REVIEW: Apartment 143 (2011)

Director: Carles Torrens | Genre: Horror / Thriller / Found Footage  | Runtime: 80min.

After a car crash leaving a wife/mother dead, devastation soon sets in within the White family. Re-housing themselves in an apartment complex, specifically apartment 143, strange unexplainable events start taking place - naturally worried, the father; Alan White (Kai Lennox) contacts a group of paranormal investigators, who quickly learn there's much more going on here than meets the eye.

What's that you say? Another ghost flick sporting girls with crazy eyes? Essentially, this is what it is, but there's enough plot twists and genuinely scary moments here to keep you engaged throughout without getting bored, which is often rare in these types of movies. Apartment 143 is shot using the found footage sub-genre through the handheld cameras of the paranormal researchers - however, the characters are actually a very likable group unlike practically everyone in the Paranormal Activity series. You'll more than likely find yourself routing for them as opposed to waiting for a ghost or demon to rip them apart.

Not long into the movie you'll be treated to some supernatural activity, which builds and builds more intense throughout. You almost know when something scary is going to happen, but various imagery and camerawork used still makes it a frightening experience. The activity is very cliche - doors opening by themselves, things falling off shelves, and the occasional glimpse at the thing terrorising the apartment. Something unique is the constant shift between the paranormal side of things and the real story behind the White family, there's just something quite not right about the whole situation, specifically Alan and his daughter; Caitlin White (Gia Mantegna). 

Caitlin hates her father for reasons we aren't supposed to know, and it's that on-going thought of "why does she hate him, he seems like a nice guy, and what does it have to do with the ghostly goings-on?". Unfortunately, nothing more can be said due to spoilers but there's plenty of mystery throughout the movie, making for 80 minutes worth of time well-spent. Certainly different from other found footage horrors out there, Apartment 143 is worth watching as it breathes some long-awaited fresh air into the genre.

7/10