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Paranormal Activity
Movie Review
by Carlos R. Savournin
The problem with gimmicks is that they become a parody of themselves over time; diets, fashion, a music style, the list goes on. Something everyone thought was the newest, freshest way of doing something becomes a dirty little secret we keep locked away and never admit falling for it. One such gimmick is what has been dubbed the Shaky Cam movies.
Made famous by the well-deserved critical hit The Blair Witch Project, the shaky cam movie is intended to make the viewer feel a part of the story through the lens of a camera that’s a little more expensive than the camcorder you pick up at your local electronics store. Followed by movies such as Cloverfield and Quarantine, shaky cams have been known to make viewers nauseous (watching the screen bounce as victims ran through the city streets from an unseen monster was not the best approach at building suspense) all the while taking the movie to newer heights by eliminating film scores and actually making CGI look real. It’s a gimmick. We’ve fallen for it. And just when we thought the shaky cam films have seen enough, a little independent film called Paranormal Activity comes out and scares the living shit out of us.
The film, made for a little over $11,000, and starred absolutely no one anyone had heard of, sat on the shelf of Paramount Pictures for over two years. Execs at the studio saw the film at a festival, snagged it for distribution, but first intended on reshooting the film with a higher budget, better known actors and director, and releasing it in time for a Halloween horror. But, rumor has it, that a director by the name of Steven Spielberg, who allegedly left the screening of the film because he found it too scary, convinced the studio to release it as is, and on September 29th, the small film hit only 90 theaters across the nation. On October 9th, the film opened in another 60 theaters. By that Saturday, the film had grossed over $9 million, and garnered the film the chance to open nation wide this weekend.
The film centers around a yuppie couple who believes their house might be haunted by a spirit. Micah buys an expensive camera that records infrared in order to film the house while they sleep in the hopes of capturing a glimpse of this poltergeist, despite the warning from his girlfriend, Katie. And when the scares begin, they are quite genuine. Every night, Micah and Katie are woken by the sounds of footsteps, a swaying chandelier, and anything else you can think of from every haunted house movie you’ve ever seen. But, with each night, the ghostly
activity increases until eventually, they become violent and sink-in-your seat chilling.What separates this move from the other shaky cams is that the cam is not that shaky at all. Most of the time, it is on a tri-pod because most of the movie takes place in the couple’s bedroom while they sleep. And when the camera is moved, it’s done so with a steady hand thereby eliminating the headache-inducing bouncing associated with these films. Secondly, like Blair Witch, the fear in what we’re watching is genuine. The actors portray this young couple with such precision, that you can’t help but feel the dread when they turn the lights off to go to sleep. Yes, you’re scared to see what happens, but you’re also scared for them, and that’s something that most horrors lack these days.
Gimmick or not, Paranormal Activity is a great horror fest that might not play out as well on DVD as opposed to a packed theater house. It is, however, a movie that sticks with you when you’re done watching it. Horror has come a long way, and I, personally, though I’d seen it all. But Paranormal Activity not only makes you afraid of the dark, but it also makes you terrified of a flickering light.Out of a full moon, this movie is rated:
© Savournin, 2009
Carlos R. Savournin is a horror writer living in Miami, Florida. His first novel, Neves, is available for purchase at http://www.lulu.com/content/1810483
