Year: 2014
Runtime: 95 mins
Language: Persian
Director: Dariush Mehrjui
A tyrannical general abuses his wife and maid, leading to a discovery of their affair. The wife dismisses the maid, unaware that she is pregnant with the general’s child. Following his death, a new generation emerges, grappling with shifting perspectives and unforeseen challenges in this stylized melodrama, loosely inspired by Ibsen.
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From Los Angeles, a ghost-hunting crew on the verge of cancellation for Ghost Sightings is pressured by their boss, Ms. Simon, to boost ratings or watch their show be shelved. Faced with the threat of losing their gig, the team takes a job that promises real and terrifying results when a mysterious visitor, Mr. Gaffney, declares he knows of a property back home where evil spirits lash out at those who intrude. He pleads with the crew’s leader, Joel, to get rid of the ghosts, but Joel makes it clear they exist to investigate—not to exorcise.
Their journey leads them to a remote area, with a stop at a restaurant before they press on to the haunted site: an abandoned prison steeped in legend. Inside, they are greeted by Clive, a former worker who offers a reluctant tour and sternly warns them to leave. Clive recounts the grim history: a prisoner who escaped his cell and murdered another inmate by snapping his neck, then biting off flesh. He also shares a darker tale from the prison’s infirmary, where a doctor allegedly paralyzed inmate patients and conducted illegal experiments in an attempt to fix their psyche. The legend says the doctor was finally imprisoned, then killed by the inmates, sealing a cycle of fear that lingers in the walls.
As night falls, the crew begins their overnight investigation in earnest. In the cell block, Roger is violently attacked by the ghost of a former prisoner. The entity possesses Roger, leaving him with brutal gashes and wounds. Berger and Joel rush Roger back to the video control room with Kate, and they decide to leave, only to discover they’re chain-locked inside. They bandage Roger but soon realize they lack enough medical supplies, forcing them to move toward the infirmary where Berger is also seized by ghostly forces and taken away.
Joel and Kate regroup, choosing to look for Berger first before attempting to free themselves or Roger. Kate is ambushed again in the cell block, but she escapes using a new device Roger had purchased that disrupts ghost energy. The spirits then re-target Roger, possessing him on the third floor as they press Joel and Kate to reveal the doctor’s whereabouts. The ghosts demand the doctor who tortured them, but Joel and Kate insist the doctor is gone. Roger, fighting the internal force, tells them he can’t stand by while they’re harmed and ultimately takes his own life to prevent further danger.
In the wake of Roger’s death, Joel and Kate press on to locate Berger. They find him near the entrance, where he hints at a second way out that might free them from the prison’s grip. They move outside, still within the fence, and Kate manages to get a signal on her phone to call the police.
The next morning, they’re released and confront Clive, who insists he did not lock them inside. After the emergency responders depart, the trio calls Mr. Gaffney to come inside and assess the energy difference they felt. He enters and notes the prison’s energy has shifted—yet the truth emerges: Mr. Gaffney is the doctor who tortured and sexually molested the inmates. His anger flares as Joel and Kate explain that the ghosts were not banished. In a final twist, Joel and Kate outsmart him, locking him inside the prison as the spirits drag him away. With the danger behind them, Joel, Kate, and Berger return to Los Angeles, pledging to end the Ghost Sightings saga once and for all and leave the haunted doors behind.
Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 16:05
Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.
Characters become prey in a confined location with a violent supernatural past.Discover movies like Apparition where a ghost hunt descends into a desperate fight for survival. These films share a tense, claustrophobic atmosphere, fast pacing, and high-intensity supernatural threats. If you liked the feeling of being trapped and hunted in Apparition, you'll find similar stories here.
The narrative typically begins with an investigation into a place with a notorious past. The characters quickly lose control of the situation as they are locked in and subjected to escalating, physical ghostly attacks. The story is a linear, straightforward survival thriller where the goal shifts from discovery to escape, often at a great cost.
These movies are grouped together because they share a specific, high-intensity scenario: a contained haunting with immediate physical danger. The similarity comes from the oppressive setting, the fast-paced sequence of supernatural attacks, and the overarching theme of survival against a powerful, vengeful entity.
Survivors escape a supernatural ordeal, but their victory is shadowed by profound loss.Explore horror films with bittersweet endings similar to Apparition. These movies conclude with the survivors escaping the immediate threat, but their victory is earned through sacrifice and leaves them emotionally scarred. If you appreciated the complex, heavy feeling at the end of Apparition, this thread is for you.
The narrative builds towards a climax where the evil is defeated or contained, but this resolution requires a significant sacrifice—often the death of a key character. The final scenes focus on the survivors grappling with their trauma, implying that while they live, they are forever changed by the horrific experience. The closure is partial, emphasizing the lasting impact of violence and fear.
These films are united by their specific emotional payoff. They deliver the catharsis of survival but refuse a clean, happy ending. The grouping is based on a shared tonal balance between triumph and tragedy, creating a more resonant and emotionally heavy conclusion than standard horror fare.
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