By: Eric Sloss
Writer, Movie Jungle
The horror genre is one of the most cost effective genres in Hollywood. You can get away with not having a big star in horror flicks and still generate a big hit. A couple of the biggest out of nowhere low budget hits have been horror films. “Halloween” in 1978 was made for $320,000 and grossed a staggering $55 million. 20 years later, “Blair Witch Project” took in practically $250 million on a budget of less than a million. On the heels of these two hits is another low budget horror flick called “Paranormal Activity”. It was made for less than $20,000 and has created a lot of buzz recently. The movie is definitely worth the hype that it is generating.
I must admit that I did not care for “Blair Witch Project” at all. There was no payoff for the slow buildup in the film. Some people enjoyed the notion of not seeing anything that caused all the havoc. I felt cheated. “Paranormal Activity” follows the same format as “Blair Witch Project” with the faux documentary style and hand-held camera work. Unlike “Blair Witch Project”, “Paranormal Activity” delivers the goods.
Katie (Katie Featherston) and Micah (Micah Sloat) is a couple that has just moved in with each other. Katie believes she is being stalked by a nasty demon. Micah buys some video equipment to try to capture the spirit on tape. Micah films their every day stuff and also puts the camera on a tripod to film while they are sleeping.
Director/screenwriter Oren Peli has basically created a creepy haunted house movie. Peli keeps building the tension throughout. There was no formal screenplay, but a basic outline that the actors went by. This creates a nice authenticity to the dialogue and made it more real. The use of the hand-held camera puts the audience right smack in the middle of the scary festivities. Sometimes the shaky camera work made me a bit queasy, but I believe that was the point of Peli. He wants the audience to be a bit off center and uneasy. It is a total audience experience.
At first the demon seems to be doing just harmless stuff like knocking down keys and moving the bedroom door slightly. Katie though wants to consult with a professional and she calls in a psychic (Michael Bayouth). He tells the young couple that this is beyond his expertise. He deals with just ghosts and not the scary demon that they have. The psychic gives them some suggestions and wants them to call a demonologist colleague of his.
The couple has an interesting dynamic to them. Katie goes through a complete transformation by the end of the film. She seems beaten down by the circumstances and just wants some normalcy to her life. Katie reveals early on that she feels that she has been haunted since the age of nine. Her childhood house was mysteriously burned down. And ever since then, she has been troubled by this demonic spirit.
Micah is an understanding partner at times and dismissive of the spirit at other intervals. He fights with Katie about the use of the camera and being so blasé toward the demon. The movie does get most of its humor from Micah’s comments and attitude. It is much needed to break up the tension.
“Paranormal Activity” works best when they show the couple sleeping and we see what is lurking in the shadows. It is frightening because you don’t know what is coming and when it will occur. Some of the creepiest scenes just show Katie in a catatonic state just standing next to the bed in the wee hours. You wonder if she is going to do something to Micah or herself. A simple light turning on from the bathroom will spook even the hardened horror veterans.
Apparently the ending has been changed a bit from earlier screenings of the film. The current ending works beautifully. You may not get a bigger jolt in your lifetime. I know that I nearly leapt out of my chair. Younger folks could dismiss “Paranormal Activity” because of the lack of gore and shock effects. More discriminating horror fans will appreciate the well earned scares and frights from “Paranormal Activity”. It is great when the hype matches the reality for a movie.
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