Director: Andrew P. Jones
Genre: Horror, Found Footage
Runtime: 1h 30m
IMDb Rating: 3.6/10

Plot: Paranormal Clichés Behind Bars

A team of amateur paranormal investigators breaks into an abandoned prison to film a reality TV pilot, only to awaken vengeful spirits trapped within its walls. As night falls, the crew faces flickering lights, disembodied screams, and escalating violence. The film leans heavily on found-footage tropes, with shaky camerawork and garbled audio attempting—and often failing—to mask its threadbare plot.

Visual Style: Darkness as a Crutch

Shot on a shoestring budget, the film relies on dim lighting and endless corridors to evoke dread. While the prison’s crumbling infrastructure holds eerie potential, murky visuals and repetitive jump scares (slamming doors, sudden apparitions) grow tiresome. The found-footage gimmick adds little innovation, paling next to genre staples like Grave Encounters or Session 9.

Cast: Amateur Hour

The Ghosts: More laughable than menacing, with cheap CGI effects resembling early-2000s screensavers.

Andrew P. Jones (Derek): As the arrogant showrunner, Jones delivers stiff dialogue and exaggerated reactions, undermining any tension.

Kira Clavell (Rachel): Clavell’s panicked screams and wide-eyed terror feel more comedic than chilling.

Themes: Missed Opportunities

The prison’s grim history—hinted at through rushed exposition about inmate torture—could have explored systemic cruelty or unresolved trauma. Instead, the script reduces its setting to a backdrop for generic scares. Themes of exploitation (both supernatural and cinematic) are raised but never interrogated.

Reception: Rightfully Forgotten

Critics dismissed the film as “a bargain-bin Paranormal Activity” with none of the suspense. Audiences lamented its wooden acting, incoherent pacing, and lack of originality. The 3.6 IMDb score reflects its status as a forgettable entry in the oversaturated found-footage genre.

Critic’s Verdict

The Haunting of Cellblock 11 is a masterclass in wasted potential. While its setting teases atmospheric horror, the execution drowns in clichés and technical flaws. Only die-hard found-footage completists might endure its 90 minutes—and even they’ll struggle to stay awake.

Strengths

The prison’s eerie architecture (when visible).

A mercifully short runtime.

Weaknesses

Wooden performances and cringe-worthy dialogue.

Overused jump scares with zero payoff.

A script that mistakes darkness for depth.

Rating: 3.5/10 

A ghostly yawn best left haunting the $5 DVD bin.

Pair With

Grave Encounters (2011) for a superior found-footage prison horror, or The Devil’s Chair (2007) for campy, self-aware scares.

Cultural Footprint

While not a standout in the horror landscape, Haunting of Cellblock 11 contributes to the ongoing fascination with ghost-hunting narratives and the ethical dilemmas faced by reality TV productions. Its use of a real-life haunted location adds an extra layer of intrigue for enthusiasts of paranormal lore.​