Paranormal Activity

Fight or Flight. This is the summary of the human condition in response to an adrenaline-inspiring external force. Let me begin by saying that this film is not all that it is hyped up to be. That said, it is extremely inventive and curious. For a film shot on a budget of $11,000, it will almost surely become one of the most profitable films of all time.

The premise is that two average people; a student and a day trader (convenient for the staying home all day angle) are noticing paranormal activity during the night. A pretty straight-forward back story of the girl having a history of haunting, and the psychic coming in to explain the difference between a ghost and a demon (thanks doc) builds tension over the course of about two weeks . The style is done as an almost exact replica of the Blair Witch Project only they are in a house instead of the woods. The characters are pretending to be authentic, and to make my movie going experience even better, upon conclusion, the girl behind me asks out loud "was that for real?" The answer to that is an obvious and resounding "no".

This film, along with Blair Witch and Cloverfield follows the pseudo-reality format, only the characters do not follow what a normal, real person would do in this situation. If there was creepy stuff going on in your house, to quote Eddie Murphy, you should "get out". Additionally, I would probably use lights as a demon deterrent and/or close the bedroom door maybe. I don't know, if the psychic said don't communicate or provoke, I might listen to him as well.

What works about this film is the ambitious semi-realism and the female lead, although she does resemble Pam from the Office just a little too much to take seriously. What doesn't work is how idiotic the male lead is. And that they don't take any discernible action to resolve their plight.

I went into this film with high hopes because of the hype and public response, but I was let down. There were certainly moments of heart-pounding tension, and it was the anticipation of something happening that made the film intriguing and scary. Frightening? No. Disturbing? A little. Watching things happen to people while they sleep is a fear that everyone can relate to. Helplessness and ignorance are scary concepts to deal with. However, if you leave the bedroom door open, you are kind of asking for it.

I liked this movie at times, but I couldn't get on board with half of the cast at all. The fact that they stayed in the house and continued their quest to figure out and solve these phenomena proved that they were not so hapless victims. 5/10.