Sarah Landon and the Paranormal Hour (2007) User Reviews

Supernatural Soap Opera

[claudio_carvalho · 5/10 · 13 September 2009]

In San Diego, Sarah Landon (Rissa Walters) is invited by her grandmother's friend Thelma Shaw (Jane Harris) to spend the weekend with her in Pine Valley, California. Sarah used to spend vacations there in her childhood with her deceased friend Megan, who died three months ago. While heading to Pine Valley Friday afternoon, the water pump of her car has troubles and the mechanic Carlos (Michael Silva) calls his assistant Matt Baker (Dan Comrie) to give a ride to her. Sarah knows Matt from her childhood and asks about his older brother David (Brian Comrie) and Carlos tells a sad story about their uncle, Ben Woods (Rusty Hanes), who used to brag about his only son Johnny (Rick Comrie) that was considered by him the best baseball player in the Valley. On his twenty-first birthday, Ben's sister Mary Ann Baker (Nicole Des Coteaux) decided to celebrate with Johnny but she had a car accident and the teenager died. Ben promises to kill David Baker on his twenty-first birthday and he dies on the day of Johnny's funeral. Along the years, Mary Ann becomes delusional and has a breakdown; during an argument of his mother with his father, David overhears the quarrel and becomes a hermit obsessed in occultism. On the next Monday it will be his anniversary and Sarah joins to Matt trying to save the life of David in the paranormal hour, when the spirits get stronger.

"Sarah Landon and the Paranormal Hour" has a supernatural story with good potential. Unfortunately the amateurish direction and the acting is not good, and this Comrie Family (Lisa, John, Brian, Dan, Rick and probably also the cat) movie becomes a disappointing supernatural soap opera. But there are movies worse than that… My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): Not Available

Perfect for the Tweens

[LovecraftLass · 4/10 · 13 November 2017]

I'll lay out the plot of Sarah Landon and the Paranormal Hour (quite the title, huh?) real quick since none of the synopses I've found make it very clear. Don't worry, there won't be any spoilers as most of what I'm going to say is shown in the first ten minutes or so:

Sarah Landon has recently lost her best friend in a car accident caused by a drunk driver. When she's invited to spend the weekend with her friend's grandmother, she goes. On the way into town her car breaks down mysteriously so she ends up staying a little longer than planned. The mechanic has his assistant give her a ride to the grandmother's house but before she goes the mechanic tells her all about Matt's family. Apparently Matt and David's mother got in a car accident with her nephew, Johnny, town sports star and all around great guy. His dad was not so nice of a guy. He was always bragging about his son and when the crash happened he blamed his sister for Johnny's death and threatened to kill her son when David reaches the age his son was when the crash happened, 21. He was found dead, the day of his son's funeral. Afterwards his ghost torments Matt and David's mother, driving her insane. Their father, being the charming man he is, left his sons with an almost catatonic mother. David withdraws into himself, searching for a way to evade the curse. So that's the story Sarah jumps into.

The writing could be a bit better. A lot of the exposition is clunky and I honestly thought that it was partly adapted from a book. It was supposed to be the start of a series and I think if they had kept it as a video release it would have fared better. I'm a little disappointed it didn't, to be honest. However, the exposition cuts down on some of the moments that may be more intense for younger viewers. The acting is a bit awkward at times and you can definitely tell that the actors are not pros. I can hear you now...why give the movie a three? Because it's a cute, engaging story that is actually pretty coherent and follows its own logic well. The movie moves a bit slowly in the beginning due to all of the flashbacks and exposition but after that it moves at a fairly even pace. I think most of the low ratings come from adults viewing it with adult eyes. Most of the kids that have watched it (that I know of) have enjoyed it.

The cinematography in Sarah Landon and the Paranormal Hour isn't stunning but, again, it's adequate. It's not grainy, jerky or choppily edited. In fact, the editing is actually pretty good. There are no unnecessary scenes and they go together in a coherent, well- progressed manner. The few effects seemed to be mostly practical. Not surprising for a lower budget movie. They stick to what is easily done but it's also realistic within the frame of the movie. The ghostly effects are probably CGI (or a reasonable facsimile) but they didn't get too ambitious and make it look goofy.

The character of Sarah Landon is played to what I believe is the best of Rissa Walters' ability (and it was refreshing to see a girl who is pretty but not unrealistically so). The characters of the brothers are played by actual brothers and they bring what they have to the table too. They may not be pros but they give it their best and that counts for something. The story, despite the grim sounding outline above, is perfectly suitable for younger kids. I would put the age range between 7 or 8 - 13. To be honest, I still watch it from time to time, myself. I first watched it with my son when he was around 10 and he loved it. It had just the right amount of spookiness and creepiness for a younger audience. There might be one minor swear (I believe it's damn or hell). The romance angle (and you will rarely hear me say this) was cute and pretty believable. It wasn't insta-love or insta-lust, it was a date. There was no sucking of faces or pawing which will especially make it suitable for younger viewers.

So if you want a spooky story and don't mind acting ability that is more serviceable than outstanding, Sarah Landon and the Paranormal Hour is a great choice for those young ones that are in the in- betweens.

Good suspense, weak acting, make for enjoyable, yet flawed, family-friendly flick

[DodMcDuck · 5/10 · 15 September 2008]

Sarah Landon and the Paranormal Hour is a fun, suspenseful film appropriate for adults, teens, and older children.

Where the movie shines is in its family-friendly approach to the genre. You won't find any blood and guts, profanity, or sex here, but that doesn't mean there is no content. More than a few suspenseful moments and a major twist at the end keep the viewer's attention. Kids and adults alike will find something to be spooked by here.

Unfortunately, the rest of the movie doesn't match these high points. With the exception of Jane Harris, the acting is almost universally sub-par. While this is probably a result of the film's low budget, it must be noted that several important male roles in the film are played by members of the same family (often an ominous sign in a low budget film). These hunky actors have the Hollywood look, but need more acting practice before they're ready for the big time.

The script is average. There are no clever lines of dialogue to be found, but it certainly isn't cringe-worthy. Perhaps some of the lines could have been adapted to better fit the weak acting capabilities of the cast, but time considerations probably prevented such changes.

All in all, not a bad flick. Enjoy it at a kids' Halloween party or on family movie night.

Very Disappointing

[kwright-25 · 1/10 · 20 October 2007]

We were truly disappointed with this film. Our expectations weren't high. We were just looking for something to see with our nine year old daughter. Frankly, it fell short of the quality of one of the old ABC after school specials. We certainly didn't have high expectations While the plot had some possibilities, the acting was laughably bad. This was especially true of Brian Comrie who played David Baker. My nine year old daughter said that it was the worst movie she had every seen. The only redeeming quality was that it was bad enough to be somewhat funny. If you are a teen/tween and you want to see a movie that you and your friends can laugh at then consider this one. Otherwise, save your money and see something else.

Not one person can act!

[moldyqueso · 1/10 · 19 October 2007]

Contains some spoilers, though there isn't much to spoil!

The story takes place in Pine Creek, where Sarah Landon visits a friend's home, Megan, who has recently past. After having mysterious car trouble, Sarah is forced to stay perhaps longer than she wanted to. Circumstance leads her to an old childhood friend, Matt, and a town legend involving Matt's brother, David, which is the main backdrop for this film.

A car accident occurred thirteen years earlier that claimed the life of one of the town's young sports stars. The grieved father claimed that he would seek his revenge against the victim by killing her son, David, on his 21st birthday. The angry father then dies, but appears in ghostly form from time to time causing David's mother to have a nervous breakdown. David burrows into seclusion, researching paranormal phenomenon in hopes he can prevent this ominous act from happening. Sarah, with the help of David's brother Matt, try to help David thwart the inevitable.

I saw this film merely from the perspective of a parent hoping for a decent movie to take his child to. My daughter is still very young and can't see anything too scary. The moment this film started, I was left with an overwhelming and uncontrollable realization...the acting is terrible! I'm not one to notice bad acting, unless it is lousy. Also, the story didn't make any sense. If you're that upset about a loss of a child, are you going to wait 13 years before you seek vengeance? The cinematography, background scenes, transitions and character framing all looked decent enough.

It looks like this film was written, produced, directed and starring all family members which is great, but they are not actors. This movie would've been a hard thing to watch if it was a made-for-TV movie. The fact that this made it to theatrical release is quite sad. The scariest part I found about the movie, was when they said "Little did I know, that this was only the beginning," as this is the first movie planning for a series. Overall, very little entertainment value no matter what the age group and a waste of time and money.

A waste of time

[dbborroughs · 2/10 · 24 December 2007]

released with no publicity or anything a few weeks back I saw this on a couple of movie Marquees and went to investigate. Family friendly (they hoped) TV movie about a 17 or 18 year old girl going to visit the family of a deceased childhood friend. There she runs into a mystery involving ghosts and a death curse. My notes from this are sketchy, mostly scribbles about how Rissa Walters as Sarah can't act. To be certain she looks good but its all over once she opens her mouth.The real question I seemed to have was how this ever got any sort of theatrical release, even one that rivals the release of Terry Jones Wind and the Willows (Then again this has some promotional material,I remember a poster, wind in the willows didn't). A waste of time. Lets hope the promise of a series of Sarah Landon films never is fulfilled.

Really Fun Show

[Bizandplez · 24 November 2007]

I am 55 and this is perhaps the best movie I have ever seen. It had it all, the mystery of what is the connection btw. Sarah's friend Megan, at whose death and funeral we start this story, and the death 21 years earlier of Johnny Woods is one aspect of this movie that I found fascinating. The plot is fractal, and as you focus on any piece of what is happening leads to ever expanding possibilities. Some people may call this a kid show, let me explain why. It doesn't hav bad language, graphic sex, or a sad ending. Personally I don't like my nose rubbed in dirt so I really liked it.

The Comrie boys all did a great job of acting and I think they could do great as action adventure heroes. Rissa Walters in her greatest role must continue this series of the Sarah Landon adventures. Hope yu got the next one written John as if there is no new adventure by the end of 2008 I am going to hold my breath till there is.

amateur hour

[Buddy-51 · 2/10 · 29 March 2011]

Hackneyed storytelling and insipid performances are the hallmarks of "Sarah Landon and the Paranormal Hour," an amateur-hour supernatural thriller that has all the professionalism and polish of an F-earning junior high school film project.

Sarah (Rissa Walters) is a 17-year-old girl who goes to stay with her recently deceased best friend's grandmother in a small mountain town in California. The minute she arrives at the place, she's plunged into a mind-numbing mystery story involving curses, avenging spirits, and a whole raft of poorly staged flashback sequences.

The actors read their lines as if they'd never performed for an audience before, either on stage or in front of a camera – which may indeed be the case with some of them – and Lisa Comrie demonstrates no more confidence as a director than the performers do as actors.

"Paranormal Hour" was the first in what was intended to be a series of mystery films with the Nancy Drew-like Sarah Landon character as the protagonist. Fortunately, given everything that it's had to put up with lately, the world was at least spared that fate.

This movie SUCKS

[jessandnick79 · 1/10 · 19 October 2007]

I don't even think I would give this movie a 1. I'm NOT happy with it. First off how can anything be GREAT w/ a PG rating? but mostly how can it be great when everyone in the movie is related to you ( or about so ).

If you want to check out a REALLY GOOD movie you need to go to Myspace.com & add HUSH to your page. HUSH is going to be one of the BEST movies to come out.

And I've seen post about how this movie will compete with Saw-no WAY-not that saw was GREAT either, but much better than these actors/actresses.

The script is bad :( I'm sorry. I would not waste your $ on this movie-I think my son ( who is 1 ) could have wrote a better script.

But if you like sucky writing, actors/actresses then check it out :).

Nice job!

[arotan-2 · 7/10 · 22 October 2007]

We had seen the commercials for this movie on Nickelodeon, and my 11-year-old son thought it looked good and wanted to see it. I was curious after reading that the movie was shot on DVCProHD format and was apparently a low-budget family affair. I too have been a part of such productions, and I wanted to see how a movie like this fared on the big screen. I took my son and two of his friends-- 3 boys, ages 11, 11, and 10. They loved the movie! Walking out of the theatre, they were amazed, talking about their favorite parts, and how scary it was. Sure, some critics have lambasted it. But it was a hit with the target tween audience I saw it with. It's a very enjoyable mystery involving the paranormal, set up in a way that's complex but followable (maybe a bit too complex? I thought so at first, but in retrospect it all worked-- complexity just means you have to pay attention and engage your brain-- is that a bad thing?) and it has a logic that holds up and pays off in a satisfying way in the end. I believe the cause of the negative reactions in some of the other commenters here, as well as those of the professional critics, could be that in an intelligent story like this, much of the exposition and key plot points must be conveyed through dialogue and acting, and the subtleties of the acting craft are crucial. But, when you're on a budget, really good, experienced actors are hard to come by. But like I said, any sub-par acting didn't hinder my son's enjoyment of the film. He and his friends were not comparing it to Harry Potter, or any other film for that matter. The lead actress was very good. It's no small feat to carry a movie, and she did it nicely. Directing and cinematography were fine. Nothing screamed low-budget, and any noticeable differences in the "look" of the movie due to the DVCProHD format were not problematic, and really no more extensive than, say, 16mm blown up to 35mm. Of course, the kids (again, the target audience) didn't know the difference. There was a little graininess in a couple of dark interior scenes-- be we've all seen that in shot-on-film horror movies, so it didn't detract. Overall, a good job, and I applaud the filmmakers and distributor for taking the chance and bringing this movie to the big screen.

Give it a break, there is a worse movie than this

[mindcat · 3/10 · 1 February 2009]

OK, so I understand there are people out there who think they are God's gift to film, very sexy looking and want to make a movie. Isn't American Idol like that too? But please next time before you waste so much video and money, at least go to acting school or hire a director who can instruct you on how campy and amateurish you look.

This flick did have some very good parts, if you expect Ozzie and Harriet, with Rick and David, do the paranormal.

At least there wasn't a lot of tongue sucking gratuitous sex.

And when I view this thing again, if I can get through it, I'm sure I'll find it's value more in comedy than any other genre.

Not bad at all

[KawaiiKiwi · 8/10 · 4 September 2008]

I was looking for something to watch that wouldn't require too much thought, something quick and fun, nothing too complicated. When I saw the 3/10 rating on IMDb, I almost didn't watch the movie. In the end, I still did, and I'm glad I did. It was nothing special, but I wanted to be entertained, and that's exactly what the movie did. Nothing less, nothing more.

As other people have mentioned, the movie is like a cross between Nancy Drew and a Goosebump episode. It's filmed cheaply, with unknown actors that don't deliver any ground-breaking performances, but the script is well put together and interesting. The intrigue is surprisingly captivating, and there are no slow parts, resulting in a fast-paced movie where you don't really have time to be bored or annoyed.

The 'horror' parts of the movie are extremely cliché, and somewhat funny because they fail to surprise, but for younger kids this is just enough, more would be too much. Everything falls into place a bit too easily during the movie and the ending is ridiculous, but until that point the unfolding of the story is great, if kept in mind that this is a thriller/mystery for children. The ending supposes there will be a continuation, and I do hope so.

It's fun to watch, just don't expect more than it is.

Goosebumps meets Nancy Drew

[Houstonk1 · 7/10 · 26 October 2007]

It was nice to see a movie that a family can watch together.We enjoyed it,though we expected something else.Take the kids to see this one.Rarely does a movie like this come to the big screen (a "scary" movie that the whole family can enjoy).But,if you're an adult without kids you would probably rather go see something else.Judge for yourselves.Well,not much else I can say without ruining it.OH-the acting was TERRIBLE,but I still think that was forgivable since this is such a rare opportunity to see a "scary" movie that is NOT too scary for any age.It was truly refreshing for a family that doesn't allow the kids to watch inappropriate content.

bargain bin actors are us

[markpeterjones · 1/10 · 4 October 2011]

I always believe that how a film starts sets the scene for how it will continue…actors starting off poor and to be fair they got no better at all …I seriously felt my amateur dramatic skills would have been better than those in this film. A young girl returns to her childhood area and reminisces about the good times she had and people she knew – but I felt no passion or care for any of them – even with the paranormal activity it could not captivate my concentration and I started to do other things in the living room like reading as it got so tideous waiting for something exciting to happen. Special effects? Ermm…did not see much of that either….setting was unspooky and music was garden centre style…the only good thing about it was that there was no excessive violence or graphic blood scenes that really get annoying after a while. Disappointing!!! This is unoriginal and could be seen as hilarious compared to quality movies such as poltergeist, paranormal activity, exorcist etc

Good Job Miley

[aimless-46 · 22 August 2010]

What appears to have happened is that in 2007 Miley Cyrus suddenly gained 40 pounds and was checked into the Comrie weight loss ranch under the assumed name of Rissa Walters. Prior to taking off the weight she made a movie with assorted members of the Comrie family; it was intended as the first of a series of "around" the house films featuring the Sarah Landon character. But Miley was able to lose the weight and she left the ranch to go back to being Hannah Montana again.

There's something student film charming about "Sarah Landon and the Paranormal Hour," which features some of the worst acting and "acting for the camera" direction that you are likely to find anywhere since that long series of Japanese "Godzilla" films back in the 60's. Still it's not a horrible script and the suspense is laid back enough for it to be suitable for young children and for nursing home residents with heart conditions. So it does have a target audience.

In her movie, Miley becomes embroiled in a family feud when she visits the small town home of the grandmother of her best friend, after the friend has been killed by a drunk driver. It's all about revenge from beyond the grave as a Hulk Hogan look-alike demonstrates that there is someone who is actually a worse actor than the wrestler.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

Troubling at times but still with a lot to like

[kannibalcorpsegrinder · 6/10 · 3 December 2012]

Visiting a friend in a small town for the weekend, a teen comes across a family haunted by the actions of a past resident and tries to help a curse laid upon them from coming true.

This was a fairly troubling teeny-bopper horror film (I think there's only one curse word, there's no gore and no violence, and there's only one person over the age of 25 that has more than 3 minutes of screen-time for their role) yet it still manages to maintain a sense of watchability. There's still some storyline problems, most notably the fact that the lead in the film's full title really does nothing beyond keeping the investigation going and becomes a spectator in the film's finale, the finale itself is over in so short of time you miss what happens out of sheer shock and disbelief, and there's a ton of flashbacks, in addition to all the tame-ness of the film itself, yet it makes for a pretty inviting mystery, there's some suspenseful stalking scenes in the end and it's a lot more in keeping with more violent horror efforts with what it's trying to do, just a little bit too tame to accomplish it.

Rated PG: Mild Violence and mild language.

Awesome

[jwashington292 · 10/10 · 11 March 2010]

I and very disappointed with everyone who has reviewed this movie. First of all did anyone realized that this a scary movie for kids? I'm 18 and I work with kids from the age of 10-13 at in an After School Program In Manhattan, New York and they love this movie. Although the word crap was said a lot it is a great scary movie for kids. There was no blood and there was not a lot of violence, but there was a lot of suspense and a good story line ( which is great for Tweens ). IT was also really good for kids if you are doing a Movie Night ( thats what i did ) because it went straight to DVD so its as if they are seeing a new movie in theater. I GIVE THIS MOVIE A 10 OUT OF 10 BECAUSE IT IS THE PERFECT SCARY MOVIE FOR TWEENS!!!!!

~*~ JAZMINE SHAY WASHINGTON ~*~

A GREAT ghost story for kids

[tbennett44 · 10/10 · 23 October 2007]

When i first heard about this movie, honestly i thought it sounded ridicullous. A PG scary movie i couldn't see how it'd be scary. but then i watched the trailer and i realized what the filmmakers were doing. they were making a scary movie for kids not a pg scary move for adults. i showed the trailer to my niece and she couldn't wait to see it. i took her and her friend (10 and 11) to see it and they loved it. it's scary but not too scary (i wasn't that scared but i can see why they were). this is a kind of movie they don't get a chance to see most of the time. it's not juvenile but it's obviously made for a younger audience in mind. it's got a good story, interestinng concepts discussed to make the kids engaged. the sarah landon character is adorbale and real and the girls liked the boys in it. this is not a movie i'd see again b/c it's not really for me - i;'m 35 and like artsy sundance stuff but i can see why they want to see it again. i hope this movie sticks around.

Bargain basement stuff

[Wizard-8 · 3 February 2017]

"Sarah Landon and the Paranormal Hour" was intended to be the start of a series of movies concerning a Nancy Drew-like young woman investigating mysterious phenomenons. To date, no further movies have been made about this character, and seeing this movie provides some strong clues as to why. Do you remember those ultra low budget shot on videotape movies that plagued video stores in the 1980s? Well, in many ways this movie seems like an homage to those efforts. There's really cheap cinematography, nothing really in the way of production values, a flat and boring feeling throughout, and almost no special effects (and the few that there are being really inexpensive). And while the movie's title has the supposed protagonist's name in it, we learn very little about this young woman, one reason being that the movie more often than not loses its focus on her and concentrates on other characters. It's hard to believe that this movie got a substantial theatrical release... until seeing that it was handled by Freestyle Releasing.