Paranormal Activity is a documentary-style film about a young couple who experience strange happenings in their two-story San Diego home.
I, like many others, heard about this little film through online buzz and word of mouth. As soon as I caught a glimpse of the effectively original trailer, I HAD to see it!
Sadly, Paranormal Activity is only playing in select theaters on minimal dates and is only showing at one time slot per night (at my location). A broader release in in talks.
I, like many others, heard about this little film through online buzz and word of mouth. As soon as I caught a glimpse of the effectively original trailer, I HAD to see it!
Sadly, Paranormal Activity is only playing in select theaters on minimal dates and is only showing at one time slot per night (at my location). A broader release in in talks.
9/26/09
Durham, NC...
I was fortunate enough to snag a seat in the packed auditorium at The Streets at Southpoint at 11:59pm this Saturday night, for the film's opening weekend. TIP: arriving at the theater one minute before showtime guarantees slim pickings for seat choice. My seat just happened to be in the 2nd row from the front...lame. I was mortified at first, not by the film but because of my vantage point, so close to the screen. Would I lose any quality and feel too detached from the action to fully enjoy the film? Would the scares play?? No worries, they did. Oh yes, they played. My closeness to the screen only added to the claustrophobia induced by the film.
Even though the film is shot as a documentary, via handheld camera, there was little-to-no shaky or jolted camera work (not at all like the novices responsible for my "Cloverfield migraine"). 90% of the scares in Paranormal Activity occur while the main characters are sleeping, with the camera firmly planted on a tri-pod, leaving nothing unseen or blurred.
Not relying on special effects for substance, the movie has subtle scares throughout. I find these subtleties even more disturbing than an obviously fake CGI based specter (sorry Casper). The few, seemingly simple, special effects used in Paranormal Activity are so well done, it will prompt you to question if what you're seeing is actually real or not.
The lighting is also well done for this genre. Things are dark and mysterious without being too dark and without relying on the annoying green tint of night vision.
I enjoyed the two actors playing the boyfriend and girlfriend and found their performances genuine and effective. The innocence and playfulness of a young couple newly moved-in with one another adds a healthy dose of comedy and quirkiness to a story strictly marketed as a "scare-you-to-death" horror flick.
Sitting in my second row seat, eagerly wanting to be scared sh*tless, I do have to say some of the hype for this film was slightly blown out of proportion. The audience shown in the trailer for the film, for example, was a bit more startled and enthusiastic then the crowd in Durham Saturday night. Maybe that's just Hollywood for you.
The true scares did not surface until at least halfway through the movie with the first half serving as an introduction to the characters and a build-up to bigger and badder, beyond the grave, happenings. At times I found myself tapping my foot in anticipation, waiting to be jolted out of my seat. I do have to say, the initial character set-up and foreshadowing plays well for the film, thus establishing a close connection with the characters and with their unique situation.
Without giving away any juicy details, I must say that the director's use of sound as a scare tactic was quite effective. As with any (good) horror movie, it's all about the anticipation and build-up to the climactic scare. Having a loud rock-based soundtrack or constant screaming and chainsaw noise just isn't scary anymore. Paranormal Activity, devoid of any soundtrack whatsoever, makes silence its sonata.
This movie is being compared to 1999's "The Blair Witch Project" but they're really nothing alike. Except for the fact that both movies are so-called documentaries and both are sleeper hits, the mood of the two movies is quite different. In "The Blair Witch Project", the characters experience the same claustrophobia as the characters in Paranormal Activity but in a different sense. Being trapped in the woods, constantly on the run from an evil that just happens to bump into the characters every now and then is a lot different than having all of the terror centralized in one room of your house with nowhere to run.
Paranormal Activity may appear to borrow aspects of other successful horror films such as "The Blair Witch Project" "The Haunting" and "The Ring" but director Oren Peli masterfully organizes these particular thematic elements and tricks in an original and honestly frightening way. The last scene WILL give you nightmares.
With a solid 90% on Rottentomatoes and an 8.9/10 on IMDb, this is a scary movie that wont disappoint (unlike 95% of all horror movies coming out of Hollywood these days). If you happen to live in one of the selected cities go see it now...but not by yourself!
If Paranormal Activity is not playing in a nearby town, you can demand it for your city at http://www.paranormalactivity-movie.com/
919 Consensus: More laughs than screams but with certain scenes of sheer terror.
***Relationship Advice: Make sure your girlfriend does not have any pre-existing relationships with ghosts, spirits, or demons prior to moving in together!
Durham, NC...
I was fortunate enough to snag a seat in the packed auditorium at The Streets at Southpoint at 11:59pm this Saturday night, for the film's opening weekend. TIP: arriving at the theater one minute before showtime guarantees slim pickings for seat choice. My seat just happened to be in the 2nd row from the front...lame. I was mortified at first, not by the film but because of my vantage point, so close to the screen. Would I lose any quality and feel too detached from the action to fully enjoy the film? Would the scares play?? No worries, they did. Oh yes, they played. My closeness to the screen only added to the claustrophobia induced by the film.
Even though the film is shot as a documentary, via handheld camera, there was little-to-no shaky or jolted camera work (not at all like the novices responsible for my "Cloverfield migraine"). 90% of the scares in Paranormal Activity occur while the main characters are sleeping, with the camera firmly planted on a tri-pod, leaving nothing unseen or blurred.
Not relying on special effects for substance, the movie has subtle scares throughout. I find these subtleties even more disturbing than an obviously fake CGI based specter (sorry Casper). The few, seemingly simple, special effects used in Paranormal Activity are so well done, it will prompt you to question if what you're seeing is actually real or not.
The lighting is also well done for this genre. Things are dark and mysterious without being too dark and without relying on the annoying green tint of night vision.
I enjoyed the two actors playing the boyfriend and girlfriend and found their performances genuine and effective. The innocence and playfulness of a young couple newly moved-in with one another adds a healthy dose of comedy and quirkiness to a story strictly marketed as a "scare-you-to-death" horror flick.
Sitting in my second row seat, eagerly wanting to be scared sh*tless, I do have to say some of the hype for this film was slightly blown out of proportion. The audience shown in the trailer for the film, for example, was a bit more startled and enthusiastic then the crowd in Durham Saturday night. Maybe that's just Hollywood for you.
The true scares did not surface until at least halfway through the movie with the first half serving as an introduction to the characters and a build-up to bigger and badder, beyond the grave, happenings. At times I found myself tapping my foot in anticipation, waiting to be jolted out of my seat. I do have to say, the initial character set-up and foreshadowing plays well for the film, thus establishing a close connection with the characters and with their unique situation.
Without giving away any juicy details, I must say that the director's use of sound as a scare tactic was quite effective. As with any (good) horror movie, it's all about the anticipation and build-up to the climactic scare. Having a loud rock-based soundtrack or constant screaming and chainsaw noise just isn't scary anymore. Paranormal Activity, devoid of any soundtrack whatsoever, makes silence its sonata.
This movie is being compared to 1999's "The Blair Witch Project" but they're really nothing alike. Except for the fact that both movies are so-called documentaries and both are sleeper hits, the mood of the two movies is quite different. In "The Blair Witch Project", the characters experience the same claustrophobia as the characters in Paranormal Activity but in a different sense. Being trapped in the woods, constantly on the run from an evil that just happens to bump into the characters every now and then is a lot different than having all of the terror centralized in one room of your house with nowhere to run.
Paranormal Activity may appear to borrow aspects of other successful horror films such as "The Blair Witch Project" "The Haunting" and "The Ring" but director Oren Peli masterfully organizes these particular thematic elements and tricks in an original and honestly frightening way. The last scene WILL give you nightmares.
With a solid 90% on Rottentomatoes and an 8.9/10 on IMDb, this is a scary movie that wont disappoint (unlike 95% of all horror movies coming out of Hollywood these days). If you happen to live in one of the selected cities go see it now...but not by yourself!
If Paranormal Activity is not playing in a nearby town, you can demand it for your city at http://www.paranormalactivity-movie.com/
919 Consensus: More laughs than screams but with certain scenes of sheer terror.
***Relationship Advice: Make sure your girlfriend does not have any pre-existing relationships with ghosts, spirits, or demons prior to moving in together!
