Paranormal Activity
Nathan Swank
October 19th, 2009
Yes! Yes! Thank You! Thank You! I am so ridiculously happy right now! I enjoy horror movies. The problem is most all horror movies are awful. PARANORMAL ACTIVITY is actually scary and I am so happy about it! Throughout the movie I had to remember to keep my arms out and locked so I didn’t have any noticeable embarrassing jerks or jumps. I also made sure my tongue was slightly rolled back in fear of biting it. I will be honest and tell you if you don’t like to be scared and are hesitant in anyway of seeing this film, do not go see it. It’s that good.
Paranormal Activity is treated like a homemade documentary using a single hand held camera used by our two characters. There are no credits, no music and theoretically no special camera shots. The idea is that this is real footage from a young couple trying to capture some of the strange things that are happening in their house while they are asleep. Katie has had these experiences all her life since she was a child and is rightfully frightened as they begin to progress. Her boyfriend, Micah, is more excited and curious about the phenomenons wanting to use his new electronic toys to capture evidence. They consult a specialist who believes it may be demonic rather than ghosts and they should contact someone else. The stubbornness from Micah of not wanting outside help gets a little frustrating but I also believe there are many people in the world who may act just like Micah…stupid.
It is very much along the lines of the BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, which I also loved! I know a lot of people didn’t like that movie and maybe they won’t like this. However, I think PARANORMAL ACTIVITY is more fan-friendly by changing the location to a confined house rather than the endless woods and giving us much more eerie tangible night footage. These couple of changes drastically increases the intensity level.
This is a small movie that apparently the director and writer Oren Peli made for only $11,0000. It did not have a nation wide release until word of mouth and public demanded it. Yes, I was one of the million that demanded it online, feeding into the new grass roots publicity but it is much deserved praise. According to IMDB it was done in 2007 so I am very pleased it has finally got distribution. I believe and hope like the gradual build within the film, it will gradually build and flourish into a great success that will be remembered for years to come.
Anticipation of the scare is always much more scary and I felt on edge the entire film, but don’t worry the subtle images we do see are rewarding enough to help you not fall asleep later that night…and maybe the next. Oh, and a little advice if you hear or experience something possibly paranormal, even if it supposedly will follow you, WHO CARES, MAKE IT CHASE YOU AND GET OUT OF THE HOUSE!
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