Paranormal Investigation (1/5) – Netflix Movie Review

Paranormal Investigation is on Netflix now. But I can’t exactly recommend this new French horror movie on Netflix. It sounds like a reality show, but it’s made mockumentary-style. Read our review to learn why it really isn’t worth your time! 

Paranormal Investigation is a new French horror movie on Netflix. However, if you try to look it up on IMDb, you probably won’t find it. As of writing this, it isn’t listed anywhere – not even under the director of the movie.

Maybe it’s a paranormal phenomenon that the movie has seized to exist.

In that case, this would be the most interesting thing about Paranormal Investigation. The title alone is pretty lack-luster but okay, you can’t judge a book by its cover. However, the content behind the title isn’t much better.

Just watch Ghost Hunters instead!

After having watched Paranormal Investigation on Netflix, we felt our time would have been better spent watching a reality show like Ghost Hunters. The “paranormal investigators” of these shows feel at least as valid. And also, they allow the audience to have some fun with the viewing experience.

With Paranormal Investigation the biggest problem is the fact that everything is so serious. You feel like pulling a Joker (Heath Ledger-style, of course) in order to break the somber mood.

You have to lean into whatever you’re working with, and this “very serious documentary” style just does not work. This very intense Paranormal Investigator (because he insists on being an “investigator”) is just wrong.

Enough with the Ouija board already!

Yes, everything bad begins once someone whips out an Ouija board. A group of friends tries speaking with the dead through the Ouija board. Things go wrong real fast when Dylan asks the spirit how it died.

Like, oh my gawd, Dylan, you can’t just go asking spirits how they died!

Yeah, poor Dylan has some sort of seizure immediately and becomes pretty catatonic after that. Of course, his parents get a hold of Andrei (the paranormal investigator) and off we go. 

Or actually, we have to go through some interviews with Dylan’s friends and cameras need to be set up throughout the house to figure out what’s going on. Yes, we will be going through the Paranormal Activity motions of watching various rooms where nothing happens.

Then again, my favorite part of this movie was probably watching Dylan’s mom at night. She’s scooting around in slippers and a robe when she hears Dylan roaming around. Oh yeah, and you’ll get an exorcism too, which doesn’t make anything better! 

Honestly, you could just watch the first and last 10 minutes of Paranormal Investigation and you’ll be good.

Cheers and Paranormal Investigation on Netflix!

Maybe I’m not being completely fair to this movie, which I watched during the morning. It cannot carry a sober and fresh mind in any way, shape, or form. 

However, I must admit I found the production quality to be surprisingly impressive. The problem is with the story and entertainment value in general. The director of it is Franck Phelizon and this movie apparently played at the Cannes Film Festival in 2018. This must be because it’s a French production!

It also makes it even stranger that Paranormal Investigation can’t be found on IMDb. Director Franck Phelizon is listed with two previous productions but still not this one.

Anyway, maybe you could have fun with this movie for a drinking game.

It even has a wild use of color which makes me think Phelizon might be somewhat of an Argento-fanboy. The normal greenish night-vision isn’t good enough for this movie. Instead, we get various colors and especially a pink-purple deal which is the opposite of scary to me!

Paranormal Investigation is out on Netflix from March 1, 2019.

Details

Director: Franck Phelizon
Stars: Andrei Indreies | Pierre Porquet | Jose Atuncar | Effie Rey | Claudine Bertin | Jean-Baptiste Heuet | Gabriella Jordan | Antoine Rodriguez | Catalin Morar

Plot

When a young man becomes possessed after playing a Ouija game, a ghost hunter investigates the evil spirit dwelling within him.