Truly Memorable

Rating: 8/10 (2 November 2009)

This movie definitely left a huge impression on me long after it was over. Though I was too busy laughing at everyone's reactions to doors slamming closed or an empty attic during the actual movie to be terrified at the moment, the memory of the events in the film left more of a mark on my subconscious than the Krypt Keeper did when I was four and thought he lived under my bed.
The first hour is more creepy than scary, and tended to drag. But it was pulled together nicely by the believable acting done by Micah and Katie. It was interesting to have the tension in the relationship being shown on camera without every single detail of every single fight getting caught on tape, like these other POV movies out there, which kills the authentic feel. Micah was an amazing comic relief when things got too eerie, though by the end of the movie I was rooting for the demon to kill him off - hey, he WAS kind of a jerk about Katie's ordeal.
In the scene where Katie stands staring down at Micah for hours on end before going outside to sit on the porch swing, I could feel myself hold my breath. It definitely was something to think about, for how do we know that we don't do the same thing? From the baby powder scene to the time when Katie is dragged down the hallway and bitten, I was clutching my boyfriend's arm a little tighter than I had been. And the final scene, when Micah is thrown at the camera, I was genuinely wide-eyed.
Hours after the movie ended, I was still checking over my shoulder and refused to go into dark rooms alone in my own house. This movie definitely has something that most other movies can't top - a sense of realism, and I'm not just talking about the POV camera angle. The thought of something like a demonic presence following us for years and then finally torturing us for three weeks in the ways that it tortured Katie and Micah, it's something that will make you keep one eye - and perhaps a camera lens - open while you sleep at night. Don't let the bed bugs bite.