 2 R (2010)

 Katie Featherston, Micah Sloat, Molly Ephraim

Film Filter: On- Prior to the haunting of Katie and Micah, Katie's sister's family first encounters a demon spirit in their home.  Uncertain as to what the unexplained bumps in the night can be attributed to, the family installs a series of security cameras around the house.  In the days following, the unexplained scenarios get much more frequent, and also heighten in intensity.  It seems that no one in the house share's Kristi's fear that the supernatural may be responsible for the chaos.  As Kristi starts to realize that her baby may be the focus of the spirit, it is her job to try to convince her family of the spirit's danger before someone gets hurt.
Things to note: This movie answers questions that arose in the second movie, the characters in both movies are related and appear in both films, events unfold similarly to those in the first film, events unfold a little too slowly without much of a climax, frustrating scenarios.

You'll like this movie if you enjoy:

Supernatural ghost stories like Paranormal Activity,

 Poltergeist, or the Blair Witch Project.

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Film Filter: Off - Sinister

Sinister R (2012)

Ethan Hawke, Juliet Rylance, James Ransone 

Film Filter: On- When Ellison,  a washed up true-crime writer, decides to pursue a missing girl in a suburban town, he immediately finds himself getting the cold shoulder from police officials.  To top it all off his family is not pleased about the move either, as they have found themselves uprooted time and time again for his writing ambitions.  The icing on the cake in this scenario is that instead of moving down the street from the house where the murders happened, unbeknownst to all but Ellison, they have moved into it.  The rest of the film takes shape as the family struggles to separate their fears and memories of past horrific events from reality, until the line between the two blurs and slowly dissipates.

Things to note: Good cast, interesting story line, good scare tactics, unique use of sound and music, desire of more information regarding characters.

You’ll like this movie if you enjoy
Supernatural horror films involving demons and children,
like Insidious, Paranormal Activity, or Poltergeist

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