Jessabelle

The latest release from the producers who brought us "Insidious" and "Paranormal Activity" offer up a mostly generic ghostly tale with "Jessabelle." This isn't exactly a constant spook-filled horror movie as the DVD cover suggests. Instead, as director Kevin Greutert says in the making-of special feature, "Jessabelle" has more drama elements than horror ones.

It all begins dramatically enough, as our title character (Sarah Snook) becomes paralyzed from the waist down after a horrible car accident, which also kills her boyfriend. Poor Jessabelle then gets whisked off to recuperate with her estranged father (somewhere in the bayous of Louisiana).

In the vein of "The Ring" and "Sinister," Southern belle Jessabelle discovers the VHS tapes her mother made back in the late '80s. Like any other haunted house circa ghost story, there's a sordid secret that the ghostly apparition haunting Jessabelle's childhood home wants to bring to the forefront. As mentioned before, the scares are sparse.

I'm making it sound that this Lionsgate DVD should be avoided. It's passable entertainment, but "Jessabelle" really only warrants one viewing; therefore a DVD purchase can't really be recommended. Wait for this as a rental or a streaming option only.

In the special features department on the DVD, "Jessabelle: Deep in the Bayou" can be viewed to watch how the film came together, including shooting on location in Louisiana and discussions with cast and crew. Seven deleted scenes seem to have been cast aside due to pacing... this also may be the case with the extended ending, which adds on about two minutes of needless filler. Director Kevin Greutert does an audio commentary (with writer Robert Ben Garant and executive producer Jerry Jacobs) and a 2-minute outtake sequence offers up a laugh or two.

"Jessabelle"
DVD
www.lionsgateshop.com