Overview: Something is haunting the Englewood movie theater - an unseen force that comes alive after dark. Paranormal investigator Kyle Jennings is called in, but the moment he steps inside, the nightmare begins.

The theater seals itself shut, the screen tears open like a doorway, and the low budget zombie movie playing suddenly becomes real. With the undead spilling into the aisles, Kyle must uncover the source of the disturbance before the entire theater becomes a feeding ground, and the only clues may be trapped inside the film itself.

First time ever on disc following its initial 1998 VHS release.

Blu-ray Verdict: Long overlooked and scarcely distributed, Todd Norris’ The Paranormal is one of the great lost achievements of the SOV era. Smart, sharply structured, and performed with an unexpected level of polish, it pushes well beyond the scrappy expectations of its budget.

Norris brings a true filmmaker’s eye to every frame, blending genre thrills with a clear affection for the moviegoing experience itself. For fans who think they’ve seen every corner of the Shot-on-Video landscape, The Paranormal is a revelation, and proof that the video format was capable of far more than it was ever given credit for.

Just by looking at the trailer (below) you instantly know that even for 1988, The Paranormal was a low-budget, direct-to-video Shot on Video (SOV) horror film that features an extremely low budget, amateurish acting and cheesy dialogue ... and yet it totally works as an enjoyable cinematic experience (given you accept all of these facts going in).

Praised for its inventive meta-plot where researchers enter a haunted, zombie-filled movie, after they themselves had found their way out of it into the real world, the storyline is a highly inventive one, and aside from The Last Action Hero, I cannot recall another time one had felt this satisfying to watch.

A so-called hidden gem to be able to view here today in 2026 thanks to the wonderful Visual Vengeance, everything about this script and its cinematography is ambitious and passionate, the overall production thoroughly enjoyable, and as much as the high-concept storyline might well be limited in its scope, what we still get given is some supernaturally haunting elements combined with an inventive meta-fictional concept (the whole movie within a movie thing), brought to us by people that cared about their craft (both on screen and behind it).

Bonus Materials:
Region Free Blu-ray
New director-supervised transfer from original tape elements
Commentary with director Todd Norris
Commentary with director Todd Norris and Composer Paul Roberts
New Cast and Crew Interviews
The Two Todds: Todd Norris and Todd Sheets interview
The Paranormal Channel 5 TV Airing Bumpers
Blooper Reel
Deleted Scenes
Original Script Excerpts
Storyboard Gallery
Short Film: The Closet
Short Film: L…
Short Film: Night of the Growling
Short Film: Parallax
Visual Vengeance Trailer
Trailers
Optional English subtitles
Folded mini-poster with art by Giorgio Credaro
Reversible Sleeve Featuring Original VHS Art
Stick Your Own VHS Sticker Set
Limited Edition O-CARD featuring art by Uncle Frank - FIRST PRESSING ONLY
Limited Edition Ghost Finder viewer - FIRST PRESSING ONLY
Limited Edition Promo flyer for Z is For Zombie movie
Featuring original sleeve art by The Dude

Official Blu-Ray Trailer

Official Purchase Link