Spooky Little Movie

Rating: 7/10 (8 April 2010)

Paranormal Activity is a story told from the point of view of a home video camera, and entirely within the home of a young couple. So, like Cloverfield, it is a variant of the style of The Blair Witch Project. But it is original enough and clever enough to be well worth watching for fans of scary movies. There is no gore or ax-wielding monster. The tension comes from a story that becomes progressively more horrifying through thoughtfully choreographed imagery and sounds. The pacing is near perfect. It drew me in and creeped me out, just like it was supposed to. One warning: there are apparently three endings, reflecting the trend to keep tinkering with movies even after they are released. The one I saw involved the arrival of police officers. And from the descriptions I've heard of the others, I think it is probably the best one.