Hello I am the movie encyclopedia and if no one else will see it, I will.
I honestly hate this movie. I mean I hate it with a passion but I dont hate it because its a bad movie but because it is honestly the scariest movie I have ever seen. It doesnt rely on gore or cheap pop scares (in fact there is no music at all) but instead relies on shadows, sounds (like thumps) and the real and true terror of the unknown.
Most horror movies nowadays (like I said) rely on gore, music spikes and angry people with hockey masks to convey horror. But thats not truly horror. Horror movies by definition are made to scare you and make you genuinely uncomfortable. People in hockey masks or William Shatner masks arent really scary. In fact most slasher films or torture porn make me laugh. One reason is because how stupid and unlikeable the people in the movie are (I root for the killer half the time) and how they make dumb choices. Another reason is because of the cheesy factor. NOBODY REALLY BLEEDS THAT MUCH (IM TALKIN TO YOU HOSTEL)
Paranormal Activity changes that though. It takes the Cinema veriete style I mentioned in my review of Quarantine and a 15,000 dollar budget (mostly camera stuff) and makes a truly uncomfortable experience. Bumps, thumps, doors shutting and opening as well as shadows in the back make this truly nerveracking.
One of the things that makes this movie really work is the characters. They are REAL people. They are actors but they feel like REAL, honest people who would react and do react in ways that all of us would react. Because of that, as well as their personalities, makes the two main characters Kate and Micah (pronounced Me-caw) extremly likeable. And because they are likeable you really feel for them and react when they react. They draw you in because you care about them.
Another thing that works about the film is a lack of blockbuster over the top special effects. Their natural home movie style of making this film make any special effects, slight of hands ect feel real. This actually messed with me and let me tell you how:
I was walking in my house and passed by the door to my room. It was getting towards evening and so the sun was passing by one of our overhead windows. What happened was my shadow projected onto the door without me knowing. Out of the corner of my eye I saw my shadow on the door and screamed. I actually began to cry a little and said "The demon was gonna get me." Like the Exorcist before it, Paranormal Activity messes with your head.
One thing I will say is that I saw the original (available online) uncut filml with the original ending as well as the theatre version that they are showing now. Let me just say that you owe it to yourself to buy this film so you can see the true original version of this movie. The ending you see in the theatres doesnt do justice to the film and feels really out of place while the original one is tension filled, creepy and fits the movie's tone really well.
If you are looking for a genuinely nerve racking movie then you MUST see this movie. I kid you not you MUST SEE IT. Ive seen it twice and it is still terrifying. Paranormal Activity is the love child of Blair Witch Project and the Exorcist and MAN is it scary.
MY VERDICT: TOP 20
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