Review: PARANORMAL ACTIVITY

I was lucky enough to catch the midnight screening of ‘Paranormal Activity’ here in Los Angeles. I had my reservations going into the film, because this movie has been getting a lot of hype, but I went in with an open mind.

It must have been a little over halfway through the running time when I started to feel like I wanted to leave the theater, though not because the movie was bad… IT SCARED THE ABSOLUTE HELL OUT OF ME.

I made myself stay. I finished ‘Paranormal Activity’ with my hands covering my face. I had to will myself not to look away from the screen. This movie turned me into a cowering child.

It finally ended and the enthusiastic crowd began to mill their way out of the theater. I could hardly stand up. My legs were weak, I had a tension headache, I was physically exhausted from being scared. I had goosebumps on the way out of the theater and for most of my drive home. When I got to my apartment, I turned on my living room light and sat on the couch until the sun came up.

No movie has ever given me that much anxiety.

‘Paranormal Activity’ was apparently shot on a shoestring budget. The kind of horror on display is that which feeds on the power of suggestion, so don’t expect ‘Poltergeist’ special effects. In fact, the film’s best effect is its use of audio. If you’ve ever given yourself the shivers because you thought you heard a spooky sound in your house, then this movie will terrorize you.

The story is simple. A young couple thinks their house is haunted, so they set up a camera while they sleep to see if they can make sense of the phenomena. They soon discover that the house is, indeed, haunted. Very haunted. And none too friendly.

Technically, and despite the budgetary restrictions, ‘Paranormal Activity’ is firing on all cylinders. The cast performances are grounded in believability, and the camera work is what you would expect, given the Cinéma vérité style of the narrative.

This movie is for anyone that has ever been afraid of the dark within their own home. It’s for the people that have stayed up too late telling scary stories, or surfing Youtube for videos of ghosts.

To give away any more would be detrimental. Go into this movie cold.

TAKE NOTE:

‘Paranormal Activity’ will open in limited release, so only select cities will get the film. If your area is not currently playing the film, you can insist to have it screened there by going to ParanormalMovie.com or http://www.eventful.com/paranormalactivity and DEMAND IT. If the demand is high enough, the film will come to your area.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars