PARANORMAL ACTIVITY: This time you CAN believe the hype

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY: This time you CAN believe the hype

Dec 02

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY review by Money Talks

It’s a shame what constitutes a ‘horror’ film nowadays. Movies like Saw, Hostel and (like it or not) Twilight, are what today’s teens are calling horror. So when a film comes out and knocks your socks off that has little-to-no special-fx, shot with one camera and has a budget far less than what it took to airbrush Megan Fox’s acne scars out of Transformers 2, you have to stand up and take notice.

This year there has been a movement in genre cinema that I’ve noticed that errs on the side of storytelling more than effects. From my perspective, it’s a welcome change from the excess of effects that seems to get in the way to a good story.

I had a chance a couple of months to go to a sneak preview of Paranormal Activity. I’m a horror junkie so I leapt at the chance to see what all the fuss was about. The cinema was packed and I don’t think anyone was expecting what was to come next.

The film concerns a young couple Katie and Micah who, before we come in, have been having problems with unexplained noises and a bad feeling inside their villa apartment. Micah, having to somehow make sense of these occurrences, (he is a guy after all) brings home a video camera to document these paranormal activities. He starts off as a bit aloof about the situation but soon learns that you cannot mock the supernatural without getting some seriously screwed up repercussions.

As the story unfolds, I was drawn deeper into their dilemma. Unaware of the people around me and the multiplex that I was sitting in, I was quickly immersed in their story. The use of the home camera as being the way to tell the story felt comfortable and a bit voyeuristic. At times I felt acutely aware that this couple were having a few issues even before the spooks started and felt genuinely sorry for them as the story went on.

Now, I’m not one for spoilers. In fact if someone tells me the ending of a film or reveals who the bad guy is before I’ve seen said movie I get the crazy eyes and consider that person dead to me. So I’m not going to give you any spoilers here.

Like Alien, Halloween and most classic (70’s) horror films did, the story takes a while to unfold and to intentionally build up the scares. The pacing has caused a few critics to slam the film, but I felt it was spot-on. There is one moment in the film that happens about half way through that totally gave me the chills and raised the bar for what a low budget movie can do.

In a nutshell the film worked. The sound at times felt processed and not in sync with the low techness of the movie, but that’s a really nitpicky thing to point out as I found I was having to look for problems so as to justify my appreciation for the film.

Paranormal Activity, if seen in the right context, will scare the shit out of you. If you love your horror old school and really well paced storytelling and well acted, then you should like this movie.

I’ve read online that people have been criticising Katie Featherston’s weight. Now, you know your film works if the biggest issue people have with the film is with one of your star’s weight. Katie, while not only having to act a fine line throughout the film is a very fine looking woman. I for one was hoping for a sex scene or two. Oh well, maybe her next film?

As we filed out of the cinema I could see a lot of stunned, shocked and amused looking faces. I’ll admit I was probably all three as I left the auditorium. Films like this thrive on word of mouth and all my mates are sick of me talking about it already, I’m sure.

This film had me by the throat from the beginning. As I was driving home, I had to pump up the volume on the stereo to stop myself from getting creeped out.

Not even the almighty KISS was able to keep the chills away. A sure sign of a good effective modern horror film.

One word of caution – you might have trouble sleeping after this movie. I know I did.

This time you can believe the hype.