PARANORMAL ASYLUM: THE REVENGE OF TYPHOID MARY Will Make You Sick

RATED- UNRATED
RUN TIME- 90 MINS
WRITER(S)- FRED EDISON AND GREGORY SCOTT HOUGHTON
STARRING- ROSALIND ASHFORD, PAUL BRIGHT, AND CAMERON CHIUSANO
DIRECTOR- NIMROD ZALMANOWITZ



Synopsis taken from IMDb
Best friends Mark (Aaron Mathias) and Andy (Nathan Spiteri), both aspiring filmmakers, are seeking their next project. They decide to investigate the mystery of Mary Malone, aka Typhoid Mary (Jenny Lee Mitchell), who was sent to North Brother Island, a New York insane asylum, to live in a quarantined isolation after she was blamed for spreading Typhoid Fever.

This is a flick that can be viewed on Netflix, the source in which I watched it. Now, some of you may not be familiar with Typhoid Mary, and neither was I, until I did some research. Turns out that in 1900 to 1907, Mary worked as a cook in the New York area. Pretty much, everywhere she went and worked, resulted in people getting really, really sick. And after all fingers pointed back to her, she was put away in quarantine, then released. Then, she was put back in quarantine, and that's where she died of pneumonia in 1938, at age 69.

Now, after reading up on Mary, and Typhoid Fever, I was anxious to see how "Paranormal Asylum: The Revenge of Typhoid Mary"  would play out. And if used properly, Mary's story could be tweaked to be made into a horror film. The question was, would this film take that leap and succeed? Unfortunately, the answer is no.

I am truthful when I say that this film had potential, but it's vision was just out of reach for such a low-budget movie. The story ends up becoming cliche and typical, and it doesn't go anywhere daring to keep the viewer engaged. I honestly don't know how many paranormal films can keep being made. There's a film for just about every haunting now, and most of them fail miserably. It would be nice for once someone could pull a rabbit out of a hat and really deliver a solid film.

The story and plot are so common that the lack of effort takes the wind out of the movie's sails. It tries to remain suspenseful, but lacks in all suspense and scares. And tries to get away with cheap, loud jumps and quick flashes, simple tactics that don't work on a professional level. I don't know what's so hard about making a ghost story! All the writers, Fred Edison and Gregory Scott Houghton, had to do is look at every other common ghost story around and make a film that's not like them. 

Instead, we're given a film that joins right along side the weak and lackluster ghost stories.

The acting suffers dearly along with the slow and boring pace of the movie. It's a flick that you pay attention to, but don't get anything out of. I just watched as the non-layered character development went on, never feeling or caring anything for any of the cast. Seems like some actors and actresses didn't try at all, and others that did try, tried too hard.

Andy's fiance, Michelle starts acting strange, and both Andy and Mark can see something is wrong with her. This of course, ties in with the fact that Michelle contacted the spirit of Mary through a seance. Some people just never learn...

The film becomes a struggle of survival, but the threat never really seems there due to the seriously low suspense rate. It's very dry and dull, and misses the point. Ghost stories like these are a dime a dozen. They're ridiculously common, and it's a shame that ghost stories like this are currently mimicked and used as the latest standard. Sorry, I just expect films with a little more effort. Can't say I'm a fan of this one.

On a side note, I am currently in a slump of movies. Every so often, I will be on a roll of good movies. Sometimes, I view 10-15 decent flicks in a row. And then, I hit a low, where I watch a large amount of bad pictures in a row. Hopefully, I'll get past this rut soon and get back on track with reviewing films that I actually like. Of course, I have to find some first.