“I’m full of bugs. I’m full of mistakes.”

ZombieDog’s rating: Four-point-ohhhhh

ZombieDog’s review: What you have to understand about the independent movie push of the ’90s is how incredibly awesome it was. IFC and Sundance Channel were the venue for insanely high levels of creativity, where directors outside of the system could show their movie to kickstart a career or pass along a message. It was a place where newly graduated film students and even accomplished directors could have something personal. For about 10 years, it was the YouTube of its time.

Paranoia 1.0 is a movie that probably could not have been made today. It has a strong art house feel, but once you get over that, you can see something truly unique.

I would like to tackle something right away, and that is many people describe this movie as “cyberpunk.” I don’t think I would use that classification. There’s no doubt that the movie is set in a dystopian future where technology has gotten out of control, yet at the same time we are also being exposed to a very odd conceptual horror.

As the movie title implies, paranoia is part of the fabric of this film. There are times when it is so thick you don’t know how the characters can move forward. Jeremy Sisto plays Simon, a computer programmer with a deadline. He lives in a rundown apartment building where blinking florescent lights, peeling paint, claustrophobia, and darkness are the best you’re going to get. This is one of the best films I’ve ever seen to pull off an atmosphere like this; it’s thick and it becomes an aspect of the movie.

Simon is an introvert and only leaves his apartment to buy supplies. And every time he does so, he returns to see a package placed on the inside of his door without knowing how there. To add to this disturbing mystery, when he opens each box… there’s nothing inside.

The movie is primarily propelled forward by the other residents in the building. Each person Simon comes in contact with is struggling to maintain their own grip on reality. Although, the more Simon interacts with his neighbors the more we get a sense that something is definitely not right.

The movie is filled with competent working actors and even a couple of “you know them when you see them” actors (Udo Kier, Deborah Kara Unger) who all managed to give more than just getting it done. But in my opinion, one of the strongest character choices in the film is Howard, played by Lance Hendrickson. Hendrickson is so powerful that whenever he’s on screen, he just steals the show. Playing a gritty, crazy ex-tech guy, Hendrickson owns the character.

Essentially a single location movie, Paranoia 1.0 was filmed in 30 days in Budapest with a low budget. And yet, the filmmakers pulled off something that looks visually unique and almost defines a new genre of horror. It seems to draw influences from Blade Runner, X-Files, The Matrix, and other examples of unique cinematography. It uses these influences well, and you never get a sense that it’s outright stealing from something.

I saw Paranoia 1.0 shortly after it was released and have loved it ever since. This is one of those films where my taste may collide with other viewers due to its strong art house/conceptual film vibe.

It doesn’t help that while we are told what’s going on, it’s never fully explained — and even at the end we are left in the dark. I’m totally okay with this, although I could see people questioning what they just watched. Some movies aren’t about the answer there about the journey and the lingering thoughts that come after. Paranoia 1.0 is full of these ideas. There are times when its budget shines through and you see brief moments of errors in lighting or some other kind of little glitch that a AAA movie would definitely fix. Don’t worry about it.

I would only recommend it to people who are looking for a solid cult movie experience. Lance Hendrickson nails his role, and the other actors leave you wanting nothing from their performances. I’ve often spoken about nostalgia, and why I am not a big fan. In this one particular case, though, this film feels like you went rummaging through the used bin at a garage sale and saw something that you never heard of before. You bought it, brought it home, shoved it in your player and was flat-out mesmerized by a secret that you didn’t even know existed. This is why I love writing for this site and constantly sharing little gems like this.