[review] - Paranormal Activity
Oct. 20th, 2009 11:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lightcastleAs is often the case, I was oblivious to the huge cult following of this film through social media and the like that has resulted in it being released. When Pixie invited me to see it, I shrugged and said sure. Of course, last time I was brought to a film that was a internet-based cult hit, it was the deeply banal Repo: The Genetic Opera.
I liked this far better.
Spoilers will go under the cut, but here's the non-spoiler version. It's a Haunted House tale, done as a terror film, not a horror film. It's kind of a cross between The Blair Witch Project and The Haunting (the good 1960s version).
The premise is simple, and there are no credits. Some text explains that this is found footage of a young couple in San Diego and thanks the SDPD for the use of the footage. We then start with the first day of Micah (the boyfriend)'s new camera. He and his girlfriend Katie have been hearing weird noises and having strange events in the house. (Faucets turning on and off when they aren't in the room, things like that.) Micah, a day trader and obviously a "I can figure things out and fix them" kind of guy, has gotten the fancy camera to tape things and get some evidence of what's really going on. Katie just wants it to stop.
We watch the edited footage that follows and find out whose idea is the better one.
The actors don't look Hollywood, the thing is shot only through Micah's camera, and the scenes feel like the actors were told what to aim for and not scripted. It all feels very naturalistic, which works in its favor. The film even manages to get around the infamous Eddie Murphy problem of why they don't just leave in a pretty elegant way.
The best scenes are at night. It's a terror film, so the night shots are mostly the couple sleeping while the camera rolls away in night vision mode. It's a fixed angle, wide enough to see the whole room. The door is open, and there isn't really enough light to see into the hallway. The result is that you don't know what might move - or when or where. You strain to see past the door frame, to try and keep track of any motion somewhere when you are focused on another part of the shot. It's lovely suspense in the classic style. It's lots and lots of nothing, so that any something becomes intense. Watching this in a movie theatre, where everyone is there to be scared and slightly holding their breath is just what should be done.
The day scenes give us some character development and some scares, but aren't quite as effective. I actually think this could have become an insane internet sensation if they had just released the night scenes as you tube videos or something, followed by all the analysis on by paid moderators.
Having heard nothing about the film, I had no idea how long to expect it to end, nor when or if it would switch modes, all of which kept me in delightful anticipation.
Is it brilliant and groundbreaking? No. It's a well-crafted haunted house movie done with a simple and solid understanding of how to do suspense. I enjoyed it immensely as exactly that sort of old school terror film.
I liked this far better.
Spoilers will go under the cut, but here's the non-spoiler version. It's a Haunted House tale, done as a terror film, not a horror film. It's kind of a cross between The Blair Witch Project and The Haunting (the good 1960s version).
The premise is simple, and there are no credits. Some text explains that this is found footage of a young couple in San Diego and thanks the SDPD for the use of the footage. We then start with the first day of Micah (the boyfriend)'s new camera. He and his girlfriend Katie have been hearing weird noises and having strange events in the house. (Faucets turning on and off when they aren't in the room, things like that.) Micah, a day trader and obviously a "I can figure things out and fix them" kind of guy, has gotten the fancy camera to tape things and get some evidence of what's really going on. Katie just wants it to stop.
We watch the edited footage that follows and find out whose idea is the better one.
The actors don't look Hollywood, the thing is shot only through Micah's camera, and the scenes feel like the actors were told what to aim for and not scripted. It all feels very naturalistic, which works in its favor. The film even manages to get around the infamous Eddie Murphy problem of why they don't just leave in a pretty elegant way.
The best scenes are at night. It's a terror film, so the night shots are mostly the couple sleeping while the camera rolls away in night vision mode. It's a fixed angle, wide enough to see the whole room. The door is open, and there isn't really enough light to see into the hallway. The result is that you don't know what might move - or when or where. You strain to see past the door frame, to try and keep track of any motion somewhere when you are focused on another part of the shot. It's lovely suspense in the classic style. It's lots and lots of nothing, so that any something becomes intense. Watching this in a movie theatre, where everyone is there to be scared and slightly holding their breath is just what should be done.
The day scenes give us some character development and some scares, but aren't quite as effective. I actually think this could have become an insane internet sensation if they had just released the night scenes as you tube videos or something, followed by all the analysis on by paid moderators.
Having heard nothing about the film, I had no idea how long to expect it to end, nor when or if it would switch modes, all of which kept me in delightful anticipation.
Is it brilliant and groundbreaking? No. It's a well-crafted haunted house movie done with a simple and solid understanding of how to do suspense. I enjoyed it immensely as exactly that sort of old school terror film.
