"The Entity" may be a spiritual phenomenon,; it may be a psychological phenomenon; or perhaps even a combination of the two. It has been terrorizing people for centuries, if not millenia, and has been recorded in the myths, tales, legends and stories that have been perpetuated throughout the years, in many cultures from all over the world. It can target both men and women when they are sleeping, and the experiences are often terrifying for the person having them.
Psychologists and scientists tend to believe that "The Entity" experiences are merely a psychological phenomenon. The experiences tend to manifest themselves in similar ways, over and over again. It usually occurs when the subject awakens from a deep sleep in the middle of the night, unable to move. Psychologists note that this is "sleep paralysis", a commonly occurring sleep disorder in which the subject is stuck between a state of dreaming and wakefulness. Often times the subjects feel "unable to breathe" and when asked about the experience say it feels like someone is "sitting on their chest". Psychologists note that this is most likely due to the subject entering into a panic attack as a result of being conscious but unable to move, which in turn triggers hyperventilation.
Other people have much more violent experiences. In the worst case scenarios, the subject can become violently possessed. But more often, on top of what is explained above, they feel like they are being grabbed, shaken, or manhandled. When this is occurring, the subject- time and again- perceive it to be done by a person or being. When they awaken from the experience, the subjects feel like someone has just been in their room and attacked them. When the subjects are female, their experiences tend to manifest themselves as a rape, molestation or violation. The 1981 film by Sidney J. Furie of the same name is based on one such case.
When asked about their experiences, the subjects tend to describe not one, but two beings. The first is a gray haired woman, whom the subjects usually see at the foot of their bed, before she "sits on their chest, making it hard for them to breathe". The second is a dark and evil faceless male being, who is seen as being responsible for the overwhelming terror and violent spasms. This spiritual tandem tends to work together to terrorize people from all over the world, and have together become known as "The Entity".
The first half of this documentary is dedicated to providing us with an in depth view into how the experience manifests itself, using subject testimony, re-enactments, expert opinions and explanations. In the second half we delve into the spiritual realm and how they perceive "The Entity".
We are taken to Pemba Island off the East Coast of Africa. "The Entity"- which they call the "Popabawa"- seems to terrorize many people in the village. The villagers have started to carry "magic amulets" which are supposed to ward off attacks by what they perceive to be an evil spirit or demon.
Further evidence that "The Entity" is actually a spiritual force comes from the East Village in NYC, where a local Priest has taken in a man who has been attacked since childhood. Something which the Priest has witnessed first hand (the man's girlfriend even claims to have witnessed a blurry being during one of his "attacks").
The documentary team hire Ray Gentile (a paranormal investigator who doesn't have the best credibility) to record the man while he sleeps, to see if they can capture any evidence of "The Entity"'s presence. Now, I'm not a big fan of Gentile, but the footage they capture is trippy to say the least!!!
The film ends off with a visit to an extreme case, where a man named Cody, wakes up in violent rages in the middle of the night, smashing things and attacking his family- who are terrified of him. The team arrange for the man to be observed by psychologists studying sleep disorders at a nearby hospital. The footage reveals that Cody, while still in a deep sleep, opens his eyes and "looks around as if he is scared", but the doctors are left without an explanation...
No one knows for sure what "The Entity" really is, or what is causing it. It could merely be a psychological phenomenon as skeptics suggest, or it could be something much more sinister. Regardless of the perspective you adopt, one thing is for sure...it is absolutely terrifying, and very real for the people who are experiencing it.
This is a really intriguing, informative and interesting documentary, I definitely recommend checking it out! 10 out of 10.
Psychologists and scientists tend to believe that "The Entity" experiences are merely a psychological phenomenon. The experiences tend to manifest themselves in similar ways, over and over again. It usually occurs when the subject awakens from a deep sleep in the middle of the night, unable to move. Psychologists note that this is "sleep paralysis", a commonly occurring sleep disorder in which the subject is stuck between a state of dreaming and wakefulness. Often times the subjects feel "unable to breathe" and when asked about the experience say it feels like someone is "sitting on their chest". Psychologists note that this is most likely due to the subject entering into a panic attack as a result of being conscious but unable to move, which in turn triggers hyperventilation.
Other people have much more violent experiences. In the worst case scenarios, the subject can become violently possessed. But more often, on top of what is explained above, they feel like they are being grabbed, shaken, or manhandled. When this is occurring, the subject- time and again- perceive it to be done by a person or being. When they awaken from the experience, the subjects feel like someone has just been in their room and attacked them. When the subjects are female, their experiences tend to manifest themselves as a rape, molestation or violation. The 1981 film by Sidney J. Furie of the same name is based on one such case.
When asked about their experiences, the subjects tend to describe not one, but two beings. The first is a gray haired woman, whom the subjects usually see at the foot of their bed, before she "sits on their chest, making it hard for them to breathe". The second is a dark and evil faceless male being, who is seen as being responsible for the overwhelming terror and violent spasms. This spiritual tandem tends to work together to terrorize people from all over the world, and have together become known as "The Entity".
The first half of this documentary is dedicated to providing us with an in depth view into how the experience manifests itself, using subject testimony, re-enactments, expert opinions and explanations. In the second half we delve into the spiritual realm and how they perceive "The Entity".
We are taken to Pemba Island off the East Coast of Africa. "The Entity"- which they call the "Popabawa"- seems to terrorize many people in the village. The villagers have started to carry "magic amulets" which are supposed to ward off attacks by what they perceive to be an evil spirit or demon.
Further evidence that "The Entity" is actually a spiritual force comes from the East Village in NYC, where a local Priest has taken in a man who has been attacked since childhood. Something which the Priest has witnessed first hand (the man's girlfriend even claims to have witnessed a blurry being during one of his "attacks").
The documentary team hire Ray Gentile (a paranormal investigator who doesn't have the best credibility) to record the man while he sleeps, to see if they can capture any evidence of "The Entity"'s presence. Now, I'm not a big fan of Gentile, but the footage they capture is trippy to say the least!!!
The film ends off with a visit to an extreme case, where a man named Cody, wakes up in violent rages in the middle of the night, smashing things and attacking his family- who are terrified of him. The team arrange for the man to be observed by psychologists studying sleep disorders at a nearby hospital. The footage reveals that Cody, while still in a deep sleep, opens his eyes and "looks around as if he is scared", but the doctors are left without an explanation...
No one knows for sure what "The Entity" really is, or what is causing it. It could merely be a psychological phenomenon as skeptics suggest, or it could be something much more sinister. Regardless of the perspective you adopt, one thing is for sure...it is absolutely terrifying, and very real for the people who are experiencing it.
This is a really intriguing, informative and interesting documentary, I definitely recommend checking it out! 10 out of 10.
