Emergo (2011) Reviews

• Sufficiently scary!

  xtayler_raex2012-09-13

  This movie, though very predictable, definitely had its moments of terror. The build-up before the moments that made you jump were great, and although I was fully anticipating what was to come I still jumped several times. The plot was decent and I appreciated how the characters were written. The acting was surprisingly good for a low-budget film, I was definitely impressed by that. The apex of the film was very intense and dramatic, if slightly cheesy. The only thing that really bothered me was the very, very cliché ending. I felt as though I've seen that very ending 10 other times in various other movies, it has been so over-done that it will ruin an entire movie for me. But other than the very end, I was pleasantly surprised by this movie and would definitely recommend it!

• A lot of fun while you're watching it but it doesn't stay with you at all.

  Hellmant2012-09-13

  'APARTMENT 143': Three Stars (Out of Five) Another 'Found Footage' haunting movie. This one focuses on a family that recently lost their wife/mother who's haunted by the unknown, at their apartment and the house they lived at prior, and the team of parapsychologists tasked to investigate. It was written by Rodrigo Cortes (who also directed the claustrophobic thriller 'BURIED') and directed by rookie feature film director Carles Torrens. It's a Spanish film originally titled 'Emergo' but it's spoken all in English with American actors (including Michael O'Keefe of 'CADDYSHACK' fame). There's definitely nothing new or original to the story but the scares are effective and well done. The story revolves around Alan White (Kai Lennox) and his daughter Caitlin (Gia Mantegna) and son Benny (Damian Roman) who recently moved in to apartment #143 of an apartment building after experiencing strange things at their old home. The unusual disturbances continue to haunt them at their new home and Alan asks a team of three parapsychologists, lead by Dr. Helzer (O'Keefe), to investigate what's going on. We soon learn that Alan lost his wife in a car accident and his daughter blames him for it. Helzer and his team constantly witness the drama between the two as well as weird occurrences they were told about. They're able to catch it all on video (of course) as the investigation becomes more and more bizarre. Like I said there's absolutely nothing unique about this film but it is entertaining if you like spooky films full of shocks. The only problem is you'll soon forget everything as there's nothing memorable to the film. That's the thing about movies like this; they're a lot of fun while you're watching them but don't stay with you at all (I'm sure a year from now I'll barely remember this film). Still it's better made and more effective than something like 'PARANORMAL ACTIVITY'. Scary movie fans looking for a few scares could do a lot worse. Watch our movie review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UY2UtXfI_w

• Just watched it; I'm not a professional critic but I'll give you my honest opinion.

  jrdnyc2012-04-29

  It kept me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. I watched it with a friend who is much more sensitive and he was terrified; said he'll "never watch a scary movie again." I watch a lot of horror movies and this one is a must see. It is a short film but worth every minute. It's like if you took out all of the scary moments from paranormal activity 1,2&3 and just made a movie out of that footage, but this movie is still much better. In it's 80 minutes you will find the perfect blend of action, suspense, supernatural occurrences and scary images. It didn't scare me as much as the ring did but that is one of my all time favorites. The story line is original and I don't think you will be disappointed.

• Actually a really good movie!

  monkhelz2012-04-29

  I watched this movie with my hubby while nursing a hangover. I had never heard of it so was watching with a little skepticism. I'm really glad I gave it a go. The movie starts with a widower and his two kids calling in paranormal researchers to investigate some creepy goings on at their apartment. The young boy states it is his Mum who is "neither alive nor dead". The teenage daughter has serious issues with her father and abuse is hinted at several times in the movie, thought in all honesty I think it is more of a "did he/didn't he" subplot and not a major twist. The scares kick in almost instantly and they come thick and fast. I recognized two cast members but really liked all of them, good actors with a likability factor. The lead investigator has it pinned down as poltergeist activity spawning from the daughter who blames her father for her mothers death. We later learn the mother was not a nice person and her husband was badly treated by her. The events get more threatening and the daughter is inferred to have schizophrenia (as did her mother before she died) and the lead investigator concludes the case is closed. The end has the only "cheesy" scene which in my opinion could have been done in a better way that lets us know if the investigator was right. That is my only real criticism. Actually, one more little criticism, there is a machine used by the investigators that is pixilated and it is never explained why, but all in all a good film that will make you jump. Good effort!

• Good Found Footage

  daniel-rand-253-6343262012-07-30

  I watched this movie without great expectations, and i ended up liking it a lot. It's definitely more of the same things horror fans are used to, but that doesn't mean it's not good. The movie is not great or fantastic, but it is very nice, a good addition to the most prolific sub-genre in horror last years, the "found footage" genre, all of them sons of "Paranormal Activity" and grandsons of "The Blair Witch Project". The movie follows the story of a "scientist" and his crew who investigate cases of paranormal activity with the best equipment science can get. The entity on this movie is pretty busy, since the team enters the house they start to experience paranormal craziness for all over the house. So, as they install all the equipment, the supernatural being(or non-supernatural thing, as the scientist explains), does all kind of things. The whole movie is recorded by the cameras in the house and other cameras they carry all time with them, and they had a really good job with that, it almost fooled me, almost... As the time passes and the ghost starts to get more and more bold, the lead scientist starts to figure out what's happening in the house, based on the family story. He explains the situation as a case of poltergeist, a manifestation of the human mind, that goes out of control and start to be violent, in that case, the daughter's mind was the responsible. After some easy scares and cool effects, the movie take his path to a dramatic ending. In an interview, the Father gives up the whole story about the death of his wife, mother of his kids. That was the best part of the movie, and Kai Lennox (the father, Alan White), really did a great job on his acting. But, as a good horror, the dramatic part was followed by a nice display of SFX, very "Poltergeist" stuff, with lots of people flying across the room, and bodies lifting in the air. As i wrote in the beginning, the movie is not original, great or revolutionary for the sub-genre, but it's for sure a movie worth watching, at least if you are a horror fan, like me. I can forget to say, "Emergo" isn't a mainstream movie, so they deserve my respect for the good work.