Movie Review: The Quiet Ones

Horror movies have a certain cadence, a certain way about them that makes them predictable in a way that is unpredictable.  The last horror movie I saw had a twist to it that was unrelated to the scares, this movie did not, and while I did feel myself jump at regular intervals, I’ve already forgotten how scared I might have been.

The movie is a ‘found footage’ movie, which sets the tone and question what happened to everyone on the tape.  The story revolves around a professor who is convinced that there is no such thing as the paranormal, but individuals who are using their minds to manifest bad things.  The experiment involves a young woman who was orphaned again and again, who believes the professor can help her overcome this mental block.  The story is told from the point of view of the cameraman, who isn’t a believer, but isn’t a sceptic either.  The cameraman becomes intrigued by the idea and sees things that can’t be explained, delving further into the mystery.  Things go from bad to worse, as they often do in horror movies and as the beginning implies, no one survives as the tapes are found with one survivor who destroys those recording him.

The movie had a lot of merit, the idea a tried and true one.  There is some question how paranormal phenomena occur and why not make the hypothesis that it is caused by humans and nothing evil at all?  The idea is interesting, but the execution is rife with errors, but those are made by the characters, not the story.  There are a few twists and turns as you watch the movie, none really surprising, just, interesting.  I can’t say I was blown away by either the acting or the story, but for an hour and a half, I was pretty scared.