The best horror movie I've ever seen

Rating: 9/10 (7 October 2010)

Paranormal Activity is a scary movie. It's not a "how much blood and gore can we incorporate into this movie and get the death count up to one hundred movie." No, it's psychologically scary and therefore is more affective.
I've seen many horror movies that focus on murder and blood (Halloween, Scream, Bleed), that becomes boring after awhile. You lose count of who dies and I generally find that by the end, I don't care at all. Paranormal Activity stayed with me after it was over because my mind was replaying what I had seen. It made me wonder if the paranormal really does exist and for once, I wasn't completely denying that fact.
I first became interested in this movie when I saw Eclipse. The trailer for Paranormal Activity 2 was shown and my interest was piqued. I rented the first, not really knowing what to expect, and was pleased to see it was a low-budget film shot in a director's house. He hired four actors for the film and did not use many special effects. Movies like this are always a gem to find when they work. And it does.
Here is the plot: Micah and Katie have dated for awhile and decide to live together. It wasn't until after they moved in together that she revealed a secret: she has a demon following her. They hire an expert to check the house out for any signs that it is haunted. The expert says yes, it is and the demon wants Katie.
Throughout the movie, you see things happen, mainly at night, to let the viewer know that the demon is alive and well. A door opens and closes by itself, a sheet is drawn back on the couple sleeping in bed, lights turn on and off in a hallway. It's little things like these that are the scariest.
As the movie progresses, more and more things happen and the demon becomes more and more angry. A picture of the couple is smashed with the crack over Micah's face, Katie is pulled out of bed by the demon and Micah has to rescue her, etc. It all leads up to the shocking and unexpected conclusion.
This film pays homage to The Blair Witch Project in that it's shot with a small camera and is documented. Also, the characters are annoying at times. At several points throughout the film, I found myself wishing that Katie would either shut up or be killed by the demon. She really got on my nerves. I could understand her stress and frustration throughout the film, but the way she was acting was completely childish.
That's not to say that the actress herself didn't do a good job. She did. In fact, both of the leads did. I found myself drawn into the story more and their talent is what made the ending so shocking for me. That and the fact that Micah is absolutely gorgeous. I kept wishing he'd dump Katie and go in search to find me. I felt that I would be a better girlfriend than Katie was. And I'm not being stalked by a demon.
The setting is modern-day, in southern California. The house is too huge for Micah's salary and Katie's student status, but what do you expect in Hollywood? In movies, people without money are the ones with the biggest homes. As it is filmed with a hand-held camera, graphics are minimal and there is a bluish hue when filming at night. It does not detract at all; rather remind you that this is a "documentary" and "regular people" going about their lives.
The sequel is what interested me in this movie and now I plan to trek to the theater to see it when it opens in a few weeks. But before I do that, I will rent this again to re-familiarize myself with the characters and pick up on things I might have missed the first time. I hope Paranormal Activity 2 is just as good as the first one. If so, a franchise will be born and two young actors will quickly climb to the A list. And who knows? Maybe there is a hint of truth to the film.