Paranormal Activity Review

Has it really been since August 23, kiddies? I suppose it has. But alas I finally have not only something to write about, but more importantly TIME to write it. After what seems like endless exams, I had the opportunity to see a little (literally) movie called, "Paranormal Activity." You've all heard the hype and the mayhem. Well maybe not mayhem, but there's certainly been a lot of talk about this $11,000 dollar horror flick. And let me tell you, first hand: believe the hype. This is the first movie that has scared me in a long time. A very long time. I may have trouble sleeping tonight, and that's the point. This is a movie that doesn't just jump out and give you a quick fright, throw a bunch of blood at you, and call it a day. This is a movie that develops characters (quite quickly, I might add) and then slowly and methodically induces its chills. It's delightfully creepy.

The story revolves around a couple, Katie and Micah, living in their house, who then decide (one more resolutely than the other) to document some strange happenings that have been going on recently. As they begin to document their lives, things progress and begin to get more intense as the film goes on. So as not to spoil the whole point of the movie, that is about as far as I can go.

What really surprised me was how much I ended up caring about the characters. Filmed in a mockumentary style, it's more like a home video than a movie proper. And the actors themselves act in a very realistic way, perhaps a credit to the relatively unscripted plot of the movie. You begin to appreciate their personalities, a surprising feat for a horror movie. I am just surprised that the characters were developed in such a short amount of time that I ended up caring about them very quickly. And of course it helps that much of the first part of the movie is introductory material, to lull the audience into a sense of complacency.

And that complacency is really what drives the entire movie. You see, the scares are not about what happens, but what doesn't happen and what you anticipate might happen. It's about what you can't see and what you train your eyes to attempt to see. The movie plays with your senses PERFECTLY, a testament to a good scary movie. And as it is doing this, it is enthralling you. You spend effort concentrating and listening in for something, ANYthing you can get. Then the movie gets you. I want to tell you more about the actual details of the scares but it will ruin the entire build-up and subsequently the entire movie. Suffice it to say, they are all perfectly executed, each one building on the last, and when you see the night vision and the clock in the corner slow down, you will be on edge, talking to yourself, saying, "No no...that can't be...no no...don't." First time I've ever done that in the theater. Ever.

While the build-up to each scare is tremendous, sometimes the pacing does seem a bit off. The first couple of frights you may feel are light, and you may begin to doubt the movie. But listen to me when I say you must keep going because you will be rewarded...and by "reward" I mean scared to death. Also the "mockumentary" style may turn some off because it reminds them of the "Blair Witch Project" (although I still say that was also frightening). But you must also keep in mind that's the point of the movie. And that's what makes it work.

Bottom line (I am a bottom line guy): the movie works. The style, the ambience, the false sense of security, and the freak outs. They all work seamlessly. This shows that horror movies don't have to be crazy monsters and the new, terrible phase of "torture porn" (I'm looking at you Saw). Horror is more in the delivery than the actual act. And finally a movie scared me and might give me some trouble sleeping!

Sometimes it's good to be frightened.

4/5