THERE are paranormal events aplenty in Super 8, which hits Clevedon’s cinema from Friday.

The JJ Abrams-directed and Steven Spielberg-produced blockbuster is set in the summer of 1979 and features a group of young friends in a small Ohio town who have embarked on a project to make a super 8 movie.

The film begins with Joe (Joel Courtney) in mourning after his mother was killed in an accident at the steel mill, and his relationship with his equally shell-shocked father (Kyle Chandler) has only grown more distant and broken in the months since.

He spends most of his time with his friends (Riley Griffiths, Ryan Lee, Gabriel Basso, Zach Mills, Elle Fanning) as they shoot a low-budget zombie movie to enter in a local festival.

After sneaking out at night to shoot a scene at the nearby train station, the kids witness the derailing of an air force train carrying precious and mysterious cargo.

They are warned by a survivor of the crash to tell no one of what they have seen, only to find their town suddenly plagued by inexplicable occurrences, a heavy military presence and, worst of all, disappearing people.

And when the local deputy steps in to investigate these disturbing events, the truth turns out to be something more terrifying than any of them could have imagined.

The film, rated 12A, doffs its cap to Spielberg’s past films, such as ET, but features a very 21st century mixture of performances, edge-of-your-seat thrills and camera work.

* Also on in Clevedon this week, is The Smurfs (U). When the evil wizard Gargamel chases the Smurfs out of their village, they are forced through a portal, out of their world and into ours, landing in the middle of New York’s Central Park.

Stuck in the Big Apple, the small Smurfs must find a way to get back to their village before Gargamel tracks them down.

* Super 8 and The Smurfs wil be shown at The Curzon Community Cinema in Old Church Road from Friday until September 1.

For full viewing times visit www.curzon.org.uk or call 01275 871000.