Doesn't need sequel pls: Paranormal Activity
Since I first heard about this movie I've been looking forward to it, so when they were giving away free passes to a preview screening I jumped at the chance. And now I see why opinions on the internet are so polarising.
It's... effective. The doco style is obviously nothing new, but I've never seen The Blair Witch Project, so I think that helps a little. It's pretty well-acted, to the point where you sympathise with Katie so much but just want to slap Micah in the face. My god, could that man have been a bigger asshole about this thing? And I guess I had to suspend disbelief for a second there, because although, sure, jerks like that exists, and are... fairly commonplace, I guess, it just boggles the mind that while his girlfriend is obviously suffering, or even when she is screaming, the thing he cares about most is catching everything on camera.
The movie drags a little, and we're expected to forgive them because it gives us the big payoff at the end - I have to say, a fantastically creepy final image that unsettles you the more you think about it - but more seasoned horror fans probably would've seen it coming from a mile away. Hell, even I knew something like that was going to happen. The people in the cinema with me was entertaining in themselves, because there was a lot of inappropriate laughter.
It didn't really have a plot, so to speak, just a series of events that was captured on camera, so the storytelling feels a little loose. They had the standard MacGuffin pop up twice with some exposition in tow, which... is actually the only way you would be able to get it, so it's not as unnatural as you'd think. This is one of the reasons why the movie really doesn't need a sequel, but they're doing one anyway. What do I know.
Hyped, sure. Overhyped, a little bit. It does deserve a bunch of the praise it's gotten. I wouldn't say that it's a horror film, because the tensions are more psychological than anything. You won't be scared, but you'll probably be creeped out.
It's... effective. The doco style is obviously nothing new, but I've never seen The Blair Witch Project, so I think that helps a little. It's pretty well-acted, to the point where you sympathise with Katie so much but just want to slap Micah in the face. My god, could that man have been a bigger asshole about this thing? And I guess I had to suspend disbelief for a second there, because although, sure, jerks like that exists, and are... fairly commonplace, I guess, it just boggles the mind that while his girlfriend is obviously suffering, or even when she is screaming, the thing he cares about most is catching everything on camera.
The movie drags a little, and we're expected to forgive them because it gives us the big payoff at the end - I have to say, a fantastically creepy final image that unsettles you the more you think about it - but more seasoned horror fans probably would've seen it coming from a mile away. Hell, even I knew something like that was going to happen. The people in the cinema with me was entertaining in themselves, because there was a lot of inappropriate laughter.
It didn't really have a plot, so to speak, just a series of events that was captured on camera, so the storytelling feels a little loose. They had the standard MacGuffin pop up twice with some exposition in tow, which... is actually the only way you would be able to get it, so it's not as unnatural as you'd think. This is one of the reasons why the movie really doesn't need a sequel, but they're doing one anyway. What do I know.
Hyped, sure. Overhyped, a little bit. It does deserve a bunch of the praise it's gotten. I wouldn't say that it's a horror film, because the tensions are more psychological than anything. You won't be scared, but you'll probably be creeped out.