Yesterday I decided to see what the buzz was all about regarding this new movie Paranormal Activity. The film is an independent film, cost about $11,000 to make, took only about a week to film, and was only released nationally by critical acclaim and popular demand. I think the idea of having a “wicked” (ha!) cheap indie film which people really enjoy is great for the industry. So, given all that I needed to see it.
It’s not The Blair Witch Project or Cloverfield, but it’s like those movies — the whole “found footage” thing. I was happy to see that the signature camera shaking indicative of these kinds of films was sparse, so I was able to leave the dramamine at home. There were lots of bumps, jumps, “yikes” and “uh-ohs” throughout this film. It didn’t drag and the escalating paranormal activities came at the right time, so I wasn’t bored.
However, I am a HUGE fan of the Syfy show Ghost Hunters, so Micah’s camera work and EVP recordings in the movie seemed really old hat to me; especially since the Ghost Hunters footage is real, while this movie is fiction. Plus, there were a few plot holes: the Ouija board film-review was missing a rather hugedetail Micah should have shared, and the fact that Katie hates the camera yet follows Micah around quite a bit with it during scary moments, to name a few. Micah also came off as the kind of a*%hole boyfriend many of my female friends talk about having once dated: self-absorbed, inconsiderate, constantly in a meaningless power game to keep his girlfriend sufficiently insecure and docile. While I was rooting for the couple against the demonic presence, I was simultaneously rooting for Katie to dump Micah by the end of the film.
So when all is said and done, Paranormal Activity is a spooky film that will make you jump and may freak out the faint of heart, but for me it was missing something, had some obvious plot holes, and seemed like a good yet fictional production of a Ghost Hunters episode without the benefit of Jay, Grant, Steve, Tango and Kris. I’d give it a C- for the jumps.
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Paranormal Activity – First European Screening Amsterdam >> MUST SEE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLICcvhVY08