Writer/director Levi Austin Morris’s supernatural feature Paralysis is a labor of love that punches above its microbudget weight and delivers an intriguing watch.
Haley Stone (Allison Lobel) is a young woman who has become reclusive. Growing increasingly distant from her mother as she deals with the terrors of sleep paralysis along with battling personal demons, her only regular contact is with her brother Nicky (Morris). Increasingly worried that diabolical forces are at play in her home, she contacts paranormal investigator Annisa Bradley (Lisagaye Tomlinson). The pair must delve into the trauma that Haley is going, and has gone, through to confront her fears and the causes behind them head on.
Lobel gives a riveting, multilayered performance as the troubled Haley, heading up a solid cast. The characters feel lived in and the dialogue between them is realistic. Morris’s screenplay nicely balances drama concerning mental illness and family with eerie horror elements. Shot with an iPhone by Morris and Emerson Gregori, the cinematography is solid, and the film boasts some imaginative framing to accompany classic fear-fare set-ups.
Paralysis is currently on the film festival circuit, and is well worth seeking out.
