Written and directed by Levi Austin Morris, who also stars in the film, after family trauma, Haley Stone has isolated herself from everyone except her brother Nicky. But with her complicated grief and emotional well-being deteriorating, Haley experiences hallucinations, vivid nightmares and debilitating episodes of sleep paralysis. With the assistance of a paranormal investigator, Haley must access the truth buried between realities and free herself from this living nightmare. Also starring: Allison Lobel, Lisagaye Tomlinson, Bethany Koulias, Emerson Gregori.
When you’re using horror to explore a very real, everyday type of trauma there’s a line you have to walk to respect the topic while also embracing the supernatural, and Levi Austin Morris does it well with Paralysis. For a large portion of the film, the tone and style are understated, it focuses on slowly building tension and fear beneath the surface. As well as playing out as an unravelling mystery, giving you different pieces before you can put the bigger picture together. Its themes are used in a great way to portray how people can be haunted in more ways than one, sometimes by ghostly entities and sometimes by their past, regret and unfinished business.
The story moves confidently through past and present as it puts together the puzzle and for the most part the pacing works well. Although it can feel somewhat long, it is perhaps indulgent in its first half, taking its time rather than focusing on moving the story forward. There’s a good tension to the atmosphere, which is aided by the editing work. The aesthetic takes on that everyday feel but manages to avoid feeling too mundane or flat. Morris uses a good variety of shots and uses the space well to create some movement and keep the film flowing even though it takes place within a small environment.
Allison Lobel leads the film well, creating a highly sympathetic and intriguingly flawed character. She also brings a good amount of fear, adding to the film’s tension and suspense. The relationship that her and writer, director Levi Austin Morris create as brother and sister has a good amount of different layers moving between connection and distance, displaying both the love and the fractured quality. However, when the most intense emotional moments come into play, the performances can struggle. Lisagaye Tomlinson is a great addition to enhance the supernatural quality to the film, she has a great presence and opens up the film further.
Paralysis is a great use of horror to explore trauma, existing in a nice cross section between a haunting and a personal crisis. The directorial style is understated but plays to some classic horror notes, creating a good amount of tension. The performances are solid, they can have a few weak moments but that doesn’t undermine their quality overall. It runs a bit longer than anticipated, with its progression being quite slow and it feels as though it could have bumped up the energy by speeding things up.
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