‘Death is not the end’
Apparition is a 2019 American paranormal horror film about a phone app that connects the living with the dead.
Directed by Waymon Boone from a screenplay co-written with Mark S. Allen and Rob Rose, based on a storyline by Wayman Boone and co-producer Howard Burd. The Make The Movie production stars Mena Suvari (What Lies Below; Don’t Blink; Day of the Dead 2008; The Rage: Carrie 2), Kevin Pollak (Vamped Out series), Jon Abrahams and Grayson Russell.
Plot:
Guided by a phone app that connects living with the dead, a group of young people find themselves at a former correctional facility nicknamed Preston Castle; it is a place with a horrific history tied to each of them, for reasons they’ll soon discover…
Reviews:
“Apparition proposes a very interesting premise, the same it ends up wasting in virtue of bringing a generic story, those that we have thousands in horror cinema. The audiovisual compartment is well-done, but it doesn’t stand out thanks to the uninteresting story, weak acting, and for letting out of screen every violent scene.” 10th Circle
“Dark, twisted and relevant, Apparition has all the trademark tropes of a great horror movie, cast aside the ropey supporting cast, and Mena and Kevin carry this film with ease. Low budget doesn’t mean low quality. This is a very impressive and suspenseful little horror flick!” Back to the Movies
“Without much in the way of enjoyable elements and even that gets corrupted by the overwhelming flaws featured here, this one just becomes all the weaker as the flaws really become detrimental. There’s very little reason to look at this one unless you’re curious about the connection to actual events…” Don’s World of Horror and Exploitation
“Apparition is run-of-the-mill, horror-by-numbers, every-cliche-in-the-book straight-to-VoD filmmaking. It’s technically coherent and even looks pretty good, but does absolutely nothing memorable with its story, struggling to fill even 83 minutes worth movie.” Horror DNA
“Apparition goes from being bad in an absolutely appalling way, to being bad in a meat-headed, ham-fisted kind of way. Screenwriters Rob Rose, Boone, Mark S. Allen, and Howard Burd sound like they are going for intentional unintentional humor when they have their characters say things like, “what’s the worst that could happen.” J.B. Spins
” …a difficult story and half-written characters that are poorly performed.” OC Movie Reviews
” …it certainly seems there are budgetary restraints that may have influenced some of the choices made. The cast are solid, even if there’s relatively little nuance needed in the performances. There is a really wonderful musical cue towards the end that does lend the finale a level of gravitas so there is definitely a level of skill employed.” Scared Sheepless
“It’s watchable but that’s it. What is amazing is that four writers are credited on a script that has pretty much no fresh ideas or concepts. It’s all by the numbers, Horror 101 stuff. It’s well enough done that viewers won’t turn it off, but there’s nothing new here.” Voices from the Balcony
Release:
In the US, Vertical Entertainment released Apparition theatrically and on VOD on December 27th 2019.
Cast and characters:
Mena Suvari … Anna
Kevin Pollak … Warden White
Jon Abrahams … Officer Hale
Grayson Russell … Sam
Megan West … Taylor
Annalisa Cochrane … Skyler
Renny Grames … Mother
Matthew Barnes … Derek
Jason Woods … Nate
Christopher Michael Holley … Larry Payne
Anthony Snow … Wedding Reception Guest
Marie Finch … Wedding Party Guest (as Leah M Pears)
Manny Avina … Prison / Ghost Boy
Mikaela Gilden … Hotel Maid
Simon Lathrop … Jeremy
Trace Talbot … Prison Boy
John Demakas … Wedding Party Guest
Seth McCracken … Inmate
Albert Thakur … Truck Driver
Jake Jacobson … Officer King
Mateo Garcia … Ghost / Acid scarred kid
Mason Partak … Prison / Ghost Boy
Owen Jones … Inmate
Roberto Richard Iturriaga … Little Brother
Mateo Garcia … Ghost / Acid scarred kid
Technical details:
83 minutes
Working title:
Preston School of Industry
Film Facts:
In real life, the Preston School of Industry, also known as Preston Castle, was one of the oldest and best-known reform schools in the United States. It is located in Ione, California, in Amador County. The abandoned building has since been named a California Historical Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Related:
You Die: Get the App, Then Die
Trailer:
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