Brilliant

Rating: 9/10 (20 January 2012)

I unabashedly love Paranormal Activity and consider it to be one of the best horror films out there. Not THE best, but damn close, and before you laugh at least hear me out. For the many things it did poorly (and it did many), PA did one thing exceptionally well.....it did a great job of hitting a primal tone and nerve. Namely, it exposed and made apparent the vulnerability of sleep, something that everyone can identify with and must do. I can't identify being lost in the woods with friends with a witch leaving stick figures outside my tent. I can't relate to seeing my daughter's head doing a 360 and spewing pea soup in someone's face, nor of Darth Maul suddenly appearing behind someone (Insidious). But I can relate to having to fall asleep every night and trusting that nothing bad will happen. THAT is the core element of what makes PA such an effective film, and it honed in and exploited this aspect beautifully. Being attacked or hunted by something unknown, unseen and unexplainable (which is scary in itself) while asleep is a very fundamental fear and is frightening as all hell. It hit home, got under my skin, got my imagination running, and left me jumping at every creek and bump at night while trying to get to bed. This film stayed with me long after I had left the theatre. To me, that is an indication of a good movie. I also thought it was paced perfectly, was accurate in the depiction of a haunting (or what I'd imagine one to be like), and the occurrences were so mild and escalation so believable it made it even better, and made its flaws, IMO, overlook-able.
I think that those who simply see a door moving a few inches and lights going on and off and say, "so what, how is that scary?" are missing the point, and the underlying goal that the movie's striving for. They weren't meant to scare in and of themselves (aside from the few scenes at the end), they were intended to imply and hint at while building tension and dread about what was to come. If taken just on its minimalistic approach to film-making without trying to look deeper than that I can entirely see why some find it awful. It really is NOT that good of a movie when viewed from a technical perspective. There's questionable acting, some plot holes and stupid plot points (most notably the psychic and Micah's sometimes ridiculous and unbelievable behavior), admittedly all of which don't help. Especially if someone doesn't or can't entertain the possibility of such phenomenon existing (though I've never understood why someone who didn't think such a thing was a possibility would go see it in the first place).
Anyhow, I can see why many hate PA, but I love it, and feel there aren't nearly enough films like it. Unfortunately, I fear this series will degrade into simple cash-in releases every October, i.e. the "Saw" movies. Be warned though, if you're looking for explicit horror, look elsewhere. This film really doesn't show you barely anything at all, and what it does show 90% of the time is miniscule. It is psychological horror that needs imagination. If you have one and if you can grit your teeth through its blunders and approach this with an open mind, you may be pleasantly surprised. Considering how this film is such a love it/hate it affair though, I'd highly recommend renting it first to see if it's your cup of tea.