Missed Opportunities with Apartment 143: A Movie Review

*spoiler alert

Director: Carles Torrens.

Writer: Rodrigo Cortés.

Cast: Kai Lennox, Gia Mantegna and Michael O'Keefe

Apartment 143 (aka Emergo) is one of those films that almost stand out in the swarm of found footage style of films. Most of the problems are merely logistical. As a ghost story, it's almost as good as Poltergeist and Insidious put together, but made with a tighter budget!

This movie literally puts viewers in the "Twilight Zone" with no explanation at all. With this film, there is one annoying detail that never gets answered: why is Apartment 143 located near the top floor? Usually numbering systems begin from the first floor and rise as more layers are added.

When considering that this movie is made by Hispanic team of Carles Torrens, director, and Rodrigo Cortés, writer, they did not consider putting in some cultural nuances. There have been some incredible films with some kind of Spanish flavour added to them, and for this movie to not have such a candy coating is almost surprising. To have a terror from some local superstition or folklore is simply called missing the boat.

This product is more Western when it looks at a traditional haunted house story. Instead of a homestead, it’s focused in a suite. When occupant Alan White (Kai Lennox) discloses that the home plagued with a nasty spirit, the team of investigators do their best in getting answers.

Unless something has changed in this tower of terror, not even the neighbours have complained about the noises going on down or above the floor. Throughout this movie, this spirit shows that it is loud enough to wake the dead! The heaviest of sleepers should find problems staying asleep. When possessed, to be unconscious is understandable.

Story logistics aside, the tale of family dysfunction is interesting. What is good about the movie is that it does a far better job at accurately portraying what goes on during a real paranormal investigation, minus the use of a psychic. That usually means a few boring moments of locked off cameras cycling through the house but the editors with this film thankfully keeps those moments short.

Most of the equipment used is right on the money, even if an item or two is not considered standard issue in most ghost hunter's suitcases. That includes a bulky multipurpose ghost detector (that looks for electromagnetic activity and radiation) and a strobe device (that tries to catch a ghost off guard).

Dr. Helzer (Michael O'Keefe) and his team of aides are very brave in standing their ground and perhaps one of the best lines written is to hear the good doctor scream: “Keep filming!” when all hell breaks loose. That can make for some interesting evidence review when the police have to look at it.

Also, this paranormal researcher may well be a nod to Hans Holzer, a well-published researcher on the paranormal. He made his name with the Amityville case. When considering his candeur in trying to logically explain everything away, there are times where viewers are puzzled as to why he prefers the logical explanation over the truly paranormal.

There is no doubt some kind of battle going on between White and his daughter Caitlin (Gia Mantegna). To guess at where that leads is too easy, and for some viewers, they just want to see the ghostly activity pick up and see how it will all ultimately end.

That’s when this film lets audiences down. Despite all that has been witnessed, said and done, Helzer defaults back to his academic theories and conclude that most of what his crew witnessed is a result of a psychokinetic tantrum by White’s daughter. Had he have given his associates a Rod Serling style of remark, then there would be more of a product.

Overall: 6 out of 10.

*Emergo is available as video on demand (on iTunes USA) and is playing in select theatres.

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Posted in: 2012,2012 release,ghost story,ghost story movie review,haunted,haunting,movie review,paranormal,paranormal investigation,video on demand