O Masterpiece
X Excellent
O Good
O OK
O Mediocre
O Avoid
Review by Jason Pyles / October 23, 2009
Never have I experienced such a buzzing audience as when I left the theater after watching “Paranormal Activity” — a truly scary, must-see horror film that has become something of a cultural phenomenon.
Entirely set at a San Diego home, the startling events depicted in “Paranormal Activity” span a three-week period in the fall of 2006.
Something awful has been terrorizing Katie ever since she was 8 years old. She doesn’t know what it is, but she knows it wishes her harm.
Katie’s plucky boyfriend, Micah, is determined to solve her problem by setting up a camera and filming their everyday routine — including their sleep — in hopes of capturing some footage of the unexplainable occurrences that have been troubling her.
Similar to “The Blair Witch Project” and “Cloverfield,” the movie itself — or what we’re shown onscreen — consists only of the subject matter recorded by Micah’s camera. This intriguing technique draws us into the film as too-close-for-comfort onlookers, placing us in the presence of the characters’ peril.
Also, the film’s documentary-style appearance and its actors’ naturalistic performances lend “Paranormal Activity” a convincing air of reality.
Of course there will be naysayers who won’t think this film is frightening. No doubt some viewers will even be bored by its absence of gore, violence, sexuality, nudity, and yes, plot.
But it is the film’s stark simplicity that provides its power. “Paranormal Activity” taps into universal, deep-seated childhood fears, like “What was that noise?” and “What happens around me while I’m asleep?”
Micah’s constant filming allows us to hear “the things that go ‘bump’ in the night” and see some visual manifestations of paranormal activity. As with M. Night Shyamalan’s “Signs,” “Paranormal Activity” is a movie in which what we hear — and imagine — is much scarier than what we see.
The film ominously informs us from the beginning that the footage we’re watching has been provided by the couple’s families and the police department. It also keeps emphasizing that the unseen force’s malevolent tormenting will continue to escalate in severity — which it does. Knowing the incidents will increasingly get worse inflicts a profound sense of dread upon us.
So, if you only see one movie in theaters this Halloween, see “Paranormal Activity” — but avoid its spoiler-filled trailers. And if you want to rent a good movie for the spooky season, rent Michael Dougherty’s “Trick ’r Treat” (2008).
Directed by Oren Peli
Katie Featherston / Micah Sloat
Horror 86 min.
MPAA: R (for language)
3 comments:
you are a pro. i sure enjoyed talking with you about the movie, although I would have preferred watching it with you.
Soon, Brother, someday soon. I'll be hanging out at your better-than-Cinemark home theater again. Nice talking to you, too.
I squirmed, screamed, and held my breath in anticipation. I laughed nervously as the dates on the screen approached my birthday. I said a silent prayer that this creepy movie wouldn't end with everyone dying on October 9th. And...I was very aware of my feet in relation to the edge of the bed the two nights following. I enjoyed the movie in the theater and it was effective in creeping me out.
That said, for me, the film pales when compared to the likes of The Blair Witch Project, a much stronger film. My biggest problem with Paranormal Activity is that it does not hold up to even the most rudimentary scrutiny. The thin plot is filled with holes and lapses of logic within the world the filmmakers have created. Unfortunately the film also suffers from occasional sub-par acting and writing which, while it felt believable enough when I was watching it, left me feeling a bit let down when it was all over.
I liked Paranormal Activity and I think people should watch it (especially at home) and have fun getting creeped-out. I just wouldn't think about it too much afterward.
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