The Paranormal (1998) (Blu-ray Review)
DIRECTED BY: Todd Norris
STARRING: Josh Anderson, Davide Baldin, Dave Byerley
RATED: UR/Region: O/1:33/1080P/NUMBER OF DISCS 1
AVAILABLE FROM Visual Vengeance
If you’ve ever walked into a rundown theater and thought, “This place probably is haunted,” The Paranormal (1998) basically says, “Yeah—and also the movie might eat you.”
Directed by filmmaker Todd Norris, this shot-on-video oddity takes a concept that feels like it was pitched at 2 a.m. on zero sleep—what if the movie fights back?—and somehow turns it into a scrappy, entertaining little nightmare.
The setup is already gold: a cursed movie theater, an unseen force, and a paranormal investigator named Kyle Jennings who walks in like he’s about to solve a ghost problem… and instead gets thrown into a full-blown low-budget zombie apocalypse. The second the screen starts acting like a supernatural gateway, you know you’re not in for subtle horror—you’re here for chaos, and thankfully, the movie delivers.
Let’s address the obvious: this is shot-on-video, late-90s, ultra-indie horror. That means the acting can be a little… enthusiastic, the lighting sometimes feels like it’s powered by a single tired bulb, and the zombies look like they were assembled five minutes before “action” was called. But honestly? That’s part of the charm. This isn’t trying to be slick—it’s trying to be fun, weird, and memorable, and it nails all three.
The real hook here is the concept. The idea of a film within the film bleeding into reality is genuinely cool, and The Paranormal squeezes every ounce of creativity it can out of that premise. There’s something oddly magical about watching a bargain-bin zombie flick inside the movie become just as dangerous as anything outside it. It’s like a love letter to bad horror movies… that also wants to trap you inside one.
And while it never quite reaches the heights of its ambition (you can feel the budget limitations at every turn), there’s a DIY spirit here that’s hard not to respect. You can tell this was made by people who genuinely love horror—especially the grimy, after-hours, “found this on a dusty VHS shelf” kind.
At the end of the day, The Paranormal is the cinematic equivalent of sneaking into an abandoned theater and finding something way more entertaining than it has any right to be. It’s messy, it’s ridiculous, and yeah, it occasionally looks like it was edited on a potato—but it’s also creative, energetic, and weirdly endearing.
If you’re into shot-on-video horror, meta weirdness, or just want to see a movie where the screen itself becomes the villain, this is absolutely worth tracking down. Just maybe don’t watch it alone in an empty theater… you know, in case the movie starts watching back.
Extras
- Region Free Blu-ray
- New director-supervised transfer from original tape elements
- Commentary with director Todd Norris
- Commentary with director Todd Norris and Composer Paul Roberts
- New Cast and Crew Interviews
- The Two Todds: Todd Norris and Todd Sheets interview
- The Paranormal Channel 5 TV Airing Bumpers
- Blooper Reel
- Deleted Scenes
- Original Script Excerpts
- Storyboard Gallery
- Short Film: The Closet
- Short Film: L…
- Short Film: Night of the Growling
- Short Film: Parallax
- Visual Vengeance Trailer
- Trailers
- Optional English subtitles
- Folded mini-poster with art by Giorgio Credaro
- Reversible Sleeve Featuring Original VHS Art
- ‘Stick Your Own’ VHS Sticker Set
- Limited Edition O-CARD featuring art by Uncle Frank – FIRST PRESSING ONLY AND WHILE SUPPLIES LAST
- Limited Edition ‘Ghost Finder’ viewer – FIRST PRESSING ONLY AND WHILE SUPPLIES LAST
- Limited Edition Promo flyer for ‘Z is For Zombie’ movie
- Featuring original sleeve art by The Dude
