Paranormal Activity

Synopsis

After the rise of weird behavior in their house, a young couple attempts to record what is going on catching more than they expected, from an entity that knows their victims.

Review

When I first watched this, I lived in Carlsbad, California as I was stationed at Camp Pendleton. So this found footage style in the city I was in, really set a stage that still makes me creeped out. I am pretty sure I know the neighborhood if not the house that this was supposedly in.

That is what sets this apart though. The found footage is stable and not this person running around, and you are getting motion sick just watching it. Most of it takes place on tripods or just steady camera work that really helps you to focus on what is going on. Allowing for you to watch these young cast members really do a decent job. They are not awesome, but they do a fantastic job of being real. Katie's screams really just pierce your ear drums when she is being dragged or when just frightened to her wits end. Micah's arrogance from his job to the way he acts, really is on par with what you would expect from a macho dude. To be honest, he reminds me of my brother when we used to go to haunted houses put on in Colorado years ago.

What has always impressed me was the practicality of the effects in this. This first one really does show you that yes, you can edit people out, but the tricks do have to be CGI. The way the sheets move, the being dragged, the moving of the chandelier really just sit in reality which means that the question of "Is the movie Paranormal Activity real" got/continues to get searched a lot. It feels and looks real. That is something that you will not get from Lee Cronins the Mummy, M3gan, Smile and other movies like these.

My Rating

I have always enjoyed this movie. I have watched it a lot. You'd be surprised how loud and high-pitched you can get Marines to scream when watching this in a tent in Afghanistan. Much like other series, whenever a new one comes out, I have watched the series, and so I know this one. I know the scares. However, they still make me jump. The running of the footsteps from the dark is one of my favorite tropes. It plays on that uncanny valley which is why you get it here and in The Empty Man. It is scary and grounded in human fear. While the acting can be crap from people, Katie does a great job in this. I am giving this an 8.

Parental Rating

This deals with a demon and demonic possession. Their Christian sensibilities will stop them from watching this before the first "F" bomb is dropped. Rejected by both.

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