Paranormal Activity review

When a film is called “one of the scariest movies of all time" by the pillars of horror movie criticism, Bloody Disgusting.com, naturally I’m interested. But as a fan of the genre I’m also prepared to be disappointed, as for me nothing can trump the terrifying brilliance of the classics such as Psycho, The Last House On The Left, Dawn Of The Dead, Halloween or Scream.

Paranormal Activity doesn’t quite reach that level, but it sure comes close. Much hyped, the film has been splashed across the media recently for its phenomenal box office success - made on a tiny budget of US $11,000 its gone on to make more than $80 million at the US and Canadian box offices so far. In a similar vein to The Blair Witch Project, REC, Quarantine and Cloverfield, the film is shot in hand-held style, utilizing night vision for the darker scenes. It follows Katie and Micha, a young, middle class couple who become increasingly disturbed by a possible demonic presence in their new home.

Boyfriend (and the film’s comic relief) Micha, sets up a camera in their bedroom to film the `paranormal activity’ over successive evenings. Like The Blair Witch Project, the audience are told at the start of the film that what they’re about to watch is the actual footage, recovered by the relevant police department. Obviously it’s not, but for creative purposes it helps blur the line between what’s a movie and what the audience think is reality. A powerful tool, and one that writer/director Oren Peli has mastered, along with minimalism. Peli and his two stars keep everything to a minimum, never wanting to overdo the special effects or dramatic tension.

As opposed to the gore porn trend seen so frequently in recent horror films, Paranormal Activity’s scares are almost Hitchcockian, the most effective being looming shadows, footsteps, strange noises, furniture moving of its own accord and of course, the fear of the two lead protagonists. It’s the small scares, built up over the course of the movie that add to the growing sense of dread amongst the audience and come to a head in the final, shocking conclusion.

Paranormal Activity isn’t anything new, it follows many of the traditional horror conventions and the two leads fit nicely in to a stereotype; but that’s not the point. It isn’t trying to redefine the genre, it’s simply trying to be an effective, plausible horror film and on many levels it succeeds. I’m not easy to scare, yet there were moments when my body had a physical reaction to the events unfolding on screen. Sure, I might not have jumped or curled in to the fetal position like those around me, but there were definitely goosebumps.

Overall no matter how determined you go in to Paranormal Activity, you will be affected, if not straight away, then when you get home and find yourself closing all the doors to your room and checking under the bed. It was such a relief to be able to go to a horror movie this year and genuinely enjoy it, as it feels like an age since that’s happened for me. I was lucky enough to see this in a sneak peek screening two months before its release in Australia, and if there’s any doubt Paranormal Activity will mirror its overseas success, the packed theatre and screams throughout the audience quickly dispelled that notion. Do yourself a favour, when Paranormal Activity hits a cinema near you, get your arse in to gear and check it out. I accept full responsibility for any loss of sleep afterwards.

Paranormal Activity has a December 3 release date in Australia.