Paranormal Activity – Movie Review
The tagline asks: What happens when you sleep?
The plot is simple: After moving into a suburban home, a couple becomes increasingly disturbed by a nightly demonic presence.
The film, given its simplicity, a cast of just four and a single setting – the couple’s house – is a victory for director / writer Oren Peli. Obviously filmed on a fairly low budget, this movie was a box office smash, and we watched it “on demand”.
I love scary films, and I love being scared. I love the heart thumping, heart stopping moments that directors lure you into, just to release it all with a single JUMP as the unexpected (or sometimes expected) thing happens at just the right moment. And this film does that in droves! Excellent.
A little slow to get moving and filmed in a style similar to that of The Blair Witch, the film begins with the boyfriend setting up his recording equipment throughout the house, giving just a hint as he does it of what has been going on in the house at night. The film shows what happens as the couple sleep, and to start with it’s nothing quite tangible.
Through a series of days, the visitations get more frequent, and more scary, until about 45 minutes through, the director and excellent main characters have you jumping out of your seat. A psychic is called and is visibly scared to be there, but here we learn the history of the couple’s troubles and the ever sceptical boyfriend is left trying to figure the problems out scientifically.
Many impossible things happen along the way, that have your skin crawling with goose bumps, and you screaming at the couple to “GET THE HELL OUUUUUUT!!!!” All of this builds to a thrilling climax that has you wondering what you would do in the same situation. This movie had me truly spooked.
About an hour in, I paused the movie to go to the bathroom – my wife laughed as I left the room switching on all of the lights as I went up our dark stairs. Having had the experiences I’ve had with the paranormal, I wasn’t taking any chances!
Many people like Micah, the boyfriend in this movie, are sceptical of the existence of the paranormal. I am not, I believe completely, and this movie just fed my beliefs. This movie should not be watched in the dark or alone, but it should be watched, because it is horror at its best. Don’t miss it!!
