Infrared (2022)

Well, it turns out that that old Nirvana song with the lyrics "I wish I were like you: Easily amused" applies to me just as much as it does to my kids. I find myself entertained by shallow and silly things, just like they are.

Once again, I'm sitting in the dark watching a found footage supernatural horror movie - and I love it! I'm also scaring myself half to death... but it doesn't take much to scare me. Find a sufficiently spooky location, dim the lights, slam a door or two, and make some loud noises, and you've got my attention. Add in some decent demonic content, and you've got a winner.

A paranormal investigation show called Infrared investigates the dark, hidden secrets of the world. The video opens with a poorly-executed exorcism but quickly transitions to footage of a woman and her  cameraman exploring an abandoned, supposedly haunted school. The tone is ominous, and the footage is creepy.

Then characters and the setting are introduced.

Izzy, a paranormal investigator, used to work with Wes, the host of Infrared. But they parted ways when Wes started to focus more on the darker side of the paranormal, such as demonic possession. Now, Izzy is trying to find out what happened to her brother - and she's not the only one. The scenes keep alternating between footage of Wes and his sister offering their services at different locations, with a camera crew in tow.

The action progresses quickly, and the audience is introduced to the characters' personalities while they do something. Eventually, Wes and Izzy are forced to reunite and tour the abandoned school. Wes continues to be pushy and insensitive, lacking awareness when dealing with the landlord and displaying jealousy-based negativity towards Izzy.

A strange bump in the distance sends chills down Wes' spine. His PKE meter starts going off the charts. Something sinister is lurking nearby. Izzy senses a disturbance in the spiritual realm – something classic and ominous.

This ghost-hunting stuff was like when I went with a group of them to investigate a location, and we ended up at the bar down the street. What unearthly spirits are these people channeling? I can't help but wonder as they sit a few tables down from me in the old building. As the waiter approaches, I ask aloud, "What kind of spirits do you have?" If you're looking for ghosts, be prepared to take things seriously. My friend and I found that out the hard way when some severe ghost hunters laughed at us.

Izzy is reluctant to stay at the school after she experiences a psychic disturbance, but the show's producer manages to convince her to wait for her brother's sake. This turns out to be a good thing, as they find the cameras belonging to the original mystery woman who visited the school. They also discover (to some extent) what happened to her.

We're getting close to the film's end, and things are starting to get intense. There are a lot of loud noises and empty rooms, and it's starting to feel creepy. I'm not going to tell you what will happen in this movie. You'll have to watch it for yourself. Remember this: the longer it takes to set up, the shorter the payoff.

There's something about found footage movies that seems to work. They have a certain feeling of authenticity that can't be beaten. And that's why Infrared is so effective. Of course, the acting is sometimes wooden, and the dialogue is pretty bad. But that's okay. It worked for Blair Witch, it worked for Paranormal Activity, and it works, primarily, for Infrared.

This movie is not good. It has been done much better many times before. However, I love being scared by jump scares in creepy locations. There's something about the suspense and the fear that gets my adrenaline going. So if you don't need a movie to be excellent for you to love, watch it now. It's available on Tubi.