Urban Legend (1998)

Based on a University campus, Urban Legend explores the horror of a mass murderer who exploits urban legends to perpetrate gruesome acts.  One girl decides to investigate further and becomes the centre of unwanted attention.

Urban Legend is one of those horrors that are really quite stupid.  For three quarters, it works well as a mystery horror.  One is speculating at "who can it be" and expecting the worst for likable characters.   But it ends in laughs as characters appear from nowhere for no reason or a character apparently dies, raises for one more attempt at murder and "dies"again.

Its that kind of cliched rubbish that relegates Urban Legend to the bottom of the barrel.   One may wonder why the director attempted such paradoxical, last gasp twists when the plot had run its course and resolutions met.  It probably indicates a weak plot needing filling.

Cheap buy only.

IMDB info on Urban legend
Trailer via Youtube

Paranormal Activity (2007)

When a couple moves into a new home, they decide to monitor strange events with a camera.   Horror ensues when some sort of meta-physical being begins to manifest itself more and more.


In the documentary self shot style, Paranormal Activity shows everything from the coupes camera's perspective.   For most part, this happens to be a masterful device in story telling.   Slight shadows and movements in the night shown whole the couple sleep.  But what is its strength, is also the weakness.   The story can only be developed so far from this perspective and thus the movie ends with many holes.

Apart from a stale beginning and empty end, Paranormal is a good jump about kind of horror.

IMDB info on Paranormal Activity Trailer via Youtube