EVIDENCE OF A HAUNTING (2010)

EVIDENCE OF A HAUNTING is part of a seemingly endless barrage of cinema-verite "horror" films a la "The Blair Witch Project" and "Paranormal Activity." But that's where the similarity ends. The acting here is monochromatic, the irksome techno score is way out of place, and the screenplay is rife with clichés that dozens of other films handled much better.

EVIDENCE chronicles the awkwardly-named Supernatural Paranormal Research Society, six young people who star in a reality show that chronicles their search for the occult. Of course, unlike the real world's ghost-hunter shows, these folks actually encounter (and ultimately vanquish) evil spirits. At least, that's what we're supposed to think; the spirits are conveniently invisible.

The film is divided into three segments. The first is a direct rip-off of "The Exorcist," involving the possession of an 11-year-old girl by a ghost with anger issues. The exorcism takes all of two minutes and is accomplished by waving a cross at the spirit and shouting it down. First, the kid is possessed, and one second later, she's not.

Up next, the team looks into a series of unexplained events in an Oklahoma house. It turns out, the owner's two young daughters got hold of a Ouija board and accidentally summoned the spirit of a Cherokee medicine man who really wants to stay in our world. The team gets rid of the ghost by chopping up the Ouija board and burning it, despite the ghost's inexplicably mild protests. As in the first segment, the spirit is there one moment and gone the next.The third segment is by far the most effective. This time, the team investigates a suspected haunting in a network of underground tunnels beneath a Dallas college campus. The unlit, claustrophobic atmosphere greatly assists what has been, up to now, a turgid and decidedly non-frightening horror film.

Sandwiched between the second and third segments is a tortuous barroom scene in which the team members unwind over drinks and engage in trite conversations that reveal the callowness of the script (and the non-existent acting skills of the cast). As if ripping off The Exorcist and Paranormal Activity weren't enough, now they're channeling The Breakfast Club.

The film makes repeated references to "Dead Hour," when ghosts come alive in our world. Dead Hour lasts from 3:00-4:00 a.m. But in which time zone? And does Dead Hour take Daylight Savings Time into account? Hell, I've put more thought into this review than they put into their film!