The hype surrounding this film has been claiming that it is the scariest of all time. Reviews and reviewers are clambering over each other to tell us how they've been unable to sleep since watching the film and that they were literally falling out of their chairs with terror while it was on. Pretty strong stuff, so I went into the cinema with a little trepidation. I rarely jump or get overly frightened by horror films, so I was naturally worried that I might get all wussy with this one – it's a macho thing I think.Paranormal Activity is a very effective movie, one in which sound and subtle changes in character and ambiance create a terrifying atmosphere. The plot revolves around a couple who live in a house and live with night terrors, the boyfriend decides to film their experiences to record and document the paranormal activity. The girlfriend tells stories of her past in which she has been haunted by demons and calls in a psychic to diagnose her problems. As her boyfriend starts to take matters seriously and begins to call the demon out, the paranormal activity gets worse. From noises to footprints and then to physical presences, we never get to see what's causing the hauntings, but it's impact is constantly present and terrifying.
'Paranormal Activity' is only 80 minutes long, but it has no need to be any longer. The payoff at the end of the film is suitably subtle and unnerving, a fitting end to a film that has been made in the same vein.
It didn't stop me sleeping or have me jumping out of my seat, but 'Paranormal Activity' certainly is one of the most unsettling and effective horror films I have seen in a long time.
Paranormal Activity is a genuinely scary film which nevertheless owes a Directorial debt to the path laid by 'Blair Witch Project'. There is however, only so much that can be achieved with the 'camcorder and isolated young people' syndrome.
ReplyDeleteI suspect that Paranormal Activity has reached that pinacle ( come on, someone prove me wrong).
MY only criticism of the film is that the ending left open the prospect for a dreaded sequel. Apart from that I put Paranormal Activity up there with The Exorcist and the aforementioned Blair Witch Project.
There's always scope for a remake no matter how closed the ending to a film might seem. I thought that the open ending here was like a classic ghost story, made more terrifying by the prospect that the demon might still be out there somewhere...
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