The Paranormal Diaries: Clophill (2013)

best movie i've ever seen.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Combining elements of Most Haunted, Blair Witch Project and The Wicker Man in a documentary melting pot may not sound like the most entertaining concept for a horror film, but then Clophill is not your average horror film. This latest feature from Off World Films and Bleeding Edge Films is a refreshingly understated and enjoyable take on a sub genre that has been recently defined by decidedly third rate fare.Set in the actual village of Clophill in the UK, a place that has an actual history of haunting and occult activity, and shot in a documentary style the film follows a group of film makers that has set out to investigate the ruin of St Mary's Church. The now derelict building was once the site of satanic rituals and animal sacrifices, and a history of strange sightings and other paranormal activity has persisted to this day. Surrounded by a frightened and superstitious local population the team sets up for a three day investigation, unaware of what lurks at the old graveyard or what danger they may be in.While undoubtedly marketed as another found footage affair, PD:C is very much a mockumentary; the first third of the film is made up almost entirely of interviews and voice over work. This adds credibility while allowing the filmmakers to let the situation dictate their exposition, without the over reliance on otherwise banal dialogue. This approach also allow the viewers to build a rapport with the characters and the situation, which helps to buy into the more traditional found footage horror elements of the film's final act. It's also worth nothing that the crew have confirmed that around 90% of the on screen action was based on actual experiences of the team while filming.For people expecting a traditional, jumpy horror they are likely to be disappointed; PD:C is much more interested in building tension and atmosphere than throwing out cheap scares for ninety minutes. The film has more in common with the BBC's paranormal mockumentary Ghostwatch than Paranormal Activity, as the on screen action is presented in such a way as to be completely genuine. The scary moments, when they do come, are subtle and designed to make the hairs stand up on the back of your neck rather than force your bum from your chair. And while the inclusion of the post investigation interviews does add an element of predictability to proceedings it never affects the tension.The performances of the cast are perfect across the board, and it never feels like watching anything but a sincere documentary film unfolding. The editing and setting are both spot on, and the camera work is admirably steady and a world away from the usual motion sickness inducing pap we have grown used to. There is a very British, stiff upper lip feel to the film that will certainly appeal to UK and European audiences. The story is very well written and executed, although if one were to pick a fault it was that the ritual element of the films last third could have been left on the cutting room floor with no detriment to the overall experience.While PD:C may alienate a portion of the modern horror audience that has grown used to jump scares and gore the more discerning fan is likely to appreciate its attempts to do something different, shunning the predictability that this sort of film usually emits in great, stinking waves. One of the freshest and most enjoyable entries into the found footage genre we have seen in years, and one of the stand out horror films to come out of Britain in recent times.

First off, I love ghost hunting shows on TV and spooky, paranormal real-life stories. But, I couldn't bring myself to finish watching this movie. Maybe if it was presented as a real documentary, instead of a horror/mockumentary, it wouldn't have been so boring.Sorry, but I really thought Paranormal Diaries: Clophill was a parody of ghost hunters. The large group of people with the Ouija board were kind of irritating. When the main guy told the others to speak when they felt something, and maybe someone else would feel it too - it's called power of suggestion and group hysteria. With the ghost box, one person would say they heard something, then everyone else nods in agreement, when you really can't understand anything coming out of it. There was a preview of the Black Water Vampire movie on the disc, and I kept hoping that it would come out of the forest and eat the investigators.

This is not an horror flick, but a suspense, thriller movie. This is not a remake of Paranormal Activity, at all. This is not either inspired by The Blair Witch Project. This is definitely not a Hollywood movie but an interesting UK project.(((Beware: spoilers here)))If you can bear the 99% of the movie where you secretly laugh at the documentary-makers building up their fears and beliefs facing what you believe is a big hoax, the very short sequence at the end will be great surprise for you.I still don't believe what the protagonists say, that there could be demons, ghosts, or whatever supernatural involved. But in the end, there is something, that insane ritual involving humans. And a bad friendly man talking to a little girl looks very human too, though the main characters get convinced by the existence of paranormal facts they fail to explain.During the whole movie which mixes documentary footage, making-of of this documentary and some fiction, there is nothing to prove anything paranormal. It's like those UFO sightings videos showing a small dot on the screen with pseudo-expert comments, excited witnesses playing with their fears, third-party reported hallucinations, material things that are not evidence, etc.If you are skeptical like me, you will believe it's a hoax and wait for something unreal to happen towards the end. Another lame paranormal event, you just think, mocking the director for making this movie. But what you get to see is much more believable. You should just see it by yourself.

"The Paranormal Diaries: Clophill": even the name is a ripoff of other such movies, trying to get out there, by linking to better found footage films. This one is really, really bad, boring from beginning to end, nothing interesting, nothing original, nothing scary whatsoever, it's pretty much more of a documentary gone wrong made by The Asylum.As imagined, it rips off everything that you've seen before, mainly TBWP: Book of Shadows and The last exorcism: starts with some interviews, a group of people going to investigate a place made famous by some rumors, the discovers made there are similar to both previously mentioned movies and then finally, comes a pitiful ending that at least gives you the opportunity to close the player and go get yourself a nice deserving drink! You'll need it! I will never recommend such a movie manly because it's just so boring! Nothing new at all, nothing remotely scary, just some people expressing their opinion, throughout 82 extremely dull minutes! Stay away from this one. It doesn't even have a real story, it's just a presentation of something, basically, it's a film without a real plot.The Paranormal Diaries: Clophill aka Extreme Boredom: The movie.