Paranormal Activity is the biggest hit of the whole year. A movie that started in a few college towns with a couple of midnight showings is now being released nationwide this weekend. By using their website and “demanding” the movie to come to a city near you…it has finally come true. A lot can be said about this movie that was only made for under $15,000 and now has grossed over $36 million and it’s not done yet.
This movie is basically a haunted house tale and focuses on what happens while you are sleeping. A young couple experiences something that can only be explained as a supernatural occurrence. So they get a video camera hoping to catch it all on film to figure out the noises that are occurring all over the house and during the night.
Katie and Micah are played by Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat. What’s that? You have never heard of them? Well that will probably change now, however, they will forever be linked to this movie just like the actors in The Blair Witch Project. But Katie and Micah work so well together and their relationship seems so believable. There are frightening times, but they also have a personality and a sense of humor about it all.
Now Paranormal Activity goes with the same approach as The Blair Witch Project in a few ways. The whole movie is hand-held and you are just along for the ride. But there is less movement in this movie so you won’t feel as sick. Also, the filmmaker wants you to believe this event happened and is real. And it just so happens they were able to find and use the footage that was found. Mostly everyone knows that The Blair Witch Project was fake and so is this one. But that does not mean you do not believe in such events or in the terror that haunts this couple. It definitely feels real at times.
Paranormal Activity is a great horror movie that goes back to the basics of thrills and chills. It starts off with little things such as the door moving or seeing a light turn on. As the movie continues things slowly get worse. There are more than a couple of creepy moments in this movie.
Every time they show the camera set up and the couple is sleeping, you know you are about to see something that will frighten you or at least creep you out. You are just waiting and looking for any sudden movements of anything. There a couple of things that happen that reminds you of a “Hollywood” scary movie, but just a few. For the most part, this movie is original and delivers on scares.
Paranormal Activity was able to make the horror genre feel fresh again, but more importantly made the genre scary again. There is no way you will leave the theatre and not get chills by thinking about one of the many scenes that were creepy or just flat-out scary as hell.
Brandon Vick is a member of The Music City Film Critics’ Association, the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and the star of The Vick’s Flicks Podcast. Follow him on Twitter @SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.
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