Step into the theater late - like 1 hour after the start.

Rating: 8/10 (18 January 2010)

Yes, there's been a lot of hype for Paranormal Activity, and that brought me in too. The movie is best watched in a theater, and at night, and with an audience that knows to shut up.
And then go home to try and resist imagining the same things happening in your house. Oh you will imagine - just about the time you turn off the lights before trying to sleep. And then you'll turn them on again. It's very very difficult to shake off PA when home.
That said, I recommend this, and save prospective viewers a lot of time: 1.- Go into the theater an hour after the show starts. Until then, pretty much nothing happens(Now that everyone kinda knows about the story,the couple and the presence in their house - catching up is no problem) 2.- Take a few minutes to get a feel for the situation on screen, and 3.-Focus from the time she wakes up, goes over to his side of the bed, and stares at him for a couple hours. This is like 2 minutes before the film ends.
That's all there is in this movie. The last 2.5 minutes of PA will make the impact that everyone's raving about. Save the first hour for anything else you have planned, outside the theater.
Trust me. :)