Paranormal Activity

Rating: 8/10 (28 March 2010)

Quite a few people had told me that this was a film I had to see, and naturally knowing it was like the style of The Blair Witch Project, I wasn't going to ignore them. Basically it is presented like another found footage film, with young girlfriend Katie (Katie Featherston) and boyfriend Micah (Micah Sloat), who have been together for three years, filming themselves and their experiences. They have had strange things happen to them, sounds and movements in the house, especially as they try to sleep, and Katie claims to have been haunted since she was eight years old. So Micah sets a video camera to film them and this paranormal activity, and they get a little advice from The Psychic (Mark Fredrichs) about what this entity may want. Over the next few nights, the camera catches every sound and movement as they sleep, including a door opening and closing again, Katie getting out of bed and standing for hours, the sheets being blown by a wind and no windows open, and loud bangs. It obvious this spirit, or demon, is getting increasingly threatening night by night, and it is apparently after Katie, which causes friction between her and Micah. When there is a night where Katie is dragged by legs through the bedroom door, they consider going to a hotel for a night until the demon is gone, and The Psychic visits again, but they have to face this situation alone. The final and most terrifying scene sees Katie get out of bed and stand for hours again, before going downstairs and screaming, and Micah runs down. Seconds later some loud footsteps are heard, and Micah is unexpectedly thrown at and knocking over the camera, and Katie walks into view, covered in blood, and she kneels down to smile and roar at us, Micah's body was found, but Katie's disappeared. Also starring Amber Armstrong as neighbour Amber and Ashley Palmer as Diane - Girl on Internet. The performances by the two unknowns are very well done, there are very few special effects and no music, making it all the more realistic, and with simple things like loud noises and images to freak you out there is plenty of tension, a brilliant supernatural horror. Very good!