Paranormal Activity 3

     As you may know by now, I'm a huge fan of the "Paranormal Activity" movies.  I think they are brilliant, and I love it that they are made so cheap, yet make so much money.  These movies are, at least to me anyway, far more entertaining than your usual, big-budget horror movie.  So as everybody knows by now, the third installment of the hugely successful "Paranormal" franchise is upon us, just in time for our Halloween viewing.  Last night, we attended a 7:20 screening, and like the last one, it was pretty much packed.  The crowd was super psyched, and the movie delivered 100% on what it was supposed to do.  Scare the living shit out of every damn person in the place.

         This time we venture even further back into the mysterious past of sisters Katie and Kristi.  Set in 1988, this installment tells of how the young girls meet Toby, an entity living in their California home.  It opens with a scene of Katie and Kristi as adult sisters from the sequel, and Katie is dropping some boxes off at Kristie's new home.  The boxes contain a lot of Grandma's stuff, including lots of VHS tapes.  We then get to dive right into the tapes, which is footage of the girls' parents, trying to figure out the mysterious things happening in their home back in the 80s.  The mother of young Katie and Kristi, Julie, has a new man, Dennis, who just happens to specialize in filming weddings and video equipment.  Disturbed by the strange disturbances, and with Kristi suddenly talking to "Toby" and insisting he's real, Dennis decides to have three cameras going non-stop at night, determined to catch some evidence of what he thinks is going on in the house.

     This movie rocked, and most definitely lived up to my expectations.  I honestly think they keep getting better, and it's usually the other way around.  This one was a perfect movie to watch this time of the year.  It's got clever and scary homages to "Halloween" and "Poltergeist" sprinkled thoughout, and the brilliant introduction of witchcraft to the series was most definitely an inspired touch.  This was supremely scary stuff.  I know these movies are usually classified as one of those films that simply scaring you by jumping out and shrieking BOO! loudly.  And to be fair, the entire audience jumped quite a few times last night.  But what some don't understand about the "Paranormal" movies is that they slowly and surely builds up the tension and suspense, and then stretches them out almost to the point of being unbearable.  So those loud "jumps" are almost necessary, because they're simply a relief from the tension.  You sit on the edge of your seat, jump, scream, and laugh.  And then suddenly the tension sets in again and you repeat the process.  Yes, these movies are cheaply done, but they don't rely on cheap scares, if you know what I mean.  I'm not exaggerating here.  This movie was definitely scary.  And those last ten minutes were extremely frightening.  I still get chills thinking about it- when you see it, you'll know what I mean.

     I think these films work simply because every single one of us at some time or another have been lying  in our beds shivering and terrified- afraid of the dark, afraid of what's outside our window, in our closet or under our beds.  We've all been spooked by noises in the night, or the feeling of being watched.  We can all relate to the "Paranormal" movies, as simple as they are.  We relate to them on a purely subconscious level.  They take us back to childhood.  That's what I love about them.  They're like the modern day "Halloween" or "Friday the 13th"- tales to be told around a campfire under the stars, or in a tent in the backyard with a flashlight held up under our faces.  It doesn't matter that they are simple or cheaply made.  They simply exist to scare, and do so beautifully.

     "Paranormal Activity 3" has already opened to strong box-office numbers, and of course, they left it open for another sequel.  Normally, I would be groaning at the discovery of a seemingly endless string of anemic sequels that tarnish the good name of the original. "Halloween" again, anyone?  But like I said, these movies are different, as they actually keep getting better instead of worse, and more inventive each time as well.  And watching the third last night only made me want to go back and watch the first two all over again.  It's a love/hate kind of movie, a lot like "The Blair Witch Project", which we can either thank or curse for these kinds of movies now. Although my audience last night loved every damn minute of this film.  In fact, we were all a group as one, completely immersed in the experience, and laughing and giggling at each other for being so freaked out.  It was awesome!

Paranormal Activity 2

     Now I have sat through scary movies in theaters before where you almost can't even tell if the audience is awake.  No screaming, no nervous giggling, nothing.  For "Paranormal Activity 2", the audience was completely immersed in this movie- jumping, hiding eyes, screaming, and laughing the entire time.  It was awesome.  I almost expected applause when the lights came up at the end.  People left breathless, excited, and laughing.  "Paranormal Acticity 2" did exactly what a scary movie is supposed to.  I personally found the sequel to be even more scary and disturbing than the original.  And I find it frustrating that so many people out there rip these movies to shreds, yet go on and on about the wonders of the latest "SAW" or Michael Bay remake.  

     I am pleased to say that I found "Paranormal Activity 2" to be the scariest, most disturbing horror film I have seen in years since, well, "The Descent".  I was truly on the edge of my seat, and found myself 100% creeped out by this movie.  It brilliantly knows how to induce real tension and dread.  No, it's not "The Amityville Horror" or "Poltergeist" with over-the-top effects.  It's not supposed to be.  That's the whole point.  It's not often that I'm truly frightened by a movie, especially these days.  Long gone are the day of "Halloween", "Friday the 13th", and "The Exorcist".  Most movies today are just over-the-top gore and effects, because that's all that most filmmakers today know how to create.  Rob Zombie or Eli Roth, anybody?  But once in a while, certain little movies with absolutely no budget but tons of imagination come along and frighten us.  "Paranormal Activity" and its sequel certainly fall into that group.    

  

     Go and read all the reviews of "Paranormal Activity" on IMDB or Netflix and you'll see that they all pretty much say the same things- terrible special effects, terrible acting, and cheaply made.  Like I said before, if it doesn't have Jessica Biel running around screaming or in-your-face gore, then apparently it doesn't qualify as a horror movie.  All kinds of things can scare us.  Some prefer a more subdued, quiet scare.  Others like to be hit over the head.  I'm not saying that everybody should like "The Blair Witch Project" or "Paranormal Activity".  But I am saying that there are many movie-watchers out there that cry foul anytime something dares to stray away from "formula".  I honestly didn't think I would like this movie near as much as I do, and I'm so glad I saw the first one.  And you'd better believe I'll be there opening night for "Paranormal Activity 3"...

Paranormal Activity

     I don't go to the movies often.  In fact, the last movie I saw in a theater was "The Mist", if that gives you any idea.  Why, you ask?  Because the current state of movies SUCK.  That's why.  Modern movies are abysmal, to say the least.  But once in a while, I stumble across a diamond in the rough.  Last night, four of us went to a 9:20 showing of "Paranormal Activity 2".  Almost every seat was filled, and I must say the movie did what very few movies do anymore.  It simply scared the bejesus out of the entire audience. Seriously.  Even the males in the audience had no problem letting everybody else know just how scared they were watching.  I loved this movie- so much in fact, that I felt a look back at the original "Paranormal Activity" was in order.  Now a lot of people hated the first, just as they hated "The Blair Witch Project", "Cloverfield", etc.  I'll never understand this.  I love these movies- they are a breath of fresh air among the tired remakes and even more tired teenage thrillers.  You can keep your "SAW" movies- I'll take me some "Paranormal Activity" anyday.

    First of all- I don't scare easily.  Most horror movies are so formulaic that you immediately know how the shit is going to go down.  Sadly, the 70's and 80's are long gone, and I don't think we'll ever see a more rich, creative era when it comes to filmmaking.  Not just horror, either.  Anyway, "Paranormal Activity" is a prime example of a  fresh, creative horror movie that completely blows away the conventional trappings of your standard, audience-pleasing fare.  Watching "Paranormal Activity", you honestly have no idea what is going to happen.  The film is constantly compared to "The Blair Witch Project", but why is that such a bad thing?  Both movies chose to take a different route- scaring us with something we have never been subjected to before, and choosing to slowly build tension, until full-blown terror sets in.  Instead of yet another "I Know What You Did Last Summer" or even worse, a re-gurgitated version of a classic movie, we are treated to a frighteningly tense and spooky ghost story.  Many people have complained of how "boring" these movies are.  I strongly disagree.  If you think these movies are "boring", I think maybe you just have no attention span.  You might respond more to Rob Zombie's dreadful "Halloween" rip-off instead.  

     What I loved about "Paranormal Activity" is that the director opted for minimal special effects, lighting, and sounds.  Yes, it does start off rather slow.  But it's deliberately slow.  The director wisely figures that slowly building tension is far more rewarding than just hitting us over the head first thing.  One of the major complaints about "Paranormal Activity" is that we never actually see the ghost- just like how in "The Blair Witch Project" we never actually see the witch.  Guess what, peeps?  It's called an imagination, and I highly suggest investing in one.  It's a great thing.  It's what we DON'T see that scares us.  What we can conjur up with our imaginations is far more scarier than any CGI effect they can come up with, in my humble opinion.  But unfortunately, many movie-goers can't seem to use that mass inside their heads called a brain, and must 

have everything shown to them because they can't conjure up the images on their own.  Movies like this a "Blair Witch" offer us a few inches, then we're left to leave the movie and use our imagination, filling in the blanks.  We're forced to think about what we've just experienced, and I sadly think that's what turns many people off.  Because they have to think.  Apparently, a lot of movie-goers are like infants, needing a bottle full of schlocky CGI effects and big-name stars. Sucks for them, I say. The director wisely does not rely on gore, sex, and effects to get his point across.  Suspense and imagination are what makes these movies work. 

      And then there's the hype.  Also just like "Blair Witch", "Paranormal Activity" was so hyped up, and so successful, that a backlash inevitably followed.  For some reason, when something makes a huge impact on pop culture and society, people want to turn around and knock it off its pedestal.  Maybe it's just me, but I would much rather watch a low-budget, independent film with no money but lots of creativity, instead of the opposite.  A huge budget, big stars, and no creativity whatsoever- which applies unfortunately to most scary movies released these days.  Less is always more, I think.