SCARY MOVIE.
I finally got to see Paranormal Activity last night after the original midnight screening I went to see was a wash-out (literally even!). The original screening was disorganized, there was no line maintenance so people were constantly cutting and jumping into the line to join friends. What the reps from Paramount didn't tell us was that 150 seats were to be given to VIPs and people working for Paramount, and there were only about 30 or so seats available to people off the street. They didn't actually give us this information until 11pm or so, and kept giving us vague hints about the possibility of more seats opening up. The crowd kept pushing forward until someone on the roof actually started dumping water on us. This happened about three times and seemed incredibly intentional. The very rude rep that was working the event said there would possibly be another screening at 2am and shifted the line to the other side of the entrance so that people at the front of the original line had to get on the back. Good thing we didn't wait because the screening never happened.
All in all I think it was done as a publicity stunt. They finally started showing the movie at the AMC in Times Square last week so I went with thatbadgerguy last night. Cut for mild spoilers (nothing too specific)!
Scariest movie I've ever seen. Ever. More than Blair Witch, more than Quarantine, more than any sci-fi or horror movie I've watched. I do like the minimalist stuff, but I wouldn't really call this minimalist. You do see things, but there's nothing disgusting. There is a tiny bit of blood towards the end but nothing to cause squeamish people any upset. As with most mockumentary/ shaky cam movies, the entire movie is based on buildup and tension between a few core characters. I got so nervous about something popping out in certain parts of the movie that I wound hiding behind my balled-up jacket for some of the most tense scenes.
I guess what I found most amazing about the movie was the audience. Any time something foreboding happened, you'd hear everyone groan. The night scenes were the creepiest and any time one was over you'd hear everyone breathe a sigh of relief and laugh nervously. I don't think I've ever had a movie experience where the audience reacted so audibly since maybe The X Files: I Want To Believe, and that was a midnight screening with hardcore fans. And I can honestly say I've never heard a group of people scream as loudly as they did during the last shot of the film. It makes me sorry I didn't see Blair Witch in the theaters.
I like the fact that everything Micah did to experiment had some basis in actual ghost hunting techniques. They touched on EVP, powder-spreading, Ouija boards, provocation. The only thing they really didn't use was heat-based cameras. Apparently there are a few different cuts of the film in existence, and what they're showing in theaters now is the most streamlined version. I'd like to see other the other cuts if and when they surface. Hopefully if it releases on DVD they'll include whatever was cut. There was definitely an alternate ending in prior screenings of the film, though I have a feeling the ending we saw was meant to be jump-out-of-your-seat-scary. By the time the movie was over I was curled up in a ball in my seat and didn't want to move. XD I'm kind of surprised that I slept at all last night.
So, to summarize. Scariest movie I've ever seen. If you like this kind of stuff, go see it. I kind of want to go see it with people who haven't seen it yet. :P
Also waiting on a package from FedEx today. VERY EXCITE. But so help me God if they throw it down the basement stairs again, I'm going to be so pissed off.
All in all I think it was done as a publicity stunt. They finally started showing the movie at the AMC in Times Square last week so I went with thatbadgerguy last night. Cut for mild spoilers (nothing too specific)!
Scariest movie I've ever seen. Ever. More than Blair Witch, more than Quarantine, more than any sci-fi or horror movie I've watched. I do like the minimalist stuff, but I wouldn't really call this minimalist. You do see things, but there's nothing disgusting. There is a tiny bit of blood towards the end but nothing to cause squeamish people any upset. As with most mockumentary/ shaky cam movies, the entire movie is based on buildup and tension between a few core characters. I got so nervous about something popping out in certain parts of the movie that I wound hiding behind my balled-up jacket for some of the most tense scenes.
I guess what I found most amazing about the movie was the audience. Any time something foreboding happened, you'd hear everyone groan. The night scenes were the creepiest and any time one was over you'd hear everyone breathe a sigh of relief and laugh nervously. I don't think I've ever had a movie experience where the audience reacted so audibly since maybe The X Files: I Want To Believe, and that was a midnight screening with hardcore fans. And I can honestly say I've never heard a group of people scream as loudly as they did during the last shot of the film. It makes me sorry I didn't see Blair Witch in the theaters.
I like the fact that everything Micah did to experiment had some basis in actual ghost hunting techniques. They touched on EVP, powder-spreading, Ouija boards, provocation. The only thing they really didn't use was heat-based cameras. Apparently there are a few different cuts of the film in existence, and what they're showing in theaters now is the most streamlined version. I'd like to see other the other cuts if and when they surface. Hopefully if it releases on DVD they'll include whatever was cut. There was definitely an alternate ending in prior screenings of the film, though I have a feeling the ending we saw was meant to be jump-out-of-your-seat-scary. By the time the movie was over I was curled up in a ball in my seat and didn't want to move. XD I'm kind of surprised that I slept at all last night.
So, to summarize. Scariest movie I've ever seen. If you like this kind of stuff, go see it. I kind of want to go see it with people who haven't seen it yet. :P
Also waiting on a package from FedEx today. VERY EXCITE. But so help me God if they throw it down the basement stairs again, I'm going to be so pissed off.