The Third Shift: A Paranormal Horror Story (2025) | Film Review
- Adam Williams
- 1 hour ago
- 5 min read
Found footage horror is a difficult beast to tame. For every film that captures the raw, uneasy magic of the subgenre, there are countless others that simply repeat the same formula. The Third Shift A Paranormal Horror Story could easily have fallen into that trap—but instead, it does something far more interesting: it lures you in with familiarity before spiralling into something much darker, stranger, and far more chaotic than you might expect.
Right from the start, the cast help ground the film in a sense of realism. They’re lighthearted, likeable, and genuinely relatable – people you could easily imagine going on a paranormal investigation with. There’s a natural chemistry between them that makes the early parts of the film feel authentic, almost like you’re watching a group of friends having a laugh while exploring somewhere they probably shouldn’t be. You can tell they’re enjoying themselves too (for the most part…).
It’s difficult to talk about the story without giving too much away, and this is definitely a film that’s best experienced knowing as little as possible. What can be said is that it begins exactly how you’d expect a paranormal found footage film to begin. The setup feels familiar, drawing clear inspiration from the classic staples of the genre. You’ll spot influences from films like The Blair Witch Project (Daniel Myrick & Eduardo Sánchez, 1999), Grave Encounters (Colin Minihan, Stuart Ortiz & The Vicious Brothers, 2011) and Paranormal Activity (Oren Pelli, 2007). But that’s only half the story.
Because once the film finds its rhythm, the pacing starts to pick up – and then things go completely off the rails.
What begins as a standard ghost-hunting setup suddenly veers into far more sinister territory, descending into the kind of chaos you’d expect from a grindhouse – or even a snuff – style horror film. It becomes bizarre, macabre, gruesome and deeply uncomfortable in places. There are moments where it genuinely feels like you’re watching something you shouldn’t be watching, and the film doesn’t shy away from those difficult, unsettling scenes.
It’s a bold move from filmmakers Clive Barzilla and Ricky Gunter. Playing around with such a well-established horror formula is always a risk, but here I felt it paid off. The film constantly pulls the rug out from under the audience, taking the narrative in directions that are far darker and more twisted than the opening act might suggest. You can forgive yourself for being a tad confused watching it… you’ll get it in the end.
One thing that absolutely deserves attention is the location. The prison used in the film is phenomenal. It’s one of those settings that almost becomes a character in its own right – dark, oppressive, and dripping with atmosphere. Every corridor, cell and shadowy corner feels heavy with history. The place is incredibly eerie, with that constant sense that someone – or something – is watching. Knowing that it’s considered one of the most haunted prisons in the UK only adds to the tension.
Interestingly, there’s also reportedly a moment in the film that wasn’t planned during filming. Paranormal enthusiasts will no doubt be watching that scene very closely. Ricky has spoken about it in our post screening interview, and while some viewers might be convinced there’s something genuinely unexplained happening on screen, others (myself included) might prefer to believe there’s a more logical explanation. Makes it that little bit easier to sleep at night.
The Third Shift: A Paranormal Horror Story (2025) | Film Review
Either way, it adds another layer of intrigue to an already unsettling location. The prison’s dark history seeps into the film’s atmosphere, and you can’t help but imagine the horrifying events those walls must have witnessed over the years. It’s the kind of place you wouldn’t want to be locked inside alone. Whilst it was fantastic watching this in Gloucester Prison, it felt even better watching at home on my laptop. Very much in the same sense of Late Night With The Devil (Cameron Cairnes & Colin Cairnes, 2023), the way it’s shot just suits this type of viewing experience more.
On the technical side, the film embraces its low-budget roots in the best possible way. The guerrilla-style filmmaking and minimalistic approach work in its favour, helping the found footage style feel rawer and more believable. The camerawork sticks to the standard format of the genre, but it’s effective and keeps you immersed in the action.
There are also some impressively creative practical effects considering the limited budget. Without spoiling anything, there are a few moments that are genuinely f*cked up – in the best possible horror sense. Some of the ideas are delightfully twisted, the kind of scenes that make you sit up and think...
But they’re surprises that are far better experienced firsthand.
One minor criticism is the film’s structure. The story is split into sections, which at times interrupts the flow slightly. It’s not necessarily a dealbreaker, but it can feel a little jarring. That said, it does make more sense by the time the credits roll, especially when you consider the framing of how this “footage” is being presented to the audience. The opening scene is another moment that initially feels a little out of place – but again, once everything comes full circle by the end, it clicks into place.
Ultimately, The Third Shift A Paranormal Horror Story is a strange, dark, and surprisingly bold entry into the found footage genre. It starts off comfortably familiar before transforming into something far more disturbing and unpredictable. The film leans heavily into its rough edges and low-budget style, and in many ways that only enhances the experience.
It’s weird. It’s unique. It’s uncomfortable. It’s occasionally brutal. And it’s definitely memorable. For horror fans – especially those who enjoy found footage with a darker, more experimental edge – this is worth checking out.
More than anything, the film shows that Clive Barzilla and Ricky Gunter have plenty of potential as filmmakers. If this is what they can do with a minimal budget and a guerrilla approach to horror, it’ll be very interesting to see what they come up with next.
As I said above myself and Mike were fortunate be the be invited to a screening of this film in Gloucester Prison in November, 2025. Not only did they let us leave equipment in A-Wing to see if we caught anything paranormal (I’ll let you decide if we did or not), but we had a tour of the prison and an exclusive interview with the film’s directors Clive and Ricky. You can check out our video below.
The Third Shift: A Paranormal Horror Story releases in full on YouTube this Friday (Friday 13th March) via their YouTube Channel.
