"I think we'll be OK now."
Close, but no cigar. A decade after Blair Witch, its direct stylistic successor again proves to be a triumph of marketing over substance. The very clever and effective release-widening campaign, together with a killer audience-reaction trailer, has made Paranormal Activity far more successful than it really deserves, but it also mis-sells the film. What appeared to be an Amityville Horror for the reality TV generation is not a scary movie as such, more a traditional 'haunted house'/possession chiller, even reminiscent at times of audience manipulation in Robert Wise's classic, The Haunting. The simple premise and the genuinely claustrophobic setting works massively to its advantage, and the simple 'Night #' onscreen motif succeeds admirably in turning up the suspense and anticipation for the audience as the film progresses. However, given the limited opportunities that the setting and concept offers, nothing surprises, and all of the supposedly 'shock' moments are actually given away in the trailer, including the underwhelming and sudden ending. The two leads are reasonable, but the visiting psychic's performance is astoundingly dreadful. The lo-fi videocam look works for the most part visually, but sound-wise it diminishes the potential 'jump' moments. Paranormal Activity demonstrates that a good remake of Poltergeist might have some interest, yet I can't help feeling that if Sam Raimi had been given this movie to direct, they would have been literally scraping the audience off cinema ceilings. Catch it in a cinema with a lively Friday-night audience; it will look lame on DVD, and certainly Paranormal Activity will not bear repeat viewings.
Close, but no cigar. A decade after Blair Witch, its direct stylistic successor again proves to be a triumph of marketing over substance. The very clever and effective release-widening campaign, together with a killer audience-reaction trailer, has made Paranormal Activity far more successful than it really deserves, but it also mis-sells the film. What appeared to be an Amityville Horror for the reality TV generation is not a scary movie as such, more a traditional 'haunted house'/possession chiller, even reminiscent at times of audience manipulation in Robert Wise's classic, The Haunting. The simple premise and the genuinely claustrophobic setting works massively to its advantage, and the simple 'Night #' onscreen motif succeeds admirably in turning up the suspense and anticipation for the audience as the film progresses. However, given the limited opportunities that the setting and concept offers, nothing surprises, and all of the supposedly 'shock' moments are actually given away in the trailer, including the underwhelming and sudden ending. The two leads are reasonable, but the visiting psychic's performance is astoundingly dreadful. The lo-fi videocam look works for the most part visually, but sound-wise it diminishes the potential 'jump' moments. Paranormal Activity demonstrates that a good remake of Poltergeist might have some interest, yet I can't help feeling that if Sam Raimi had been given this movie to direct, they would have been literally scraping the audience off cinema ceilings. Catch it in a cinema with a lively Friday-night audience; it will look lame on DVD, and certainly Paranormal Activity will not bear repeat viewings.
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