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Review of Paranormal Activity
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© Paramount and Dreamworks
Hype is definitely a double-edged sword. The good about hype is that it brings a lot of positive attention to something, the bad is that the end result rarely delivers. In the past few weeks, no film has received as much hype as Paranormal Activity with the phrase "scariest movie ever" being bandied about quite a bit. So does Paranormal Activity deliver the goods? Yes and no.
The best part of this film is its slow build-up and atmosphere. When Katie and Micah believe something is happening in their house as they sleep, they set up a camera in their bedroom. Over the course of four weeks, each night that something happens is progressively worse and more bold than the last. Helping to make this scenario seem and feel believable are the two main actors Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat. Their performances are real and visceral and allow you to buy into what's happening on-screen. Featherston's performance in particular brings the film to another level.
Paranormal Activity has drawn a lot of comparisons to The Blair Witch Project and it's easy to see why. Both present their respective stories in a "found footage" fashion with "real people" experiencing something terrifying. But where they differ are the endings. In Blair Witch, the ending was the scariest part of the movie because you had no idea what was going on and what intensified the scare is what you didn't see; it's a masterstroke in psychological terror. The ending to Paranormal Activity, while good, is a little bit of a let down and we have Steven Spielberg to thank for that. When he began championing this flick, which had been completed for two years, to get a theatrical release, he suggested an alternate ending to director Oren Peli, which he filmed. You can click here to read the two alternate endings that Peli originally filmed (caution: spoilers contained in that link). Personally, I prefer the third one mentioned.
So while Paranormal Activity isn't the "scariest movie ever," it's still an excellent horror/psychological thriller that will definitely freak you out during its scarier moments. Those moments gave this jaded critic the shivers and had me tense through much of the movie just anticipating what would happen next. I recommend checking out this film in a theater so you can get the communal experience of hearing other people scream. However, I think this film will have the most impact when it hits DVD and those who didn't see it in a theater watch it late at night in their darkened homes. At that point, it won't matter if you watch it by yourself or with 20 people: Paranormal Activity will scare the hell out of you.
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