September 25, 2009 | by Kofi Outlaw 

Paranormal Activity Review

Rating:

4 out of 5

SHORT VERSION: “Scariest Movie Ever” is a tall order to fill, but Paranormal Activity is definitely a serious fright flick that will continue to creep you out long after the movie ends.

Paranormal Activity review
Screen Rant Reviews Paranormal Activity

Paranormal Activity is a little film that was reportedly made for $11,000 over the course of a seven-day shoot by writer/director/producer/editor Oren Peli, and stars newbies Katie Featherston, Micah Sloat and the couple’s camcorder.

The ghost story is pretty straightforward: Katie and Micah (the actors use their real names in the film) are a young couple who have been together for about a year or two and have recently taken the plunge of moving in together. Soon after, they begin to experience weird paranormal activity taking place in their home – lights and sinks turning on and off, doors slamming, etc. Katie soon reveals that this isn’t the first time she’s been “haunted by ghosts” – when she was 8, she had re-occurring visits from a shadowy apparition and her family’s home was eventually burned to the ground without explanation. Since then, the apparition has followed Katie wherever she goes, “visiting” her from time to time, up to the present. Micah wishes that Katie had told him all this BEFORE they moved in together.

Katie is freaking out about the reappearance of her ghostly stalker, but Micah (of course) is too MANLY to believe in such nonsense, so he invests in a top-grade camera, some top-grade mini microphones and sound recording software, in order to wire the house for a ghost-hunting experiment. Our POV is that of the camcorder and boom mic, as they record the paranormal happenings taking place in Katie and Micha’s home over the course of about three weeks.

That’s the setup, and it would be hard to go much deeper without dropping some major SPOILERS.

I can tell you that Katie and Micah bring in a psychic (Michael Bayouth) who determines that what they’re facing isn’t a ghost trying to establish communication, but rather a malevolent demon, hell bent (pun intended) on claiming Katie’s soul. The psychic tells Katie and Micah that they need to bring in a “demonologist” to help exorcise the evil spirit – only the guy is currently vacation, so they’ll have to wait it out. In the meantime, the psychic breaks down a few demon rules for the couple (and us) to understand:

  1. There is no running from it – leave the house and the spirit will only follow.
  2. The spirit feeds off negative energy (anger, fear, etc).
  3. Don’t do ANYTHING to enrage or attract the demon – especially buying a Ouija Board.

Of course, if you’ve ever seen a horror movie before you know that the rules are only there to be broken by doomed fools. Katie is all nervousness and pragmatism (“Honey, let’s just stop and ask for directions…”), but Micah, the skeptic, would rather “man-up” and handle things his own way (read: pacing the house, challenging the evil spirit to show itself). Smart idea.

Paranormal Activity poster header

The best horror movies are the ones that exploit our deep-seated anxieties about real-life events or situations. The Exorcist was every parent’s worst nightmare: their innocent child suffering a terrible affliction; Rosemary’s Baby played upon the high-anxiety of pregnancy and child-rearing; Hitchcock’s Psycho gleefully exploited the near-universal fear of random, unprovoked violence. Paranormal Activity will stand out for a long time in my mind (and I’m sure others) because it hits just the right panic buttons inside the brain: the familiar fear of the creaky, empty house at night – but more importantly, the high-anxiety of being in a relationship.

The latter theme is only subtly touched on, due to the nature of the POV (it would’ve stupid to have the couple record their dramatic fight moments), but that current is always on and running, coursing through the cinematic subtext. Anybody you partner with in life is bound to come with baggage – Katie’s baggage just so happens to be a freaky demon. Micah is portrayed as something of an alpha-male stereotype – brash and insensitive a lot of the time, you know the picture – but also as a guy who is genuinely trying to help his chick sort out all of the crazy in her past, so they can be happy together in the present. And, like real-life relationships, sometimes the best intentions…

Continue reading our Paranormal Activity Review

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  • Carley
    Absolutely horrible. Saw this movie a few months ago with a friend expecting to be thoroughly terrified - it was boring and the only part I was actually physically scared in was the final three seconds and I was only a bit shocked. Wouldn't watch it again even if someone paid me. I wouldn't mind it being so crap if everyone hadn't made such a big deal out of it, but it definitely doesn't deserve the hype and success it has. Average, low-budget movie that's not worth a watch.
  • Tyler
    movie sucked!!!
    it wasnt scary at all, to me, i think it was one of the worst and dumbest movies i have ever seen!
  • sseegars
    You should stop reviewing movies. I've had scarier bowel movements. There was no subtext for anything to "course through". And Blair Witch was scarier, heck, Blair Witch was terrifying compared to this. You can't find layers in this movie because it's just one huge pile of crap.
  • drago12
    I found this movie to be predictable and boring. Not worth wasting ones time seeing it. Not a very believable plot either. Come on the guy is using a pretty high tech camera to shoot all of this. Seriously who would spend that kind of money on a camcorder like that just to catch a ghost.
  • Mandarr
    Wow, I know this review is old but I had just seen this movie. Before I saw this movie I'd remembered how ya'll had gushed over how super great this movie is. With ya'll giving it a score of 4 out of 5 I expected a good movie. I'm going to lose all respect for your views on movies if you actually think this movie is worthy of ANY stars lol. I know I can't narrow down the worst movie I've ever seen, but this would have to be on the list for sure. Horrible acting, horrible script, horrible camera operating. This movie made the remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still, look like an Oscar contender lol. I even rented this movie in HD and it didn't make the movie any better either lol.

    Somewhere between 30 seconds into the movie and 1 minute in. I knew this movie as terrible. I (wasted my time) watched this entire movie only to get to the end, which was as lame as the rest of the hour and 24 minutes. I can see why this movie was so cheap to make and if this is the sort of movie we all have to see in the future. I'll just stop watching all together.

    Seriously, this movie was so terrible. If I was one of those internet pirates with the bit torrent crap, I'd be po'd that I'd even taken the time to download and watch this pathetic attempt at a movie.

    4 out of 5 stars? REALLY? This movie had to be even worse than that latest Transformers movie I'd imagine. (Never wasted my time with that crap movie.) I could probably make a movie on my cell phone that's better than this lol.

    *EDIT* I forgot to mention that the main 2 characters out of the whole 4 possible, made me disinterested in them so much that I was just wishing they'd die already and the credits would roll. Go figure they didn't even have credits, just a black screen. And I'd have to say that the black screen at the end is absolutely the BEST part of this movie. 5/5 for the black screen!
  • Wintermute
    this movie was super awesome and cool
  • Thinker3
    Completely disagree. I thought the movie was of poor quality, ill conceived and poorly contrived. The camera manipulation was obvious, the instinctive responses of humans completely overlooked or disregarded (because it would have add more color to the editing room actions). The supposed protagonist, Micah, is arrogant and his actions show a total disregard for the situation and the safety of his girlfriend. The cross burning, ridiculous, and where were the other theological references? A medium says 'demon' and no one thinks 'angels' or priests or church or even watches the TV show Supernatural? No one seams shocked that this thing, or entity, leaves 3 toed footprints that clearly aren't human - yet Micah continues to treat the situation like he's dealing with a young vandal who's stealing his beer at night - let's be honest, who would react like that? Humans take in 65% of our information visually, yet the lights are seldom a reaction, and never the first reaction. The camera involvement is complete improbable, seriously, who would have the camera with them and in the right position to catpure threats to themselves? History has shown us that it is never the first person perspective that captures dramatic events, it is the third person observer who is safely away from the dangers focus that captures the video. It seems the director/cast has hoped that the audience was foolish, gullible, and would easily abandon logic for the sake of a low budget movie with a very weak plot. I gave this movie a thumbs down across the board, with the exception of the fact that they managed to get this $11K movie into theaters in the first place.
  • Some times ill get goose pumps and fast beat heart beat if i see scare more horror movie. more over i feel get some paranormal activity surround to me.
  • Ana Leiphart
    Okay, I'm 12 years old and me and my little 9 year old brother watched this movie at 11 at night with no lights on, and that still didn't make it scary. I'm scared of the dark and I still wasn't scared. The scary parts in the movie were only at night time and they lasted about 2 seconds. The ending was the scariest part, but both endings were still really stupid. I don't get why everyone says this is the scariest movie ever. It's not.
  • dee
    is paranormal activity a true story?
  • drago12
    No its not.
  • seaottertail
    I just saw this in Seoul, South Korea tonight. A friend of mine told me to go see this movie and not research it. I had no idea what it was about. For the first 10 minutes, I thought the footage was completely real. Then I thought, "No, it's one of those reality shows that isn't really real." So then, through the rest of the movie, I had to talk to myself by being a skeptic and convincing myself that everything was done with fancy movie camera tricks. I still jumped out of my skin and screamed twice. When it ended, I just laughed out loud! I don't know why??

    The thing is, when I left the movie theater, I HAD to believe it was all fake. Why? Because if it was real, I would have been absolutely terrified out of my mind. And tonight, even after coming home and reading that it was filmed as "real" - I am scared to go to sleep.
  • drago12
    This movie is not real. Any movie can claim they are based on a true story. Look at The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Their claim is that it is based on a true story. The thing that makes it true is when he wears the peoples skin. They got that from the first recorded serial killer Ed Gein. Otherwise nothing else in that movie was true. Does paranormal activity actually happen? There is evidence proving and disproving it. I am a believer of paranormal activity. But as for this movie it is all fake. Thinker3 hit it right on the nose about this movie. Just wish more people wouldn't fall for such BS.
  • Wizz
    Boo!
  • Sally Donaldson
    Woah! How on earth can you say this movie is awful?! The acting is fantastic, the idea behind the film is brilliant, its scary as hell!!! It stretches your imagination to its limits and I cant help but think that anyone that didn't get a little scared or start questioning the paranormal cannot have a very imaginative mind. It was not only petrifying in its darker moments but funny and realistic when it came to the relationship strains, definite thumbs up from me!
  • Little Johnny
    This movie was just awful, the most horrifying part was the girl getting dragged, and it wasn't even that scary
  • marlene
    amber says: this was the gayest movie i think i have ever seen! like for real y the hell would you go up to the camra and kill ur-self? get real..:)

    Well amber, I'm thinking that the mind of a person possessed by a demon probably isn't the most rational!!

    I still stand by my view that this was an absolute gem of a movie, scariest movie for a long time that really stays with you.

    Some people are only happy with blood, gore, non-stop slasher action and can't see real horror when it's staring them in the face!!
  • Steve
    Look at all these people (probably blokes) trying to discredit a truely disturbing movie out of their Crisis of Masculinity.

    Sigh.
  • amber
    ok this was the gayest movie i think i have ever seen! like for real y the hell would you go up to the camra and kill ur-self? get real..:)
  • Nikolai
    I'm sat in bed on my laptop, with my headphones on, the time is 01:21AM, and I just finished watching this movie.I have to say, it's different.
    I can safely say I enjoyed it, and YES it gave me a few jumps. I'm kinda creeped out by it, but what I found really impressive was the awesome atmostphere created by the actors. Very well done, and pretty scary at parts. Last 2- mins: 10/10
    Overall: 8/10
  • Jackson
    This movie sucks. It's a waste of time. Nothing scary about it.
  • Mona
    Is this a comedy or what? Scary, I think not, IMHO! I laughed through the entire movie.
  • Micah
    This is good horror stuff!!

    Slow tale but keep's up the horror and scare not on the screen but after you are at home and trying to sleep alone.

    Fear is the concept here.
  • silje
    heijahhh, eirin og silje in da hæos !!!!! VELDIG BRA FILM. VERY BRA MOVIE !! HEHEHEHEHE VERY NAIS (NICE) HEHEH.lol
  • Steven King
    Come on!!!
    It is a crap movie!!
    The worst I have seen.
    A waste of money to see it,
    Get real!
  • Ian B
    LMAO if this isn't the fakest Blair Witch clone I have ever seen then I am a canister of Talcum Powder.
  • This is the most hopeless movies ever. I live in India. I spent INR 50 to see this movie. That is $ 1... Yeah dirt cheap ... but I think even that was a waste of money.... until the climax scene, everyone in the theatre was shouting at the director of the movie that please scare us a little bit at least ... and the climax was damn too predictable ... you go to see such movies to enjoy the scare that goes down coldly in your veins ... but believe me.. This movie will not be able to make any impact on you short term memory even.

    I would suggest .. better go watch some other non-horror movie instead .. they don't know how to make horror movies any more.
  • Ron Howard
    WTF, are you kidding me; this was the stupidest thing I've ever watched! I think I'm going to go rent the Blair Witch Project to get the bad taste out of my mouth.

    I just love puking while reading the reviews of how great this movie was / is...are we watching the same movie?

    There was so much logically wrong with this movie it was unreal.

    DON'T EVEN WASTE YOUR TIME!

    Anyone up for some good old scary Sponge Bob action!?
  • Michael_C
    I'm amazed that any found this film scary in the slightest bit. I actually wish I hadn't purchased the DVD after watching the free courtesy download Amazon gave me. I liked the two actors which made it bearable, but I never once felt a sense of fear or dread. Lights coming on in other parts of the house, footsteps, baby powder?

    The last 2 minutes were intense, other than that, it felt like a waste of my time.

    Kudos to the filmmaker for trying something new. But I certainly hope this is not the direction for the horror genre. I need more of my senses involved in the process.
  • Sherman
    Yawn!.....Dull, typical kinda Blair Witch type movie, repetitive (go to bed, hear things, check on it, wake up).....nauseating watching this from view of the camera. Good acting however, made you think it really was just a "home movie"......but none the less, predictable, and boring. I would give it 5 out of 10....Movie fell short of suspense and giving you that 'creepy' feeling that some horror movies leave you with after wards...If you have an hour and a half with nothing to do, it will fill up your time, otherwise, find something else more exciting to do..
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