Rottentomatoes.com gives The Apparition a dismal 4% (which, for those who don’t know.. is an earth-shattering failure). Here’s my take.
In the seventies, a experiment was conducted to try to scientifically prove the existence of the paranormal. More specifically.. can belief in the paranormal actually manifest an Apparition? This was actually a true case. This movie uses The Philip Experiment as the center of the story – if the experiment worked and summoned something from the other side.. what then? Once the door is open, can you close it again? A group of college students find out as their own experiment goes wrong..
Spoilers Ahead!
As I sat and watched this movie in the comfort of my own living room, I felt a general relief.. that I didn’t actually pay to see it (it was on HBO). Now, I have seen worse movies.. much worse. But, with an actor like Tom Feldon (Draco Malfoy: Harry Potter) appearing in the credits, I really did expect better.
The lack of subtlety killed this movie for me.
I look back on what I just watched and can’t help but think.. this is the director’s fault. I mean.. I can’t find a lot of fault in the acting, really. But, the execution of certain cinematography was lacking in subtlety. For example… don’t just put it out there. Just because something is happening, doesn’t mean it has to be right in front of the camera. Put it off to the side.. in the background, but just in view – so the audience can see if they’re paying attention. She buys a cactus. The cactus is on the counter. In the next moment.. the cactus is suddenly brown, wilted and dead. Why couldn’t have that been put just within view, out of focus, in the background.. gradually dying? The audience would go “oh look.. something is happening to the cactus!”. That would have been better.
The rest of the visuals, I have no complaint about.. but anything to do with the haunting itself, was thrust in your face – as if to say “Oh Look, the audience is too stupid to see this, so let’s make it the center of attention”.
Another point would be.. just get out of the house. “We can’t just abandoned our home!” Bullshit!, get the fuck out of the house! This plays into our defensive mode. This is MY house and dammit, these ghosts aren’t going to drive me away from it – even if they kill me – it’s the principle of the thing! I’ve seen this in a lot of movies, and it seldom ends well. And in this case, it’s NOT THEIR HOUSE! Get the fuck out of there!
SO, flawed, yes. Worst movie I’ve ever sat through.. not by a long shot. Run out and buy it? No. If you want to see it for yourself, I’d recommend Netflix.
