Paranormal Activity

Hype is a tricky thing. It can either get a movie the right kind of buzz to make it known among filmgoers or attach massive expectations to it that the movie has to match. For ultra low budget horror film ‘Paranormal Activity’, the huge hype surrounding it comes as a mixed blessing. Although it’s a chilling and effectively made horror film that’s a lesson in minimalistic filmmaking, it’s also a victim of its own hype.

Katie and Micah are just another boyfriend and girlfriend that have moved in together. But something is troubling Katie at night. She cannot explain it but it has been haunting her since she was eight years old. The couple is hearing sinister noises in the house while they’re asleep. To find out the truth, Micah brings in a video camera at home to document what really happens when they go to sleep. Bizarre discoveries are made as they realize what’s haunting them is way beyond the realms of ghosts and spirits and is much more dangerous.

If you think the handheld ‘found footage’ gimmick is over-used, that’s because it is. But there’s a fundamental reason it works. Since the audience is completely aware that the outcome of the film will be not a happy one, they want to find out what led to that and hence their interest is piqued throughout. It also is the most real form of horror since you experience everything through the characters’ point of view. But ‘Paranormal Activity’ doesn’t do anything radically different with it. In fact, the film is very similar to 1999’s ‘Blair Witch’ in structure and right down to the ambiguous ending.

But the focus is the scares and thankfully, ‘Paranormal Activity’ is creepy and has a number of shocking moments bound to stay with the viewer. The movie takes the minimalistic approach of leaving things to the imagination in a way ‘Blair Witch’ succeeded and in turn horrifies. The meaty bits of the film are set during the night scenes when the couple is asleep. Although the first few nights are mild in tension and features the well-known door opening and odd noises, this is just a set-up to an escalating series of sequences that notch up the titular activities every night and builds to one of the most shocking and frightening sequences of the year. Since the horror here is much more grounded in reality than slasher flicks or vengeful ghost stories, it is a tale that resonates with everybody and scares them effectively. Escalating tension is where the biggest strength of the film lies. Instead of going all out or revealing the antagonists like other horror films, each night here is more sinister than the other and like a rollercoaster ride, it all builds up to an explosive finale similar to ‘Blair Witch’. If you’re noticing a lot of ‘Blair Witch’ comparisons here, it’s because they’re clearly visible.

But the hype definitely puts a dent on its effectiveness. Thanks to brilliant viral marketing and word of mouth campaigns by the studio, the film is touted by the media to be one of the best horror films of all time. What some people will fail to realize is that for those critics, it was the element of surprise that made it work for them. Watching an ultra low budget horror movie with no stars and an unknown director, no one expected a horror movie of this quality due to little to no expectations. But as a current viewer if you go in with sky high expectations, you are bound to nitpick every single tactic the film uses and be much more critical of it. And that’s where the film falls short. Unlike films like ‘Avatar’ where the sky high expectations of technical wizardry are met, ‘Paranormal Activity’ is easy to nitpick and isn’t nearly as scary upon deep analysis. It’s no fault of the film, though. Horror being one of the most subjective genres out there, it is unlikely that a film will be deemed scary by every single viewer. That is why ‘Paranormal Activity’ should be watched as a fun time at the movies rather than the next revolution in horror.

There are also some pacing issues involved with the film, especially in the first 30 minutes. The endless banter between the actors may be believable and realistic but brings the film to a halt as viewers will be

Acting-wise, all that needs to be done in this mini-genre is act as realistic as possible due to the ‘true story’ gimmick. And Micah and Katie do a great job with that (their real names are their character names). Micah is a likeable lead for the film and manages to be charming and supportive of his girlfriend throughout although some of the decisions he makes and his motives seem forced and mainly there to move the plot along. Katie plays a troubled woman adequately although she’s frustrated most of the time in the film and that lessens her likability factor a little bit.

Technically, it’s obvious that this was a bare bones production. The budget here was about $11,000 and it shows. The camera is of average handheld quality but it isn’t distracting since in the context of the film it makes sense that it would be. The villa itself is picturesque which helps since the whole film is set there.

Overall, there is no denying the fact that ‘Paranormal Activity’ is a memorable experience that provides effective and chilling sequences and ranks as the one of the best horror films of 2009. Is it one of the best horror movies ever? If you’ve seen many horror films, you would disagree. But this is a must-watch as a theatrical experience since the dark surrounding would definitely add to the scare value. Go watch ‘Paranormal Activity’ without any expectations at all and prepare to be surprised.

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