Review: Paranormal Activity
"Paranormal Activity" is "The Blair Witch Project" set in suburbia. A young couple over the course of a month is terrorized by an increasing malevolent spirit in their split-level rancher. It is known from the first frame of the movie that the pair will not survive--a caption announces that the filmmakers would like to thank 'the San Diego Police Department and the families of Joe Blow and Sally Mo." A subtle start. Unfortunately the rest of the film is anything but. The terrorizing spirit acts more like a flesh-and-blood intruder than an incorporeal supernatural entity--it stomps about, moves objects, slams doors, starts fires, even physically assaults the man and woman. Fear can be created by such behavior, but it is the physical fear of being assaulted by another person, not the psychological fear of being terrorized by a ghost. For a ghost story to be a ghost story, the action should take place in the mind, at least until the very end. There should always be an element of doubt as to whether the events happening are the result of a malevolent spirit or a diseased mind.
Moreover, much of the fascination of a ghost story comes from the process of identifying who or what the malevolent spirit is. "Paranormal Activity" fails here as well--a suggestion is made about what the entity is--a demon that latched upon the woman at the age of eight when her family's house burned down--but it is never explored.
Unless you are an aficionado of such films, avoid "Paranormal Activity"--watch "The Blair Witch Project" instead.
Grade: C
Moreover, much of the fascination of a ghost story comes from the process of identifying who or what the malevolent spirit is. "Paranormal Activity" fails here as well--a suggestion is made about what the entity is--a demon that latched upon the woman at the age of eight when her family's house burned down--but it is never explored.
Unless you are an aficionado of such films, avoid "Paranormal Activity"--watch "The Blair Witch Project" instead.
Grade: C