Film Review of the Day: Paranormal Activity (2007)

[Mr.DGAF]

Hello folks. I'm thinking of making this an ongoing event in the Entertainment section. Topics will range from different types of movies to reviews to discussion on a films cultural imact. Today I will be posting a review of one of my favorite movies: Paranormal Activity (2007).


In anticipation for the fourth installment in the blockbuster series, I took to watching the previous three Paranormal Activity films again. After watching them all, I've gathered my thoughts for a review on the best of the series, the first. Director Oren Peli did what any independent director is hopeful for: he took a simple premise, limited funds, and two actors to create one of the most financially benefical movies in history. The story itself is something any trained eye has seen before, because, let's face it, horror movies have a specific genre to work within. All quality ghost/haunted house movies, ranging from Poltergeist to the Amityville Horror, have an endearing quality that sticks out. Amityville had strong performances from it's actors, along with the cutting reality that this story is based, albeit somewhat, on a true story. Poltergeist had an original idea and executed it well, and has aged as somewhat of a cult classic among fans of the genre. So for a film in this genre to stick out, it has to have that "it" factor. Insert the handy dandy hand-held cam-corder. The idea isn't completely original, in fact it had been used roughly 8 years prior in the fantastically succesful film, "The Blair Witch Project". But it's use, and what it choosed to show, made the film much more impactful.

When you're working with a limited budget, every penny counts. Oren Peli knew this, and used all of the tricks in the book to pull of an effective, cheap thriller. The effects were used sparringly, yet in a very smart way. By keeping it simple, Peli created a more realistic and satisfying film. In fact, watching the film itself isn't the scary part. It's the night after that becomes a struggle. The fear of things that go "bump" in the night, as they call it, taps into a primal fear. The fear that we're not alone, that something is watching us and we're not aware. In a sense, the sequels take this away from this particular film. While they're creative in presentation and still quality films themselves, the cloud the plot, to a point where it becomes an elaborate scheme, as opposed to something that could happen to anyone. In this sense, the first film is the only one to evoke such a strong feeling. Much credit should be given to Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat. When the story relies so much on realistically portraying an incident, acting becomes an intergral part of the film making process. Both Sloat and Featherston give exquisite performances, capturing the terror in every shot.

Paranormal Activity is a film everyone should at least give a chance to. Whether horror is your genre or not, it's an important film in terms of quality film making on a budget. I appluad director Oren Peli and the cast for deliviring a film that had no right to be as good as it was.

I give Paranormal Activity **** out of five stars.

[Spyder]

hate these fucking movies

[Mr.DGAF]

hate these fucking movies

Is there any particular reason why?

[Spyder]

oh yes

1. they tried to state the, oh so typical, "this is found footage, real story" BS.
these are paid actors... then they come out with 2, soon to be 3 sequels. saying "new found footage"
thats bullshit, dont try to make your fake movie seem real just to get views.

2.the camera work is the "self-shot" style like cloverfield or project x. damn i pay to see a movie i want PROFESSIONAL camera work, not the skill of a fifth-grader who picked up a cam-corder.

3.nothing scary or somewhat decent happened in these 3 movies. literally shit just jumped off shelves or people screamed. i want shit to happen. it took 90% of the movie to get to the "good parts" which makes the bad story, a boring one as well.

4.the story does not make sense. they obviously intended it as one movie. then when they leached huge dollars off a retarded public they made more, not caring how the story developed. they go in reverse order like a prequel. yet each movie overlaps the previous... its like a prequel and sequel in one.
the ending of the second(which takes place after the first) goes against the ending of the first movie.
in the first, she killed her husband, the police came in, and they shot her.
in the sequel, she walked to her sisters house, took her son, then was never seen again... WTF

and finally, 5. the hype train. god damn if everyone loves these movies. when i argue these points above they fold. meaning they only liked it cause others liked it. not saying you yourself will, but people seem to think its a good movie, because their friends like it. they keep making more, just because they keep bringing money. and every time theres hype saying its better than the last. when they all fucking suck.


sorry, and props if you like em. but IMO nothing good has come from those movies

[Mr.DGAF]

At least you've got reasons, I respect that. It's definitely the type of film you have to be in the mood to see. I think the way it's shot, with the hand-held camera, adds a sense of realism. The series has opened up with a wider plot, and ultimately that requires some suspension of disbelief. But as a stand-alone film, the first one holds up. I made sure to watch it before it got big, and I've seen the original version they filmed as well. I've even enjoyed the sequels to an extent. But the first film, which definitely wasn't meant to be a franchise starter, is a well made film. When you say that the police shot Katie from the first film, you're talking about the original ending. It was re-filmed to leave the fate of Katie ambiguous, though she'll be back in the next installment. I also disagree with nothing happening. It depends on what you were expecting. Again, to maintain the realistic approach, things escalate at a slower pace. There are dull moments, which are obvious upon second viewings, but the suspense on a first viewing keeps the film moving along. It's all about the mindstate you're in watching the film. It's subtle, and I think that plays to it's strengths. Obviously once the budget was amplified the scares became larger in scale, but the same amount of suspense is still present.

But yeah, it's basically all opinion. These types of films tend to alienate the audience, and you either end up loving it or hating it.

[BigBoss]

to be fair, of course it's fake.....


if real footage like that was found, and you knew somehow it was real, then they wouldn't put it in a movie theater, the police, or family, would have it

[Spyder]

^thats, it would obviously be police evidence

and the fact that they re-shot the ending, to make a sequel hinders their realism factor more.

but its all on what type of horror you like. frankly ive never found a movie that scares me, or makes me think twice about going into a dark hallway.

i like Dead Silence, The Collector, the first 2 Saw's, 1408.
again, none scare me, but were excellent movies

[Mr.DGAF]

I liked 1408 definitely. The Collector was good, and I like primarily the first Saw, though some of the sequels are decent. If you like those movies, or Inception, I'd recommend Triangle. From the sound of it you like horror movies wth a strong story, and Triangle is a superb film. It's not even really a horror, more so a thriller.

[BigBoss]

Dead Silence was the only movie that gave me any sort of scare, jump scares aside

[Mr.DGAF]

I need to watch Dead Silence, haven't seen it yet. I've heard good things though.

Next review will be: The Cabin In The Woods.

[BigBoss]

I need to watch Dead Silence, haven't seen it yet. I've heard good things though.

Next review will be: The Cabin In The Woods.

dont. its fucking stupid, its not a horror movie, at all

[Mr.DGAF]

That's why I like it. It's basically this generations 'Scream'. Gave the horror genre a new life. It takes on a strand of horror, but it's smarter than that. At least, for me it was. Joss Whedon is having a hell of year between that and The Avengers

[Blu]

hate these fucking movies

They're getting sooo played out.

[Spyder]

ya man dead silence is great shit

and ill have to check out that Triangle movie

[Sam.]

Great review, DGAF. Threads like this prompts to re open the Critic Sub Section that we once had.