'Paranormal Activity' does not live up to the hype

October 3, 8:51 PMNewark Movie ExaminerMark Jones

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Theatrical release poster

“’Paranormal Activity’ is one of the scariest movies of all time.”
-Bloody-Disgusting

“...genuinely horrifying...”
-Film Threat

“You guys are full of [expletive deleted].
-Mark Jones, Newark Movie Examiner

“Paranormal Activity” is the latest in the long line of hand-held horror movies, filmed on a shoe-string budget, using realistic looking footage shot by no name actors, under the guise of being a true story. What’s unbelievable is how much hype this movie has gotten from several reputable horror websites when it brings absolutely nothing new to the table. Not that I like dusting off this old chestnut every time one of these movies comes out, but “Paranormal Activity” really is the same exact thing as “The Blair Witch Project,” with a different set of characters, put in a house instead of the woods.

Micah and Katie have been dating for the past three years and have recently moved in together. They’ve been hearing strange noises at night emanating from around their home. Micah decides to investigate by purchasing a video camera and documenting their day to day lives and setting the camera on a tripod at night to capture any sort of paranormal phenomenon. Slowly but surely, they capture more and more bizarre footage which leads them to believe that whatever is in the house wants Katie all for itself.

“Paranormal Activity” starts just as “The Blair Witch Project” did. We meet the characters through the lens of home movies. One is super excited about having the camera running 24 hours a days, while the other finds it a little off-putting. We get the chance to see them in their everyday lives before night comes and the scares begin. Each night gets progressively worse (much like in "The Blair Witch") with the unseen terror becoming increasingly more aggressive as the couple sleeps. Each day the young couple becomes more uneasy with each other, as well as, with whatever is haunting them. There are some creepy moments and there is at least one good scare, but for the most part the hype surrounding this film is completely unjustified.

One major problem I found with this movie was that the trailer gives away half of the creepiest parts. If you’ve seen the trailer, you’ve seen a lot of the best parts of the movie and they completely lose their impact in the final film. The parts that aren’t in the trailer are all very predictable for any seasoned horror fan. “Paranormal Activity” is kind of like a greatest hits collection of hand-held horror moments repackaged for a new audience.  Hey, it's been 10 years since "The Blair Witch Project" premiered, right?  That opens the shaky-cam horror idea up to a whole new generation.

When I read quotes like “the audience was visibly shaken” I begin to wonder who comprised said audience at the screening. I could see 15-year-old girls being scared by this movie, but that’s no great feat. You take a young girl’s cell phone from her or tell her that the “New Moon” release date was pushed back a week and they’ll be scared. All of this begs the question, “Who’s letting all these 15-year-old girls into this R-rated movie?” I honestly can’t see any horror vets leaving the theater feeling the slightest bit uneasy.

Even though “Paranormal Activity” isn’t everything the reviews have made it out to be, I will say that I admire anyone who can put together a feature film for $11,000 and land any kind of theatrical run. First time director Oren Peli has shown he has true potential as a filmmaker in his debut. He’s demonstrated that he can build tension and definitely frighten some audiences. It will be interesting to see what this talented young filmmaker will be able to do with a budget.