TheChez.net

by phil0s0rapt0r

There is not much to really say about this movie. It wasn’t a bad movie, but it wasn’t great. The female protagonist, played by Katie Featherston has gigantic boobs, though. Anyway, this movie is pretty similar to The Blair Witch Project in two ways: (1) the action is seen through the lens of a camera which is controlled by the protagonists, and (2) the only really scary part is the very last scene. Definitely not worth eight fucking fifty.

A second take…

by Hydro033

Paranormal Activity did what it was supposed to do. It incrementally built tension that gripped you in your seat. The movie was shot entirely using a camcorder by the male protagonist, Micah. He bought the camcorder in order to catch sightings of the hauntings that have plagued his girlfriend, Katie.  The woman has been haunted her entire life by some presence. After getting the camcorder, strange events start unfold as the hauntings increase in frequency and intensity. Eventually, the protagonists lose their sanity and more.

The acting was actually pretty good for this low-budget film. These types of cinéma vérité style films, require no-name actors, otherwise they wouldn’t be believable. The only gripe I have with the actors is that they didn’t bring many other people into the film. I recall one dude and one chick besides the main two protagonists. That’s it. It needed more. Plus, they should have left the house more. It seemed like they were trapped in there, but they weren’t. I don’t get it, because this “demon” seemed like it was limited spatially, but they never tried to get away from it. They would just fucking go hide in another room or something. Dumbasses.

The plot worked for me. The tension was built very patiently and effectively. I’m not very frightened by movies, I crack a smile when I watch films like this, but there were moments in the film that did not allow me to smile. These moments seemed genuinely horrifying as long as you believed them, but I’m rational, so they don’t horrify me. All in all, every now and then I found myself saying “What if?” and I felt a sensation of helplessness and fear that the protagonist must have felt. Any movie that can successfully translate emotion, is a successful movie, and I felt it in Paranormal Activity.

Although the movie had many pros, I was let down by the less than stellar ending. I’ve been told by numerous people, including phil0s0rapt0r’s above review,  that the end is the only frightening part. I completely and whole-heartedly disagree. The whole movie was great., but it was the ending that was not. The ending was… typical of a horror movie. Maybe that is why people found it as the “scary” part. I feel as if everyone has this idea of what a horror movie should be and only allow those typical elements to frighten them. So, when people saw this typical ending, something clicked. They said “yea, that’s what I’ve been waiting for, stuff like this!” Well, you shouldn’t be waiting for anything when you’re watching a movie. You shouldn’t have expectations. That ruins the beauty of the film.

In conclusion, Paranormal Activity is a good film that isn’t for the faint of heart. It has a raw intensity that is only let down by its cliché ending. Not to mention, this thing made a killing at the box office, so bravo and keep the cinéma vérité style films rolling, I love them.

1.5/5 Chezwicks