Intriguing but Flawed.

Rating: 6/10 (16 December 2015)

Paranormal Activity (2007): Dir: Oren Peli / Cast: Katie Featherston, Micah Slout, Mark Fredrichs, Amber Armstrong, Ashley Palmer: Chilling low budget shocker about our fascination of the unexplained. Katie Featherston sleeps uneasy with an unwanted presence about. Her boyfriend Micah Slout doesn't take her seriously but experiments by setting up a camera to monitor their sleep. Doors open and shut. Lights flicker on. Katie emerges in sudden trances she cannot recall. Directed by Oren Peli with creepy lighting. What is truly interesting is how little is needed to render effect here. No big effects or a blood bath. Just a creepy sensation. Katie and Micah are believable as they attempt to figure this out. Katie gradually descends from a conscious state while Slout provides a good dose of comic relief. The film leaves amble opportunity for a sequel, which seems to be the kicker for these films. The only memorable supporting player is Mark Fredrichs as a psychic who takes the hint during his second visit. On the negative side one wonders why they wouldn't populate the rooms with a large party of people or call authorities? They had the evidence. And if all else fails, why not just leave? It would seem like the logical reaction to finding sh*t moved around and having your sleep disturbed by demonic home wrecking. Perhaps this film is only going for the scares over logic. We can at least give it that. Score: 6 ½ / 10