THRILL SCALE 1-10
8
HAVE I SEEN IT BEFORE?
Yes, at least once, and I'm almost certain I've seen it multiple times. However, I couldn't say how many times total, or even when the last time was
BEST SEQUENCE
The original ending, which was changed after Paramount acquired the movie but which is still available on YouTube
BEST LINE
None worth mentioning
ROTTEN TOMATOES SCORE
83%
ROTTEN TOMATOES CRITICS CONSENSUS
"Using its low-budget effects and mockumentary method to great result, Paranormal Activity turns a simple haunted house story into 90 minutes of relentless suspense."
IMDB SYNOPSIS
"After moving into a suburban home, a couple becomes increasingly disturbed by a nightly demonic presence."
DIRECTOR
Oren Peli
MAIN CAST
Katie Featherston, Micah Sloat
THOUGHTS
- 8/10 is a perfectly respectable Thrill Score, but in my memory it was higher, maybe even approaching a 10/10. It's still good, but this speaks to the movie's effectiveness upon first watch, before you know all the tricks it has up its sleeve. If you haven't seen Paranormal Activity, you should watch it, and hopefully your first viewing experience will also be a 10/10. Also, stop reading, because of spoilers
- Of certain horror movies, it's often said that your imagination can create things far scarier than the filmmakers ever can, and Paranormal Activity subscribes to this belief. And while I don't disagree with this in principle, I also think it makes a difference when there's still the potential to see something terrifying. Paranormal Activity plays with dark spaces and things happening just out of your field of vision, and on first viewing you may be afraid that something will suddenly appear in frame, or be right there when the camera turns a corner. However, knowing that this never really happens in this movie deflated some of the tension for me, especially combined with having a pretty good memory of all the big scares. Don't get me wrong, I still jumped a few times, but I also knew what to expect and when
- A while back, during my review of REC, when talking about horror found footage I made the claim that Paranormal Activity is pretty flawless in its execution of the idea. Upon rewatch this may have been giving a little too much credit, as there are still times when it strains belief that Micah would rush to grab the camera while spooky things are happening. However, what really stood out in my memory, and what still makes this movie far more believable than most found footage horror, is the fact that the majority of the scares, especially the big ones, happen while the camera is unmanned and passively watching Katie and Micah sleep. Of the found footage movies I've reviewed so far I can now say that REC is quite a lot scarier, but kudos to Paranormal Activity for being thoughtful about its logic. And by the way, eventually we'll be watching The Blair Witch Project, film #20 on the readers' list
- Also of utmost importance for found footage movies is the conviction of the actors, and Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat are both pretty convincing, especially late in the movie when they're scared out of their minds. Earlier in the movie there are times when they still come across a little actorly, but hey, they're also playing characters who are fully aware that they're being filmed, so maybe this is intentional. Also, Micah's kind of a jackass, huh?
- Depending on your metrics, Paranormal Activity was the most profitable movie ever made. Initially costing $15 000 to make, it had a worldwide box office of $193 355 800. Therefore, it's not surprising in the least that it spawned sequels. I definitely saw the first two sequels, but beyond that I couldn't say for sure. And finally, beyond just spawning a franchise, some might say it also spawned a horror empire. It was the first horror movie produced by Jason Blum and Blumhouse Productions, the company which would also bring us Insidious, Sinister and The Purge, as well as many others, including Jordan Peele's first two movies, Get Out and Us
Up next: Another movie I've seen before, but not for a very long time, Donnie Darko from way back in 2001
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