Relatively effective

Rating: 6/10 (3 April 2010)

For the first half Paranormal Activity starts to shape up as a seriously decent little horror film shot quickly on a shoe string yet eliciting some genuinely scary atmosphere from the innocuous household setting. It's a far more restrained affair than Poltergeist, and uses a subtly dark sound mix to ratchet up the tension far more effectively than Blair Witch ever could. But like i said: that's just the first half. Once we, the audience, have accepted that the malevolent presence in the house is going to do little more than walk around menacingly, occasionally banging on stuff, the threat evaporates and the film's sole strength - the unknown element of where it's all going is gone with it. There's little appeal in the amateurish performances and the hand-held camera-work gets the job done whilst adding nothing to the overall effect of the shots. At around 90 minutes it's also surprising that there still remain one or two filler scenes that add absolutely nothing to the film. It is worth baring with though for its finale, a little predictable perhaps, far better than the alternate ending certainly, and I for one loved it.