Metascore

Overwhelming dislike - based on 13 Critics What's this?

User Score

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 38 Ratings

  • Starring: Ashley Greene, Sebastian Stan, Tom Felton
  • Summary: When frightening events start to occur in their home, young couple Kelly and Ben discover they are being haunted by a presence that was accidentally conjured during a university parapsychology experiment. The horrifying apparition feeds on their fear and torments them no matter where they try to run. Their last hope is an expert in the supernatural, but even with his help they may already be too late to save themselves from this terrifying force. (Warner Bros. Pictures) Expand
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 13
  2. Negative: 12 out of 13
  1. 40
    The soulless-ness of their empty plot of track homes and super-store existence invokes both "Poltergeist" and "Employee of the Month."
  2. Reviewed by: Mark Feeney
    Aug 27, 2012
    38
    To those of us in the audience who might be strangers in paranormal precincts, it looks suspiciously like a séance.
  3. Reviewed by: Andy Webster
    Aug 27, 2012
    30
    At one point Ben helpfully looks under the house to see what might be causing the ruckus. "Watch out for spiders!" Kelly says. Actually, Ben - and the filmmakers - have a lot more to worry about.
  4. Reviewed by: Nick Pinkerton
    Aug 27, 2012
    30
    The Apparition is not a great or even good haunted-house movie, but it does have the advantage of a memorable setting.

See all 13 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 12
  2. Negative: 7 out of 12
  1. I enjoyed this movie, it was good and it had a interesting plot! Everyone go see this. It's intelligent and involves plenty of elements that are scary and will cause you to jump a lot. Expand
  2. The Apparition is a horror movie without any horror. It has a setting and idea that could have proven to be terrifying but in the end the scariest thing about it is how bad it is. Because the movie isn't scary it ends up being nothing more than a boring waste of time, and we all know how valuable you time is so just skip this movie. Also helping bring the movie down is the weak script and bad acting. Only one good thing can be said about this movie and that's that Ashley Greene is super hot, but no matter how hot she is this movie is still a waste of time. Expand
  3. The cinematography may be quite good and the film itself may be good looking, but the film itself is not good at all; The story, though attempting to bring forward an interesting premise, ends up being an unoriginal and generic ghost film. The acting is absolutely horrible and lazy, therefore making a less serious viewing experience. The script is (sadly) dreadful and is a mess; from bad (not bad, horrible) dialogue to a messy and dumb story arch. It also has an incredibly short runtime and a really bland and unsuitable soundtrack. Yes, yes, The Apparition is a bad film, but it does have it's cool moments and even one or two creepy moments and I do like what director/screenwriter Todd Lincoln is trying to do, but in this case, he fails badly and it makes me worrying for his future as a filmmaker. Expand
  4. The Apparition is the worst kind of bad horror movie--the kind that's not good enough to enjoy, but not bad enough to make fun of. It's bland, like over-chewed gum that's long since lost its flavor. It's uninspired, incoherent, and overall inept. The story can't make up its mind who the ghost is, how many ghosts there are, or whether they're ghosts or something else. There's so much babble standing in for dialog about psychic bomb shelters and spectral beacons that confuses the story rather than clarifying it. Greene's performance ranges from swimsuit to naughty nightie. Nothing works in The Apparition. The actors struggle with their roles, the parts are underwritten, the story is underpopulated, scenes go nowhere, the score is synthetic and intrusive, the editing is too busy, and The Apparition has nothing to say. The Apparition does not deserve a theatrical release, but should haunt the $5 bins at Wal-Mart for all eternity. Collapse

See all 12 User Reviews

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