British Faux-documentary filmmaker Carl Medland rocked my socks with his trio of funny n’ freaky supernatural investigations into a farm with some bad fuckin’ mojo in the appropriately named Paranormal Farm series (reviews of which can be read here, here, and here).
Well, our haunt-seeking host is back with another journey into the bizarre with his latest offering, Paranormal Hollywood Haunting…
Arriving in America, Carl sets out to explore the Hollywood mansion of film veteran Arthur Porter and author/health advocate Daniel P’Lopez; an abode nestled right smack in the legendary Hollywood hills.
As Carl and his cameraman Mumtaz “Taz” Yildirimlar, begin their investigation, the expected ghostly goings-on begin, but there is a deeper, more personal side to the yarn at hand that soon rises to the surface…
That’s the beautiful thing about Paranormal Hollywood Haunting; while treating us to another outré investigation we get a glimpse of a truly human experience.
As the film carries on it’s exaggerated fictional preternatural ponderings, the true story here is the relationship between Arthur and Daniel; a gay couple who have experienced everything in life from incredible movie biz acclaim to homelessness, mental health issues (paranoid schizophrenia to be precise), and hustling just to survive, between the two of them.
As the duo lays bare their lives with candor we get an insider’s look into what it was like to be gay in old Hollywood, the ravages H.I.V. took on the community, and the incredible economic disparity that separates people’s existences in ol’ Tinsel Town… but don’t necessarily determine your future.
Along the way we also encounter Arthur’s adult son Ed, an eternally smirking Greek Chorus character that manages to inject some skepticism into the affair, but never shuts it all down instead letting the filmmakers present the story in their own way.
It should be noted however that this flick is a shot on phone style doc, so don’t go in expecting some Nolan-level shit, dig?
Medland masterfully weaves the occult with actual, heartfelt human drama… and the writings of Daniel himself within the narrative of Paranormal Hollywood Haunting to present something much more than a simple arcane investigation!
And if you desire more info into how ol’ PHH came to be, scope out this interview!
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