Paranormal Activity – Review

By now, everybody has heard about the buzz about the phenomenon of the latest offering of cinema verite, Paranormal Activity. Ten years after The Blair Witch Project terrified audiences with the power of suggestion, Oren Peli’s Paranormal Activity uses the same cheap yet effective technique, buts amps up the terror a notch by actually showing you the horror that has unfortunately been bestowed upon a young couple by a supernatural entity.

All shot in a two-storey home, the story follows Katie (Katie Featherston) and her devoted (and I mean DEVOTED) boyfriend Micah (Micah Sloat) in his house. After a few strange occurances  in the house, Micah decides to set up a camcorder in their home to prove there is something in his house.  The couple seem skeptical at first, but after being told by a spiritual advisor that Katie has been followed by a demon prescense her entire life, they soon realize after watching the tapes that there is something evil lurking in the house and it’s getting far more violent each night the camera starts recording.

Surprisingly enough, I had gone into this film completely blind. I was smart enough to avoid the spoiler-heavy trailer and had no clue as to what was in store for me and I recommend everybody to do the same because Paranormal Activity is definitely a movie that will send chills up your spine long after the end credits have rolled.  On a mere budget of 11,000 dollars, director Oren Peli has created the new ‘miracle’ film with his artful eye for detail.  Unlike The Blair Witch Project, this supernatural film actually gives you money shots of terror while still using basic techniques such as door slams, creaky stairs and a simple click of a light switch to terrorize its viewers.

Kudos to Peli for also being able to try to explain why this couple haven’t left the possessed house like so many other similar films like The Amityville Horror have failed to do. (*Note the word ‘try’)  There are many ‘jump in your seat’ moments and one in particular is guaranteed to have majority of the audience scream.  (I’ve been tucking my sheets in bed under me when I sleep because of it!)

On the downside, there are many plot holes in this film that many other films of this sub-genre also fall victim to.  For instance, Micah starts using the camera to catch the entity on camera and when he has proof, he doesn’t take the tapes to anybody. So why keeping recording?  Also, I just didn’t find it to be all that plausible for this couple to stick around and stay in this possessed house for the entirety of the film.  I understand that the demon is following the girlfriend wherever she goes, but if the film had a higher budget, it would have made much more sense for them to at least TRY to escape.  Having said that, there are also a couple of questions I would like to ask such as: Why does this couple leave the door open every night? And Why doesn’t Micah just dump his demon-magnet girlfriend already?

However, despite Paranormal Activity’s flaws and abrupt and underwhelming ending, it is still a shocking, smart and unsettling film that will frighten even the most skeptical viewer. So what are you waiting for? Go see this terrifying film at midnight in your city’s nearest theatre and if they don’t have it, DEMAND it online!

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