Movie Review: The Realm aka The Ouija Experiment (2011)
I learned a long time ago that in no way should you ever judge how
good a film may or may not be by the content of its cover. This is no
exception. On first glance, a very professional looking cover with a
picture that is vague enough to have you instantly intrigued. It even
included a cardboard sleeve slip case for extra professionalism.
Whichever way you look at it, I was impressed by the presentation.
But, what about the important thing, the film itself???
We follow Brandon, You Tube “Star” with a whole 20 views and his
friend Shay who is taking Brandon to her, stay with me on this, “hot
boy friends” best friend, Michael's house! Still with me? Good!
Upon arrival the pair are met by Lynette who is said “hot
boyfriends” sister. “Hot boyfriend” will henceforth be known as
Calvin and as we are introduced to Michael, the whole group is now
ready to begin.
Once the pleasantries are dealt with, Michael informs the group that
they are all in fact there to enjoy a leisurely game of Ouija Board!
As you do... The group begin their game and we are treated to the
stereotypical spectrum of reactions. From “Its real” all the way
down to jovial scepticism, the whole thing feels a bit silly at
first. What ensues turns this innocent game into a dangerous game of
cat and mouse!
So, when we drill it down, The Realm had the feel of a low budget You
Tube film. The script was so-so and the delivery was believable
enough to hold it all together. Fortunately for the viewer we are
treated to a few frights, seldom seen low budget or Random Horror
Films.
Nothing in this world is scarier to the average red blooded man than
the female of the species and even more so when that female is 5
years old and... oh yeah, dead! The Little Girl Ghost has always been
a creepy prospect for me, ghost stories as a kid and of course the
twins from the eerie hallways of the Overlook Hotel!
The Realm features some very satisfying scenes. Anyone who has seen
the You Tube video of the girl ghost crying in a hallway will
appreciate some of the scenes in this film. I am not deluded enough
to believe that the videos people post of “Real Ghost Captured on
camera” are real but I enjoy watching them purely for how inventive
and well made some of them are. There's a definite artistry involved!
The Realm doesn't quite deliver on its early promise but it did have
a few scenes that was enough to make me enjoy watching, even if it
did take a few detours along its way towards a slight twist ending.
The only reaction that could be generated with the telegraphed
“twist” however was “I saw that coming!”
So, for the guts of it, The Realm feels low budget and I suppose it
should, according to IMdB, the budget for this film was $1,200! With
that knowledge, I am more than impressed with what the film makers
managed to achieve. Its definitely worth a watch but don't expect too
much!
Year Released: 2011
My Rating: 5.5
