Ever wondered what goes bump in the night?

Rating: Null/10 (3 November 2009)

Paranormal.
–adjective of or pertaining to the claimed occurrence of an event or perception without scientific explanation, as psychokinesis, extrasensory perception, or other purportedly supernatural phenomena.
Activity.
–noun, plural -ties. A use of energy or force; an active movement or operation.
Fear. -noun. A distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid. Concern or anxiety; solicitude: a fear for someone's safety.
Paranormal Activity (PA) is a low budget 'indie' film following the trend of The Blair Wtich Project. It rose to fame on public demand and word of mouth, some of that word of mouth disparagingly referred to as hype. With a shoe string budget, a handful of unknown actors and a reputation of being the next best thing since The Exorcist, it blew Saw IV or VI out of the water. Those expecting a flash, entertaining flick with great cinematography and bells and whistles will be bitterly disappointed. Those understanding and accepting of films like TBWP, seeking the film for what it is, and not what it isn't, will be affected by what it presents. PA is a reality show with a box of tricks. These tricks are not necessarily intended to precipitate mass screaming, but to create the effect of an authentic haunting. The characters are very natural and believable, and thus it becomes easier to suspend disbelief when nightly occurrences, increasing in tension and emotional impact affect the lives of Kate and Micah. PA plays on and exploits the fear that exists in the safe haven of our own home. 'That' creaky floorboard, 'that' thump on the stairs or in the attic. This film is for anyone who has ever thrown a blanket over themselves in the darkness because the blanket protects and shields from the eyes of the unknown entity. PA breaks that rule.
The plot is simply the haunting of two characters, Kate and Micah, in their home in California. There is a division of night and day. Day time gives us the characters and their exploration into what is occurring in the house. Night time gives us what the camera shows during the period of slumber - or not. The occurrences start simply and build gradually toward the inevitable. Most of the time the audience can believe what is happening. What we see looks authentic and is well done, simplicity over blatant theatricality. Once or twice I found it hard to breath. Not because I could not breathe, but my breath in the dead silence of the theater was magnified in my ears which were straining for the slightest sound as my eyes scanned the darkness. Where PA suffers is the with the occasional spell of overacting. The tension builds slowly throughout until most of the viewers are pinned to the screen. Then overacting disintegrates the effect. These spells are few and far between, but significant enough that my wife laughed on more than one occasion where the viewer was intended to stare in horror. The real power of PA is actually felt, at least in my case, after leaving the theater. Since we believe the characters, we feel and empathise with what is affecting them. It hurts us to see them sleep-deprived, with a dividing line between them due to tensions arising from the invasion of the entity into their personal lives. There is something that gets under the skin. Evil in this world does not have to be the crimes that are reported in the media. Evil exists on a very basic and fundamental level and does not always see the light of day in tabloid or camera. The ending is, well slightly typical of Hollwood. Apparently Spielberg had the ending changed which makes me shake my head. They could have, and more than likely should have, left it alone; but politics being politics, it did get a nationwide release.
In a nutshell, perhaps one of 'the' most authentic films of its genre. With the correct mindset and a little patience the discerning viewer is rewarded.
B-