Paranormal Activity

An unforeseen hit from 2007, Paranormal Activity seems to have as many fans as detractors who complain about its resemblance to 1999’s very impressive The Blair Witch Project, another sleeper hit that you either love or hate.  I happen to love Blair Witch for its originality, its ability to deeply scare you, which is the goal of a horror movie, and its brilliant marketing campaign that never made clear whether the footage was real or just a movie.

Paranormal Activity doesn’t really have much in common with Blair Witch except for the bare bones cast and the jumpy camera work shot from the perspective of the two protagonists, which are all plusses for what I’m concerned.  Paranormal Activity is also quite original in terms of where and what the paranormal is coming from.

The two main actors do a fair job, especially considering the scant script they have to work with, and the low tech visual effects enhance the whole experience and the anxiety level.  Oftentimes, less gore allows you to achieve far more terrifying effects than what you’d get in a modern, over-remade Hollywood franchise like the Nightmare on Elm Street or the Saw movies.

I read that the director changed the ending of the movie after getting some advice from the venerable Steven Spielberg and the DVD actually contains both endings.  I think the theatrical version works, but can be annoying with its sequel-setup final scene, while the alternate ending, supposedly the director’s original idea, works more in terms of a parting shock.  Personally, I’d go for a mix of the two, keeping the first part of the theatrical release ending and the second part of the alternate ending.

Overall, a good horror movie, especially for the tension it’s able to create on such a low budget.

Grade: 7