The small town, dark secret, things start to happen kind of story is one that is known to many people that have been watching said stories for decades, but if done right they rarely get old. In this particular story that will be headed to Netflix later this month, Amanda Seyfried plays the part of a woman that moves to a small town with her family to an old home where secrets appear to abound and the town is bent on keeping whatever secrets they feel don’t need to be told. Small towns are funny that way since some of them will gladly tell their stories while others will keep them under lock and key as much as they can, either out of shame or some other reason that keeps them from revealing everything to those that aren’t a part of the area. The reality of this type of phenomenon is unfortunately too real, but the effects that Seyfried’s character, and her family, begin to experience are up for debate since the many feelings that a person can get in a home that they know little to nothing about can be undeniably eerie, especially when there actually is a secret within the town that no one wants to reveal fully.
While it might sound a bit silly, the truth is that people have experienced that strange feeling that they’re not alone in their home, that there’s something, or someone, watching them, even if there’s no one within miles of their home at the time and they’re alone. It’s creepy, it’s spooky, and it’s something that many people have come forth to talk about over the years since it’s one of the many things that people continue to believe and discuss when it comes to the paranormal. But as the movies show, and quite a few investigators believe, there is an explanation for such phenomena, and while science might not explain all of it, there are ways of explaining it that would make too much sense to ignore. Some believe that death is only another phase of a soul’s journey, that the energy, or spirit, that a person is infused with does move on after death, or stays behind if there are unresolved issues that the spirit feels the need to take care of before moving on. When taken in this manner, the explanation does make at least some sense, as there are many stories of paranormal activity throughout the world that simply can’t be discounted so easily. While many stories can be listened to and dismissed without proof, there are those that are experienced by more than one individual and those that have even been recorded, even if there are plenty of doubters that want nothing to do with the paranormal.
In terms of making a movie, drawing upon the beliefs and evidence that have been gathered for this purpose provide a great deal of data that can help such a movie become even better since creating something that is meant to scare the living daylights out of people is a bit tough in such jaded times. But trying to scare the audience with the bare minimum in effects is tough, and there are obviously going to be a few effects that already look breathtaking and more than capable of getting people to widen their eyes and drop their jaws a bit. The true cynics among the audience, if they watch, might sneer and wonder just how the special effects were created, while discounting the entire ghost story aspect of it, but that’s okay, it’s entertainment, and despite the creepy nature of it, one has to remember that Netflix is there to shock and entertain the audience and they’ve done plenty of that since becoming the biggest streaming network in the world. But already, this movie looks like something that will give the faint of heart a nightmare or two in the coming weeks, and this is one of the reasons that we’ll be tuning in, since nightmare fuel is something that helps with the imagination, so long as one doesn’t let the nightmare take over. But as far as the plot goes, it would appear that the ghosts are either trying to communicate what happened within the house or are sending dire warnings to the family, indicating that it might be a good idea to simply head out and save themselves.
Seriously, reading an old bible with the word ‘deceased’ scratched out and ‘damned’ added in is a good sign that something isn’t right with a home, but as is expected, the family will likely stay until the mystery is discovered, or until they join the souls that are already trapped and bound to make life miserable for those that come within their sphere of influence. It’s going to be interesting to find out.
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