C. Surprisingly Spooky Until It’s Not

Found footage? So that means iffy performances, screeching characters, and shaky cams? But this series has a good rep, mostly deservedly so, and I was curious about the break in presentation from the previous films.

For a while I was actually getting creeped out (despite the obnoxious and shrill lead character.) Alas, there were too many stupid decisions from both the characters and the filmmakers.

Despite the poorly filmed and unevenly acted talking heads scenes, the movie was building up some eerie creepiness with the clowns. But the continuous idiocy of the characters deflated all the tension. When the brother first meets the clown he doesn’t run which is wicked stupid. Who runs into a scary ghost clown and apologizes while taking their time very slowly walking away? Also, before that, there’s one jump scare that was goofily straight-to-dvd stupid looking (the girl with exorcist scars on her face) that I lost faith in the movie; a loss of faith which was compounded by the fact that the characters didn’t immediately run for their lives after seeing—in real life—a ghost girl straight off the cover of a shitty DVD.

This movie also commits—in the flashbacks—one of the dumbest and easily fixable sins that too many found footage movies make: why are they filming? Saying ‘cinema verite’ isn’t enough. Just come up with some reason. This is such a nitpick, but whatever: I can be petty.

Also, I wasn’t paying attention enough towards the end but the flashbacks were very grainy. In 1988, with a handheld camcorder? Why not just use the VHS effect instead?

Lastly the dynamics between the three characters wasn’t fun or interesting or believable. Rebecca seemed very sensible and Margot seemed tragically stupid and annoying, for one. They were poles apart but not in an opposites attract way. I don’t know if I blame the writer, the director, or the actors. The brother seemed pretty unnecessary. I liked him but he just seemed like a plot device. And when he drops a bomb on his sister’s lap she basically doesn’t even acknowledge it. Like... huh?? You saw a ghost from this hotel where??? When??? But Margot the Ghost Hunter doesn’t care about stuff like that.

Overall, worth watching for some creepy clowns but it all eventually goes to shit. The annoying lead character even trips and falls when she’s chased by the bad guy! Lol. I mean, we all knew she was gonna die by the end of the film (another mistake by the writer) but it’s a little satisfying. Bitch, you wanted ghosts—here ya go!