Tense and scary

Rating: 8/10 (17 December 2009)

I had heard all the praise Paranormal Activity received and was skeptical. But the movie conquered me by its efficient structure and raw execution.
The movie doesn't lose too much time drawing you in the claustrophobic universe of a young couple, Katie and Micah. The setup is simple. They have started experiencing strange phenomenon that might be paranormal in nature. Micah doesn't take Katie's fear very seriously and decides to buy a camera and "investigate" the strange happenings.
This makes the whole movie shot from Micah's camera. The style and feel has drawn comparisons to Blair Witch, understandably. It has the same amateurish, documentary-style shooting style, both feature a small cast of unknown actors, the same feeling that some of the lines are improvised and of course, both are horror movies that rely more on atmosphere than gore or shock to scare the audience.
Although I tremendously enjoyed The Blair Witch Project, it never quite scared me and I felt it could have been more tightly edited at times. Paranormal Activity progressively gets more tensed and features some truly chilling scenes. Katie Featherston (playing her namesake, Katie) is believable as one of the lead. Her character is more sensitive to the phenomenon so, especially in the movie's early stage, a lot of the feeling of creepiness must come through this character. Micah Sloat (predictably playing... Micah) is adequate, although I didn't think he had much to work with at times. Since this actor also served as cameraman, in some scenes he is reduced to voice acting.
Overall, Oren Peli quickly established the pace and style of this movie, documenting the paranormal stuff in many scenes while the camera lays still. We as the audience can't wait for night to fall and see what might happen next. But as far as establishing the characters and their relationship, it all seems to have been left to improv. I wish I had known a bit more about them.
But all in all, this movie does what it sets out to do. It has a creepy atmosphere without relying on gore, action, loads of special effects and it even avoids having one of those lame "surprise twists" which have been popular with movies attempting to replicate The Sixth Sense's success.
As my profile says, I give a rating regardless of external factors such as budget. I really do think this movie deserves a high rating. But I must praise all the people involved in this production. Kudos for using a lot of creativity and getting an amazing movie made on modest means. Proof that money doesn't always have to be an obstacle.