Has some problems. Has some scares. Worth a look.

Rating: 7/10 (4 November 2009)

This is certainly one of those movies that will either scare you out of your pants, bore you to tears, or have you discussing it until the wee hours of the morning with whoever didn't agree with you.
The premise is familiar. One person described it as a rip-off of "The Entity" which can be a fairly accurate criticism, although "The Entity" didn't do half as good a job at building suspense as did "Paranormal Activity." Katie has been tormented by a malevolent spirit that until recently has confined its actions to hovering over her and making her very nervous. Lately it has been plaguing her with vivid, violent dreams, and making things move. Then her not-so-bright boyfriend Micah decides he knows what to do. He gets a high definition video camera and places it in their room and records the goings on. Although one expert in paranormal activity warns them that documenting this thing may actually aggravate the situation since the demon clearly wants Katie, and is starting to make a move for her, Micah insists Creepy stuff ensues.
WARNING! THE NEXT SECTION CONTAINS SPOILERS! READ ONLY AFTER SEEING THE FILM!
What the film did right:
(1) The acting was spot on, and I dare say is the only way that this film had any impact whatsoever. You really feel just horrible for Katie who is clearly in a truly helpless position, and knows it, since this thing is fixated on her and has been tormenting her with horrific dreams when asleep, and subtle (and eventually not-so-subtle) scares when awake. As for the boyfriend Micah, one reviewer commented that he couldn't believe the performance because Micah was just so stupid, controlling and overall frustrating. He was stupid. He had an egotistical attitude that made him think he had control. He never really takes the haunting seriously, in spite of the mental anguish this is clearly causing Katie. He was so frustrating that I found myself wanting to sock him in the face. The actor performed this brilliantly. I had a friend in high school that was the exact copy of Micah; right down to how he handled situations over which he had no control. He's an infuriating character, but real nonetheless.
(2) The special effects, simple and cheap though they were, were incredibly effective (*spoiler* I defy anyone not to get a little chill when the thing drags Katie out of bed *end spoiler*).
(3) The director knew the power of suspense. Something as simple as a light being turned on can be utterly terrifying in the right context. (4) Things happen off camera. Those things are far more scary than slamming doors, or footprints, or Ouija boards, for the same reason that "Pontypool" was terrifying in its first hour: what we hear is far more horrific than what we see.
What it did wrong:
(1) The entirety of the terror of this film depends upon a sense of utter helplessness. To create an environment like that, the characters must first do everything they can to remedy the situation only to end up at square one. This didn't happen in "Paranormal Activity" largely due to the character of Micah. He just didn't seem to notice, or care, or... I don't know, but he was disconnected from reality in the film, making him a barricade to trying some actual solutions to the problem. He'd just try the same old "Let's prove there's a monster before we do anything. I'm in charge. This is my house. You're my girlfriend. I solve the problem... by not doing anything." There's no sense of helplessness here, only a sense of anger with a character who is clearly causing more harm than good. People aren't scared when they're angry (sometimes they're angry when scared, but the two emotions don't always go hand in hand - a mistake that many horror writers are guilty of). I think this is where a lot of people had a problem with this film. Had Micah clued in earlier, brought in the demonologist, discovered that not only was there nothing to be done, but that the monster would keep upping the ante until a very brutal finale, this film would have been ten times scarier.
As it is, there are a lot of good moments, some very scary scenes and sounds, and an overall chill left in the back of your spine. I however, left the theatre feeling pleased and cheated all at the same time.