Liked it

Rating: 9/10 (2 November 2009)

Let me be clear: I am not a big fan of horror movies. I think a lot of them are incredibly dumb, repetitive, and ultimately not frightening. I get more laughs out of most horror movies than anything else. The best horror movies, in my opinion, would be the Saw series, the Exorcist, and the Shining. The Halloween movies are dumb, the Descent was terrible, and don't get me started on Drag Me to Hell.
I went to see this Paranormal Activity on Halloween night. I had virtually no prior knowledge of this film, other than the fact that some people said it was the scariest movie they had ever seen, while others said it was a boring waste of time. In order to solve this dilemma for myself, I decided to go.
The movie caught me off-guard at first by jumping right into the story, that some freaky stuff has been happening in the couple's house. It wasn't until later, when the psychic shows up, that we really get an understanding of what's going on.
A few things need to be cleared up. In some respects, this is no different from any other horror movie, good or bad. I say this because, at least Mica was a complete moron, disregarding the advice of the psychic as well as...logic in general. He starts off as a comic relief, to give the audience a sense of calm before the storm. It was BECAUSE he was both egging on the spirit as well as trying to interact with it (via camera, powder, microphone, etc.) that gave the creature more incentive to mess with the couple. Think about it. If he was a nice guy, or if he had simply called the demonologist immediately, then the problem would be taken care of and the movie would be over. What fun is that? I admit, the start of the film was slow. The scratching on the walls, the slight movement of the door, and the little groan were preliminary activities. The point of showing every evening's activity is to build anticipation, to get the audience wondering how the next evening will top the one that preceded it. The film was one big crescendo, and that's what I personally loved about it.
It was true suspense, no Hollywood interference, and no real gory/slasher moments. This was horror at its finest. This movie proved that the biggest fear is the one we create ourselves, which is why the director didn't feel the need to show a demon, excessive blood, and everything else that has been senselessly thrown into every other "horror" movie. All-in-all, it was a very well-made film that kept my heart rate up from start to finish and beyond.