Paranormal Activity proves to us that the horror genre has not been completely lost to the gory and grotesque.
Paranormal Activity proves to us that the horror genre has not been completely lost to the gory and grotesque. If you are like me, you have found that a vast majority of horror movies lately have reveled in disgusting makeup effects and countless scenes of brutality. Those films induced disgust more than fear, and it seemed to be an inescapable evolution of the genre as a whole. Fortunately, it seems the filmmakers behind Paranormal Activity still believe in the idea of building suspense and making the audience wait for the terrifying moments. The result is a very effective horror film that definitely delivers on the big scares. More importantly, though, it gives us plenty of time to build up our anticipation for them.
The film is presented as though it is actual footage shot by a young college-age couple. To heighten this effect, there are no credits at the beginning or end of the film, nor is the title presented. The only evidence that this is just a movie comes at the very end when they must show copyright information. All of this, coupled with very convincing performances by the actors, works very well. You will forget that you are watching a movie if you allow yourself to, and you will be convinced that what you are seeing is real.
The fact that the beginning of the film seems so mundane also helps the sense of realism. Katie, a college student, moves in with her boyfriend Micah, who is a day trader. Micah has purchased a sophisticated camera set up because Katie has informed him that she has been experiencing strange events in his house such as seeing shadowy figures, hearing footsteps and whispers, and feeling someone breathe on her. This is not the first time these things have happened to Katie, either. Such events have occurred periodically since Katie was 8 years old. Micah’s plan is to keep the camera on 24 hours a day in the hopes of capturing some video evidence of the disturbances. His hope is to find a way to stop it, but he is so immediately obsessed with trying to instigate the events and film them that he may have other motives, as well. Maybe he smells a book deal
Micah does have some early success with his camera, but he does not capture anything too incredibly dramatic. The camera picks up thuds and sounds that could be movement while the couple sleeps. Various objects move slightly, but never very much, and not even necessarily in a threatening manner. Things begin to escalate when Micah and Katie decide to solve the problem in their own ways. Katie wants an expert opinion and calls in a psychic. He comes to the house and tells them that his specialty is ghost hauntings, but his feeling is that this case seems more like a demonic presence. He refers Katie to a demonologist colleague of his, and promptly leaves. Rather than call another supposed expert, though, Micah decides that he will handle the situation himself. He is the classic man’s man, and as far as he is concerned, if someone or something is messing with his girlfriend in his house, it is his responsibility to stop it. As he experiments with various ways to detect the demon and even communicate with it, the happenings become more intense and more frequent.
I will stop there as I do not want to reveal any more specific details. If you are a fan of scary movies, Paranormal Activity is definitely one to see in the theater. The experience is made all the better by seeing it in a crowded auditorium with people screaming at the scares and laughing nervously leading up to them. Hopefully, the success of this film will allow us to see more like it in the future. I believe it would be a welcome change for horror films to move away from blood and guts and back to the suspense and fear that work so much better.
