PARANORMAL ACTIVITY
Sub-Genre- Supernatural
In Attendance- Me, Machine, Karrie, Dave, and Mrs. Machine.
Cast Members of Note- Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat.
What's it About?- Katie and Micah are a sweet, All-American couple living their All-American dream except for the fact that Katie is haunted by a ghost. For me that's the end of any relationship, but then again I'm really scared of ghosts. I'm sorry, but love can not defeat an angry spirit!
They eventually set up a camera to record their room at night, because too many creepy things are happening and they want some sort of an explanation. Maybe they're just imagining things? No, because things of course get progressively worse to the point of calling in a ghost psychic, which does no good at all because he gets scared and leaves. Hint, hint, Micah.
A Ouija board and a few Youtube videos later, Micah tries to karate fight the ghost, which only serves to piss it off even more. I won't spoil any more of what happens here, but suffice it to say that ghosts hate you, and they have no problems showing it. They won't even let you get the proper amount of sleep. That is true hate.
The Good- This was a really good movie; creepy, well made for its minuscule budget, well acted, and did I mention creepy? Now I won't say that it's the creepiest thing I've ever seen, but it delivers the scares with minimalism and subtlety. I can see how some might love PA, while others might hate it. Kinda just like it was with Blair Witch.
I'm not sure which version is better, the 2007 original or the 2009 theatrical, which have different scenes and things, though I might lean towards the theatrical versions because the ending and daytime scenes were kinda cool. It's nice to see something original make it to theaters, and especially to see the little guy kick the crap out of the latest, needless SAW movie.
The Bad- It's absolutely frustrating that it takes so long for a movie like this, or Trick r' Treat, or All the Boys Love Mandy Lane (Which still isn't out in the U.S.) to be released, when so many other sub par horror flicks get released in their stead. Studio politics be damned I say!
The Downright Horrendous- What kind of a dumb ass taunts evil spirits? Come on Micah, you can't win when you essentially challenge a frigging demon to a fight, and why in the hell would you want to rile it up anyway? Be nice,offer it cookies or something, but don't dare it to fight you!
The Gory- A little bit of the nasty stuff, but this movie really isn't about all of that. Plus, there are varying amounts of violence depending on which version were talking about.
The Naked- Katie Featherston does not unleash her sweater puppies, which is nearly criminal, because they look like they'd be superb.
What did we learn?- If your girlfriend is haunted, dump her. It's really for the best. Also, don't taunt the ghosts. What are you, insane?
The Master Says- B+ (8.5/10) People will either love it's subtle build and quietly creepy atmosphere, or they will call it boring and lame. I, for the most part, think it was highly effective and enjoyable, especially since it had such a tiny budget. It's nice to see a movie that isn't all jump scares and music cues, and that succeeds by its own rules. If you haven't already, you really should check it out... especially since there are already talks of a sequel.Final Thoughts- This is an exclusive still of a deleted scene from Paranormal Activity. Chilling.
