Morons versus haunting - cue $$$

Rating: 6/10 (27 February 2010)

Perhaps best described as The Blair Witch Project meets the Exorcist meets the Darwin Awards, Oren Peli's Paranormal Activity is one of those "love or hate it" movies - some praise it as the scariest thing ever committed to celluloid, others claim it's boring and uneventful. Personally, I found it a passable effort, although my patience with the series has grown thinner with each successive episode. "One-trick pony" pretty much describes it.
Low budget can excuse many things - repetitive structure, no special effects, a single location, a tiny cast - but not lazy writing. If something starts haunting your house and dragging you from bed in the middle of the night, I'll guarantee you will at the very least LOCK YOUR BEDROOM DOOR.
Economically, however, this was a work of veritable genius. This stuff cost less than a used car and made like 10000% of its original budget at the box office. Young movie-makers all around the world are probably salivating at the thought.
5,5/10