Hey gang, Valkor here. Later this week I'll have a list of cinema treats worthy of dishing out some serious scares this Halloween. Unfortunately my latest offerings, which I had hoped to have added to that collection, have pretty much been less than stellar - way less. Take this next film for example, Episode 50 DVD, another "found footage" style film. I thought I was watching "Grave Encounters" only under an alternate title. And while the two films have their differences, they both have one thing in common – they both suck.
Episode 50 is a found footage film that pits two opposing teams against a maybe/maybe not haunted asylum. The first team is part of a reality TV series called "The Paranormal Inspectors", who're all about debunking paranormal occurrences. And on the other side you have the Academia Spirit Searcher's Club (ASSC), who believe ghost do exist and are lead by the power of Christ. Both teams are sent to the West Virginia Insane Asylum where a series of strange murders have occurred. They're given a weekend either finding proof or disproving the place is haunted. For the Inspectors, investigating and debunking the asylum would be a part of their 50th episode and one show that would put them on the map.
From the jump, the two teams don't get along but they set aside their difference to begin their investigation, setting up equipment and doing all sorts of tests. However on both sides, evidence of ghostly activity begins to present itself, growing stronger and more physical as the film progresses, including actual appearances of ghostly apparitions. As it turns out, a powerful demon resides within the asylum that's responsible for the past murders and whatever is happening to both teams; the demon is about to open a portal to hell unless the two teams can come together and stop it. Do they or don't they? That is the question, because the film ends rather abruptly, you're not entirely sure. And I'd think by that point, why would you even care?
Watching Episode 50, I wasn't exactly sure what I was watching. Jumping the gun, the acting is so bad that I wasn't sure if it was bad on purpose, kind of spoofing "Grave Encounters" or was it really that bad?
The Good:
I'll be honest, I liked the premise of Episode 50, which pits two opposing teams to discover if an asylum was haunted or not. I mean in better hands, I think we could have gotten a pretty decent film. But as it turns out...
The Bad:
First and foremost is the terrible acting that I mentioned above. Even after the film was long over and after viewing it twice, I still wasn't sure if what I saw was supposed to be legit bad acting or the acting was just that bad. And it is so obviously bad that it's not even laughable like in ThanksKilling. There are no, absolutely no scares in this film, though you get some gruesome moments, ultimately there's nothing here that will have chills running down your spine. And what made me groan the most is when it's revealed that one of the Inspectors, Jack (Josh Folan), actually had a demonic encounter as a child that was responsible for the death of his sister. And since then he's spent his life debunking the supernatural. This happens towards the end of the film when he's confronting the super demon near the portal to hell. Yea, sure just toss that bit of info at the tail end of the film, rather than… hmmm… anywhere towards the middle where it might have mattered. Also, this isn't technically a "found footage" film, while appearances will say otherwise. I say this because whomever is doing the filming, obviously must have gotten away to show the world what happened. And what kind of super demon is this that would let anyone get away when it's on such a hot killing streak? It's just... odd.
The Ugly:
You're/my twisted face of anger after watching this putrid pile of trash.
Was I being too harsh on Episode 50 with my review? I think I could have done worse. But in the end, the film is pretty bad and definitely ranks as one of the worse films I've had to sit through. Thankfully the length wasn't as bad as Hollow. But in the end, out of TOV 5 stars, I'm giving Episode 50 DVD a big fat 0.
