Paranormal Activity is an impressive film. Perhaps a misguided way to begin my review, as the film itself and its narrative are nothing new; but for a film that cost $15,000 to produce to earn $100,000,000 and counting worldwide is something to be respected.
Coming from a forever lengthening list of horror films now placed into the so called ‘found footage’ genre, Paranormal Activity is the brainchild of first timer Oren Peli and follows the story of a young couple dealing with a haunting in their house.
The action we see is that caught on camera by the boyfriend, as he sets it up in the bedroom at night to try and capture anything strange that may be happening.
%movie(10608)
This is also interspersed with sections involving their bickering and the employment of an exorcist, but the main action centres around a series of night-time scenes involving the mischief that the central spirit is supposedly causing.
The central obstacle that has to be overcome with these types of films is the fact that the footage has to capture everything, so as to not make the film boring, whilst also not going outside the realms of possibility and so giving a reason for the camera to be held for the duration of the film; a conceit stretched to its limits in Cloverfield (2008).
The central idea is a good one, and overcomes this problem well, but the lack of anything to see makes the fear a lot less palpable.
I found myself never once being scared, partly because of the rather hackneyed booming/rumbling noise that materialized every time the spirit was about to do something, and partly because there is never anything there to be scared of. The poltergeist throws a few things round and sets fire to some stuff, but nothing substantial, until the very end, provides us with any actual scares.
The slow and painful tension in Blair Witch Project (1999) and the fast paced horror of [REC] (2007) provide better scares and more tangible fear, showing how ‘found footage’ films can achieve the high status that Paranormal Activity reaches for, but ultimately misses.
The movie’s production and attitude are to be admired, but the film is far too plodding for a mere 86 minutes; and the lack of any real scares or solid tension means that it unfortunately rather boring.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here