From now one before I date any girl I’ll be forced to ask if she has a history of being stalked by anything evil.
Paranormal Activity (2007)
Directed By: Oren Peli
The Prologue
If you’re looking for a film that follows the footsteps of the little engine that could it would be Paranormal Activity. A film that was originally made in 2007 for little (in movie terms) money, but was able to gain steam by getting everyone talking, get a limited release then get a nationwide release in 2009 thanks to the masses of fans the film got. And as a result the film turned in waaaay way more money than it had put into it. Thus proving you don’t actually have to spend a million to make a million.
But as with any movie that people take to, it does find it’s haters as well as it’s fans. It’s been compared to The Blair Witch Project which went through the same love/hate thing with the masses that this film goes through today.
So perhaps I’m late to the party but last night I popped in this DVD, got me a Dr.Pepper, hugged a Teddy Bear (OK that part I didn’t do..honest) and I kicked back to watch a movie I’ve heard oh soo many good and bad things about.
The Movie
After moving into a suburban home, a couple becomes increasingly disturbed by a nightly demonic presence. So they buy a camera to record what is going on inside the house..which may be a very very bad thing to do if you ever find yourself being haunted/stalked by a ghost/demon!..Just sayin..
So we are with Katie and her boyfriend Micah, who oddly enough are really played by people who’s names really are Katie and Micah (Weeeeeird). Katie has been haunted since she was a child by something evil and Micah is the blow hard boyfriend who think apparently that he knows what he is doing when it comes to these matters..As you can assume, he’s wrong.
Now this film is a film you could easily play off as being real to some people. It’s perfectly presented as such, and even I have friends who assumed this is 100% real and not a movie. When that happens then you have done just what you set out to do with film making like this. Perhaps some can’t handle the shaky camera you get from time to time with these first person movies but in this case with this one the camera isn’t as shaky and motion sickness shouldn’t be THAT big of a deal for you.
The film may work best in a movie theater but it’s pretty cool at the wee hours of the morning as well. Sure the film does move slow at times, especially at the start but with a film as this that can be expected. The movie is suppose to be “real” folks, if this is happened in real life you won’t be having this stuff go down in a break neck speed I’m sure or at least I’d hope..Not that I ever want to find out for real myself as this subject matter is one that does indeed freak me out a bit. That freaked out feeling in reference to the subject matter can greatly add to the viewers enjoyment and excitement with the film if you share that same feeling with it.
I’m not sure how one is to rate actors that are pretty much playing themselves but I’ll tell you from a movie character standpoint, Katie comes across as sympathetic victim who has the bad luck of having this evilness around her and having a dumbass for a boyfriend in Micah. He only ends up making everything worse as the movie goes along. I really wanted to punch the guy, which isn’t good because he’d probably be able to kick my butt.
All in all if you like the first person movies you’ll love this as I think it’s equal if not a little better than The Blair Witch Project, which I liked. And the ending is a lot more fulfilling no matter which of the two zillion different alternate endings you end up seeing.
The Conclusion
It’s a love it or hate it movie folks and I’m pretty sure I love it. Or at least I like it a lot, it may be too soon to call it love because my momma always said you can’t hurry love, no you just have to wait and blah blah blah..
But a fun movie none the less, and one you can have a blast with late at night or in a group of friends who haven’t seen it yet. It may have originally been made in 2007 but to me it’s one of the best films of 2009..Then again I love this sorta stuff.
The Rating (8/10)
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