248 of 292 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Be Prepared To Use Your Imagination, November 26, 2009
A well-written review of any film should never label its subject "good" or "bad". Rather, it should give you an idea of whether or not you can expect to enjoy it, based on your own preferences and expectations. Paranormal Activity is a particularly controversial film when it comes to the potency of its terror. Most reviews either complain, with great disdain, "I hated it - it wasn't scary at all" or exclaim in total satisfaction, "It scared the pants off me - I loved it". There seems to be little in-between.
I saw the film today, having read enough reviews to know pretty much what to expect. But before I reveal my own reaction to Paranormal Activity, I would like to offer a few ideas that those who know little about this film may find helpful.
Alfred Hitchcock, the celebrated director who was known as "The Master of Suspense" held many interesting theories about what frightens an audience. Hitchcock believed that, when properly stimulated, the viewer's imagination was far more powerful - and far scarier - than many direct images that may or may not frighten the average viewer. Directly depicting a ghost, a monster or a demon for example, even with today's special effects, may scare many viewers, but that will depend solely on the quality of the effects. And even if well done, many viewers may find the images unconvincing or downright laughable, for they may have other ideas about what a ghost, monster or demon should look like.
However, if the filmmaker merely implies that a supernatural event is taking place, and sets up the situation with enough skill, the viewer's imagination can take over and sometimes yield a far more frightening experience than any vivid imagery ever will. After all, people go to horror films to be frightened, and what could be more frightening than unseen terrors from one's own imagination? By setting the mood with dark rooms, low lighting, eerie shadows and other effects that many people will associate with their greatest fears, an innocent image of two people peacefully sleeping, unaware of what may be going on about them or to them, can become very frightening indeed, even if few special effects are used. This is especially true if the moviegoer has developed enough empathy with the characters to place themselves in the same situation.
Many modern horror films rely on blood, gore and violence, with horrible creatures conjured up by special effects and vivid scenes involving battles with ugly demons or manic killers in order to provide thrills. That can be a lot of fun, and certainly very scary. But it can also be argued that, as CGI effects advance and become more vivid and frighteningly realistic, many viewers become inured to violence, blood and "creatures" while depending less and less on their own imagination, and in the process, they will sometimes forgo a far scarier experience. I know that no special effect ever came close to my own nightmares, because my nightmares are stirred by the things I fear most, and not the things that I've been conditioned to find scary. In short, no amount of vivid terrors can match the human imagination, provided that the imagination is properly stimulated.
Well, this is the basic idea behind Paranormal Activity. Largely on a shoestring budget, the writers/director/actors of Paranormal Activity have managed to create an old-fashioned thriller that relies almost exclusively on the viewer's imagination. Those who like their "scary movies" full of CGI, monsters, blood and violence are warned; you will probably be extremely disappointed. But if you have enough respect for your own imagination, and can allow yourself to be frightened not by what you see, but by what you think is there, you just may find Paranormal Activity to be every bit as frightening and well done as many people say it is.
By the way, I saw it with a friend. He did not find it frightening at all. On the other hand, I definitely expect to have trouble sleeping tonight. Whether or not you will agree may depend on how effective your own imagination can be.
Recommended.
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41 of 58 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
All hype, no substance, October 28, 2009
Obviously most everybody knows that this movie has loads of hype behind it. The commercials praised the fear-instilling nature of the film showing an audience jumping in fright. Does it live up to the claims? I went to the movie with my wife and we both expected it to be a flop. Afterall, when there's loads of hype behind something it often times means it's going to be a joke. Well, it wasn' a COMPLETE flop, but it wasn't scary at all. My wife is a veteran horror fan and I'm a newbie horror fan. Neither of us were scared once from this movie. The sad part is that the only interesting part about the movie is the interactions between the two main characters which make for an interesting lesson in relationships.
The main characters are a boyfriend/girlfriend couple living together in the guy's house. The film is completely viewed through the new camera the boyfriend purchased to hopefully catch footage of the alleged demon haunting his girlfriend. It starts off extremely slow with some simple everyday activities of the couple, then they have a psychic come to their home to ask his advice. The few "scary" scenes mostly occur while they are asleep in their room with the camera still rolling. Unfortunately, nothing scary ever happens. There's some weird stuff, but that's about it. The only reason I didn't feel like I wasted my money was because 1) I didn't expect much of the movie in the first place, and 2) my curiosity was satisfied.
The audience we were sitting with clearly didn't think it was particularly scary either (apart from two girls who freaked out over EVERYTHING). People were laughing rather than screaming, and nobody jumped like the commercials advertized. The only part that really makes things interesting is the VERY END which still didn't do that much for me. So, even if you don't go in with high expectations you MAY still be disappointed! However, if you know you will like this kind of movie, go ahead and give it a shot. Just because I didn't get anything out of it doesn't mean you won't.
EDIT: I modified the ending of my review to make it more reasonable. Thanks for everybody who has read it so far (even if they did vote down my review, lol).
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good Scary Movie - Rent, Don't Buy, October 9, 2011
Paranormal Activity is a film about a couple, Katie and Micah, and their experience being haunted by a demon. Although the film starts off slowly as the plot is sketched out, about a third of the way into the film (when you start witnessing the paranormal activity for yourself) you are drawn into the film and can really enjoy it. The film is based on the "found footage" premise made famous my The Blair Witch Project. The viewer is told that this is a true story at the beginning, which adds to you caring about the characters and events in the film. The film is legitimately scary with a terrific ending...if you can get past the 30 minute mark you will enjoy it, but if you have a short attention span or need a whole lot of action, then avoid this movie - it's a character centric movie rather than action or special effects focused.
While I enjoyed the movie, the extras were simply non-existant. The only extra was an alternate ending. This film could have used a commentary as the story behind the film is exceptional. The director used his own home for the film, the actors were paid only $500, one of the actors was actually the cameraman, and the film is one of the most profitable films of all time. It would have been interesting to hear how the director came up with the idea, what led him to utilize the found footage premise, and how the minimal special effects were done.
I recommend that anyone interested in scary movies watch this - it's better at night curled up in bed, since most of the action takes place late at night in the couple's bedroom - but it is not a must own since there are no extras to make it a worthwhile purchase.
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