"Pyega" ("The Deserted House") tells the story of a group of filmmakers that set off to film a documentary about a team of paranormal investigators. The team decides to visit and investigate a factory where a whole family was slaughtered and a ghost is said to appear and drive people insane. Well, it's safe to say that it doesn't go well.
It doesn't go well for the team and the movie itself. Although a decent horror movie, with some very creepy situations (that are sometimes ruined by horrible visual effects - i.e. the camera pixelizing) the only thing that saves this film is the overall atmosphere of the place. I've had my own paranormal adventures with a group of people, going to supposedly haunted places and recording EVPs and etc, and this atmosphere was top notch, so I connected with it at some point. Although some of the activities they set out to do while on site are ridiculous and unheard of, which can break the atmosphere at times.
The movie is also a slow builder, which makes it a bit predictable. The scares are a mix of original and cliché moments, although I've got to give props, because there are times where the movie is supposedly preparing for a hugely done cliché and then strays away from it, building up the tension once again.
The ending was tad disappointing, and I enjoyed the overall exploration of the site a lot more. I also think that the characters could have been a lot more developed, even though this is a "Blair Witch" kind of film with a documentary theme, they could have evolved the characters a bit more for the viewer, because it doesn't make the viewer care at all for them when horrible things happen.
Overall it's a good experience. If you like good atmosphere and psychological horror, watch it, it's not even that long.
6 out of 10.