| Movie Review: ‘Paranormal Activity’ |
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Not since the much loved/hated ‘Blair Witch Project’ (a movie I enjoyed greatly), have we seen a marketing campaign for a horror movie quite like the one for ‘Paranormal Activity’. Initially only opening in 13 cities across the U.S., horror buffs had to go to the movie’s website and demand the movie be brought to their neck of the woods. That “want what you can’t have” mentality combined with a trailer and reviews promising the movie will make you crap your theater seat and hork your dinner in the aisles resulted in ‘Paranormal Activity’ not only becoming a big success, but becoming a fucking HUGE one. With a total production budget of only $15,000, ‘Paranormal Activity’ has currently managed to pull in nearly $37 million dollars. 37 goddamn million dollars. Now, I’m no expert, but I’d have to say that’s quite the modest return on investment. So, yeah we know this movie made an assload of money. That’s awesome, good for them. But as any moviegoer who’s had to sit through an overhyped shitpile knows, tons of movies that rake in the big bucks are complete dogshit *cough*transformers2*cough*. I think the questions that most people need answering are these: is this movie any good and is it as scary as all of the reviews and trailers are making it out to be? The answers, my dear readers, are “yes” and “ehhhh, not quite”. Now don’t get me wrong, I really enjoyed this movie… I found it suspenseful, nerve-wracking and downright creepy. For the most part however, it is not the classic jump-out-and-scare-you horror film a lot of viewers are expecting. Be warned: much of this movie is quite slow. As the story progresses, the intensity of the ghostly activities increases and the suspense builds to a downright disturbing conclusion… but overall it’s slow-going. We see something spooky, people hang out and talk, we hear something spooky, people hang out and talk. Repeat. This is how the majority of the film plays out. However, the relatable nature of the two main characters, Katie & Micah, and the realism of the filming really draws you into the story and makes you ponder what you would do if forced into their horrifying situation. Additionally, the final half hour or so makes the waiting game completely worth it in the end. Sure, this movie may not be as outright scary as some are saying, but I promise it is most definitely creepy as hell. And I can almost guarantee you’ll be bringing a lot of those uneasy feelings home with you. The film sticks in your head so well, it’s hard not to run through some of its more skin-crawling scenes in your mind while you’re tucked into your own bed… and doing so may just cause you to grip the covers a little tighter and pull your feet under your sheets a little quicker. While ‘Paranormal Activity’ may not make you scream for your mother in the theater, don’t be surprised if you end up doing so in your sleep. Note: I tried to keep this review as spoiler free as possible, so I’m sorry if things are left a little vague. Don’t want to ruin it for the peeps that aren’t as awesome as me and haven’t seen the movie yet. I’m sure you understand. Official Website: www.paranormalactivity-movie.com |
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