Rating: 
Summary: Yawn
Review: The success of "The Blair Witch Project" in 1999 virtually assured a few other people would rush out, with video cameras firmly in hand, in an attempt to ride a similar wave to fame and fortune. Who can blame them? The two guys who made "Blair Witch" laughed all the way to the bank, I think, although I don't know how much they made off the film. I suspect the people responsible for "The St. Francisville Experiment" didn't necessarily laugh as much as they chuckled faintly to the nearest money lending institution. You see, this film is a blatant rip-off of "The Blair Witch Project," right down to real people playing themselves as the characters, an ancient ghostly presence haunting a location (in this case a house), and the final "horrific" denouement as the characters encounter something definitely not of this world. The best thing about "Blair Witch" wasn't the film itself but the absolutely chilling pseudo-documentary that aired on the Sci-Fi Channel before the film arrived in theaters. "The St. Francisville Experiment" tries something similar by telling us the history of who supposedly haunts the house.
According to the slightly interesting introductory segment, the spirit of Madame LaLaurie has been causing quite a stir. Who is Madame LaLaurie? Some lady who tortured slaves back in the nineteenth century before disappearing after a fire exposed her nefarious crimes to society. Yeah, that Madame LaLaurie. The movie fills us in on all the gory details just so we know the ghost of this infernal creature could cause a lot of nasty problems for those sticking their noses where they don't belong. Then we get on to the movie, as four annoying dimwits set off to investigate a house supposedly haunted by this spirit--or something like that. The characters include a psychically sensitive woman named Madison Charap, the team leader Paul Cason, "videographer" Tim Thompson, and a female historian named Ryan Larson. All of these young people go trooping into this house with a bunch of food, cameras, and other necessary equipment to capture their experiences. They also go in at night since we all know ghosts will never, ever come out during daylight. Locked inside for the night, the team must wander around the house and record their impressions. They don't get started right away because they have to spend a lot of time mooning around in the first room they enter.
Nonetheless, weird stuff starts happening after awhile. Anything you can think of associated with a haunting turns up in this movie. You've got cold spots, voices, noises, bangings, and doors opening and closing. You also get chains falling out of chimneys, bloodstained tools found in a chest in the basement, something sinister wrapped up in a cloth in an armoire, and the famous chair flying across the room. The chair scene alone seems to consume an enormous amount of screen time, as the four researchers must hover around the camera to rewatch the chair moving under its own power, talk about the spiritual implications of such a disturbing incident for what feels like hours, and then must go back up to the attic where the whole thing took place. We even see a bug crawling out of someone's sandwich and a cat jumping out to scare everyone senseless. The conclusion to the film sees all four split up for their own personal encounters with the spirits plaguing this house. Are all of these events related to a sinister spiritual manifestation? Sure they are since this film claims that everything we see is the absolute, irrefutable, uncontested truth. Who are we to argue otherwise? More importantly, who are YOU to argue otherwise?
Very little works in "The St. Francisville Experiment" beyond the nifty chair gag and perhaps selected segments of the ending. Let's begin and end with the four airheads involved in the "experiment." Other viewers are correct in asserting that Madison Charap, she of the white light and other crackpot bunkum, is assuredly the most annoying human being presently living on this mortal coil. Move over, Meg Ryan. Step aside, Britney Spears. Hit the road, Mariah Carey. There's a new sheriff in town and her name is Madison Charap. That grating tone, that constant intonation to surround oneself with white light, that emphasis on feeling what's going on around oneself; these are the things uttered by this raven haired dipstick that had me reaching for a heavy yet easily tossed object. Sadly, none of the other three present a viable alternative to Charap's dithering. Ryan shrieks and screams so much I thought her foot was caught in a bear trap. The two male members of the crew are nothing compared to the two prancing clowns named Larson and Charap. I would like to personally thank the ghosts for tormenting these four yucks. Rest in peace now, spirits; you have done well. Move toward the light!
The most significant liability in "The St. Francisville Experiment" is the performances, but the house itself isn't all that scary. When the young people walked in, I expected a grungy, dingy, spooky atmosphere--and what we see is a fully furnished house replete with furniture, draperies, fully made beds, and a working electrical system. I kept expecting the residents to come in the front door from a night out demanding to know why these people were poking around their abode. Since the whole "film" is supposedly true in every way, it's nice the distributors included a batch of trailers for other real life films like "Crocodile," "Octopus," and "Storm of the Century." We also get a little featurette on how to conduct your own ghost hunting expedition. The only ghosts I will try to exorcize in the near future are the memories of this film.
Rating: 
Summary: Watch for the last 20 minutes
Review: The three stars I gave is for the last twenty minutes of the movie. Of course,just when it starts to get scary it ends. I thought they could have added more suspense in the movie by exploring the hidden rooms more than they did. But I suppose they want you to imagine how bad it could have been in those rooms. The 'mirror' scene was pretty good and the movie itself was about what I expected it to be. If you enjoy movies like The Blair Witch Project then you might find this one worth watching also.
Rating: 
Summary: See this movie? Charles says YES
Review: This independent film is based on the works of 4 strangers sent to stay in a haunted mansion for one night. They handle the cameras, investigating the house and looking for any signs of ghosts. It has the same plot as "The Blair Witch Project", but is better in the spooky sense because it is very realistic. To be honest, this is one of the few films that horrified me. The audience receives a little insight on what supposedly happened at this mansion years ago, and little by little, the 4 investigators begin to uncover the truth behind the legend. Join Tim, Paul, Madison, and Ryan inside this creepy tale, and find out who Charles is and how he helped end it all.
Rating: 
Summary: Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery....
Review: This is a must have for fans of the Blair Witch. Bearing in mind that it is a blatant ripoff merely substituting a haunted house for the haunted woods, but it is an entertaining movie that does have creepy moments. First of all the legend itself is really eerie, and I think I have heard of Madame Levay (sp?). The idea of the torture chamber, and the shackles and all that hidden room jazz just combines to spell fREAKY!! Watch closely or you will miss the best parts of the film. I really liked the humour in this movie as well, I found myself laughing and laughing at the wisecracks of the guys. And if the characters are farmiliar: the dumb blonde, the flaky psychic, the macho guys, then remember that we are not talking about an Oscar flick here, its a straight to video meant merely to entertain. The house itself is satisfyingly creepy, the chandeliers, furniture, doctor's bag discovered in the basement, hidden chambers etc. A fun movie.
Rating:
Summary: AN ORIGINAL CREEPY DOCUMENTARY STYLE FILM!!!!!!!
Review: THIS IS A SPOOKY STYLE FILM SIMILAR IN WAYS TO THE BLAIR-WITCH PROJECT. HOWEVER, UNLIKE THAT FILM, THIS FILM MAY JUST SPOOK YOU. ANOTHER POSITIVE IS THAT IT DOESN'T GET YOU QUITE AS CAMERA SICK!!
THIS FILM SUCCEEDS IN KEEPING YOU ON THE EDGE OF YOUR SEAT AND IT ALSO SUCCEEDS IN SCARING YOU. IT DESERVES SOME RECOGNITION, EVEN THOUGH THE END OF THE FILM MAY NOT PLEASE YOU.
ALL IN ALL, HOWEVER, IF YOU ENJOY A SPOOKY MOVIE, THEN SEE THIS MOVIE AT ALL COSTS!!!
WHAT IS KEPT TO THE IMAGINATION IS SCARIER THAN THAT WHICH YOU SEE AND MORE MOVIES NEED TO BE THAT WAY.
JUST BECAUSE THERE IS SPECIAL EFFECTS TECHNOLOGY, IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT IT'S NECESSARY TO MAKE A SCARY MOVIE.
THIS FILM KEEPS THAT IN MIND AND IT DOES BUT THING- SCARE YOU!!!
SO, TURN THE LIGHTS OUT AND PUT THIS MOVIE IN- PREFERABLY AT NIGHT TIME!!!
HAVE SOMEONE WITH YOU AND ENJOY THIS HAUNTED HOUSE STORY!!!
DON'T WATCH IT ALONE!!!!
NOTE: THERE IS A LIMITED USE OF PROFANITY, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE LANGUAGE!!! ANYWAY, ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Not great, but not terrible
Review: This is by far one of the best movies I have seen. In the days of all the other cheesy horror flicks.....can we say Nightmare on Elm St?.....this one truly takes the cake for being a true horror flick. Granted, it follows in the footsteps of Blair Witch, but at least the actors in this movie do not show up in the Steak and Shake comercials. This movie explores the true possibilities of the after-life by not revealing a sketchpad monster but yet leads you to make up you own conclusion on who or what is in the mansion. Many people have experienced paranormal experiences in their life and this movie in my opinion shows what some of those experiences could materialize as. From the shackles in the fireplace, to the chair in the attic, to the mirror in the bedroom, I was on the edge of my seat the entire movie. And the fact that it takes place in such a historic area of our country adds to the spook element. Whether or not this documentary was real or staged, they did one hell of a believable job. I mean if I were in the house I'm not sure if I would materialize as "all knowing" Madison, or "cry-baby" Ryan, or steriotypical "macho men" Paul and Tim whose sarcastic comments cover the fact that they are scared ****less. This is definitely one movie that I never tire of. Every time a friend comes over that has not seen the movie, it's number one on the playlist for the evening. Some may say it's cheesy, but if you get past the slow beginning and go into the viewing experience with an open mind, you may be surprised to find yourself jumping and screaming just like I did.
Rating:
Summary: A hair-raising, spine-tingling, goosebump filled fright-fest
Review: This is by far one of the best movies I have seen. In the days of all the other cheesy horror flicks.....can we say Nightmare on Elm St?.....this one truly takes the cake for being a true horror flick. Granted, it follows in the footsteps of Blair Witch, but at least the actors in this movie do not show up in the Steak and Shake comercials. This movie explores the true possibilities of the after-life by not revealing a sketchpad monster but yet leads you to make up you own conclusion on who or what is in the mansion. Many people have experienced paranormal experiences in their life and this movie in my opinion shows what some of those experiences could materialize as. From the shackles in the fireplace, to the chair in the attic, to the mirror in the bedroom, I was on the edge of my seat the entire movie. And the fact that it takes place in such a historic area of our country adds to the spook element. Whether or not this documentary was real or staged, they did one hell of a believable job. I mean if I were in the house I'm not sure if I would materialize as "all knowing" Madison, or "cry-baby" Ryan, or steriotypical "macho men" Paul and Tim whose sarcastic comments cover the fact that they are scared ****less. This is definitely one movie that I never tire of. Every time a friend comes over that has not seen the movie, it's number one on the playlist for the evening. Some may say it's cheesy, but if you get past the slow beginning and go into the viewing experience with an open mind, you may be surprised to find yourself jumping and screaming just like I did.
Rating:
Summary: Be warned...
Review: This is the rather infamous 2000 Blair Witch ripoff. What makes this infamous is that it was touted to be the REAL thing. One viewing and it is clear that is not the case. That being said, it actually amounts to a moderately creepy haunted house tale with a few major drawbacks.
The most glaring of these is the nauseating performace of the psychic in the cast. She is easily the most annoying character from any movie I have ever seen in my life. Truly a terrible effort.
This is for sure in the b-movie genre, and it can be very enjoyable in that respect. If you watch it with someone who lets their imagination run wild, the payoff is huge in this movie. There are some genuinely good scares to be found buried in the 90 minutes of footage. For the price, I would say that this is meant for only the purest of horror collectors. Worth a watch, anyway.
Rating: 
Summary: Blech
Review: This movie is so pointless. They say it is real, but the only thing real about this crapfest is the fact that it is an idiotic Blair-Witch rip-off that couldn't generate any chills evan if it had the chance to. I saw this movie 2 days ago, and I'm still washing the taste out of my mouth. AVOID.
Rating:
Summary: Better then the pitiful remake of "The Haunting"
Review: This movie starts slowly and is pretty dull for the first half hour or so. The middle of the movie is okay and the end is actually pretty good. The "Psychic" is the most unlikeable of the four main characters-the kind of person who won't leave the house unless her horoscope says it's okay. Not believable in many aspects--but as believable as "Blair Witch" if you're the sort of person PT Barnum used to allude to. Worth watching, probably a little better if you watch it alone in the middle of the night like I did.
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