Review: Paranormal Activity

 

As a fan of The Blair Witch Project (I saw it before really knowing what it was about, so the story really drew me in) I expected to enjoy the idea of Paranormal Activity, but based on the website and trailers didn't really know much about the story.  In fact, the trailers seem to spend more time focusing on the audience reaction than actually telling you about the film -- this might be a brilliant marketing move, as with this type of the film the less known in advance the better.

 

The story is told through the amateur film making of Micah, the subject being he and his fiancee Katie's experiences with an unknown presence in their house.  From the outset, Micah approaches the subject with almost giddy enthusiasm, but beyond his desire to record everything doesn't appear to take the issue seriously.  Katie on the other hand, does not see any humor in the situation and only wants to be rid of the problem -- as it turns out this is not her first experience with paranormal phenomenon.

 

It is hard to go into much more detail without giving away the story, so I will only add this: the difference in attitude between the characters really drives this film -- it creates palpable tension beyond the immediate subject and allows you to emotionally connect with the characters... you actually care about what happens to them.

 

From a production standpoint this film is not really new territory -- everything shot hand-held, there is no artistic cinematography here (which is appropriate).  The sound design was very carefully handled, and I must say there were some truly terrifying moments off-camera where all you have to focus on is sound.  If you watch this film at home, try to have the audio run through a really good sound system (preferably with a sub-woofer) -- the audio is really that good, and without it the film would lose much of it's impact.

 

It's rare that I would watch this type of film more than once, but after writing this I am tempted to see it a second time -- this is a thoroughly enjoyable film, and the perfect thing to watch on a rainy evening with all the lights off... light a few candles, sit back, and prepare to be scared.