There’s
one thing that people need to take into account before badmouthing some types
of cinema. Sure, Paranormal Activity was a polarizing film, but how many people disliked
it for the wrong reasons? If you hate
movies that are filmed ‘amateur’ or ‘found-footage’ style, then you really shouldn’t
even be watching them.
Plus, you absolutely cannot be
completely and totally disbelieving in the supernatural. You don’t have to believe in the paranormal world, but you can’t not believe and
expect to be affected at all.
On to the review!
In 2007, Paranormal Activity made a killing at the box office. Throw in the fact that it was filmed for a
few measly thousand, and Hollywood was looking at insane profits. It made absolutely perfect sense to franchise
it. (Whether or not the law of
diminishing returns has hit this particular franchise already is not the point
of this discussion. I could fill up
several pages on that alone.)
For those of you who are not
familiar with the film, it follows a happy couple as they try to get to the
bottom of what’s wrong with one of them.
Micah (Micah Sloat) is worried about his girlfriend Katie (Katie
Featherston) and has purchased a camera in the hopes that he can get to the
bottom of it. Of course, they get far
more than they bargained for.
Like any good horror film, the situation
unfolds slowly. Little occurs in the
first half of the movie, and Micah’s personal disbelief in the entire situation
often diffuses what little tension there is.
A few things go bump in the night, but the film is mostly content to let
you get comfortable with the house and the people who reside in it.
Of course, the second half is a bit
crazier, but the best part of Paranormal
Activity is the fact that it never fully explains why Katie is being haunted.
Even after the movie ends, there are quite a few questions that are
never answered. (Again, the other movies
don’t count just yet. The less said
about the ending of 3, the better.)
I feel that this film also does
something else that’s very important to a horror franchise: the ability to
suspend disbelief. By making it an
amateur film, nobody has to worry about anyone acting ‘out of character’
because the characters simply act like themselves, going so far as to use their
own first names in the film.
While I personally loved the chills
that this film gave me, I’m never surprised when others find it to be dull or
boring. For all of you out there who don’t
like this or any other ‘supernatural’ or ‘possession’ movie out there, here’s a
suggestion. Stop watching them. There will never be an amazing film, since Poltergeist
and The Exorcist got there
first. There will still be good ones
that drip out of Hollywood once in a while, but they won’t be game-changers.
Speaking of firsts, next week I get
to watch Poltergeist!
No comments:
Post a Comment