Review : Paranormal Activity (2007)

Yeah! Good luck with your sleep!!

A couple in a relationship have moved to suburban house where things isn't exactly hunky dory as some kind of force is going bump in the night leading to sleepless nights. So the boyfriend installs a camera to find out the reason but to their horror the presence is much more sinister than they realized......


SCARY! Truly scary.You kinda get many movies with blurbs that speak of the horrors that the movie holds. But this does hold all that it has been tagged with. Watching this one alone can be a harmful experience for many. Considering the insomnia that follows after. Even with a boyfriend/girlfriend may not be that helpful but atleast you'd have some excuse to snuggle. This creeps you out, although you'd have to be patient as it takes time before any kind of scares are thrown at us. An empty house houses many secrets and some of them can be very scary. And this shows what can actually transpire after you sleep. So basically a good excuse to remain awake and frightened. Sequels have tried but failed to recreate the magic of this one. Simply cos it takes time but in this 30-40 minutes it clearly establishes the two characters and their characteristics and how they behave in certain situations. We know how they would react when things begin to go outta control. So are totally invested in them. The effects of their haunting began to tell on us and naturally all that wait has its fruits. Plus the last 20 minutes are not that action packed but we get the scares and yes its shit. Considering the kind of films i watch i don't scared easily that much, but for normal viewers who aren't much into horror this will truly be an experience. Go have a blast......


Written and directed by Oren Peli(Chernobyl Diaries, Area 51) whose a popular and polarizing name in horror cos of Chernobyl which according to me was very good but not many people liked it. His brand of slow burn maybe isn't my brand but i like it if the exposition is followed by some solid action. And this falls short of solid action so i couldnt like it more than say Rec. Blair Witch Project came out in the 90's and created a wave. This came 10 years later and created a wave too. But Rec was better than both. And Blair Witch is better than Paranormal cos it has some solid payoff. This has just two characters who go around the house scared and screaming in the whole movie. But as the stakes begin to get higher we needed some more action maybe. But with the kind of budget they had, its incredible what they did. And the sequels with higher budgets didn't fetch any more scares so everythings good in hindsight. Whatever the scares they are good and can upset you on a windy and stormy night. Found footage isn't such a hot selling product. I dunno why. But with some limited camera angles and two characters and some creepy lights and effects ,Oren Peli creates one of the most creepy movies with one of the smallest budgets. Bravo!!

Totally dig this!!

This doesn't boast of big names. But this has some nice acting. Centred around just two characters named after themselves Micah and Katie. It means we have 30 minutes to get to know them very properly and get acquainted with their way of living. So that means that even if the scares and action are tad less their effect on us is multifold. Great work by Micah as the boyfriend who isn't taking the haunting seriously. He installs cameras and has a mission to talk with the ghost. He thinks he can he can talk the demon out of harassing his hot girlfriend played by Katie Featherston. On the other hand Katie believes the ghost has been following her since she was 8. But unfortunately fails to report such a thing to her boyfriend before moving in with him. So as she takes help from the psychics and demon hunters he frowns vowing to take care of it himself. But sadly they are in for a rude shock. So all this is made believeble by some great acting by these two. And much part of the film's success should go to them. Plus Katie and her legs are enough reason to see this. This healthy beauty sure knows how to eat and remain gorgeous. Good work!!

Scary as shit, right?

Camerawork in this great. Oren Peli sure knows how to capture and show a normal place with a haunting feeling. Some very creepy visuals line up after the first half hour. Normally it wouldn't scare you but in this context it sure does. Editing is decent too but some scenes abruptly come to an end. And minimal background means its just the things going bump and dialogues(a little slower side though) which can be heard. So all this connect properly to make a movie which can be the cure for laziness. Nice!!


HighTension Verdict: If found footage is your thing and you wanna be scared on a rainy night or wanna spend a great night with your loved one. This can be perfect. Though you may all think its not that scary but trust me, IT IS. For first time viewers- DON'T WATCH IT ALONE AT NIGHT!!


HighTension Meter: 8/10.


BEST Quote:

Micah: I understand where you're coming from- just remember too, that you didn't exactly warn me about this kind of stuff before we moved in together, so I think I have a little bit of say in what we do.
Katie: I get that, but honestly what was I supposed to say? On our first date, 'Hey, I think there's a demon that I think has been following me.'
Micah: No, but maybe on our fifteenth date, or our thirtieth date, or when we decided to live together... that might've been a good thing to bring up.