Simply Scary

Rating: 10/10 (4 September 2011)

There is a simple reason why I give Paranormal Activity the maximum rating (which I rarely do): It was the first film in a long time that actually scared me. Horror movies is one of my (if not the) favorite movie genre and there are a lot of good horror movies, but only very few that actually scare me (and by "scare" I don't mean shock, I mean actually frighten).
This fact alone is enough for me to give it 10/10, actually, because the movie is doing exactly what it is supposed to, and it's doing it pretty great. It has kind of an "independent" feeling (and it is, it was made by students) and follows in the footsteps of the "Blair Witch Project" documentary style: All the scenes are supposed to be filmed by the actors of the movie (although the film finds a lot of reasons for the camera to actually be a still camera on a stand).
I think what makes this film such an upsetting experience is that the characters play their roles as "everyday people" really good. The decision to go with a blair-witch kind of style was definitely the right one. You get the actual impression that what happens to that couple could happen to anyone and you actually care for what happens to them. Additionally, it becomes obvious pretty quickly to the viewer that the story will only get more intense from night to night. Finally, what makes this a really great experience as opposed to a lot of "big" Hollywood productions is that you have no idea how the film will turn out. It is completely unclear what happens to the two main characters and if the story will turn out good for them or not. In a lot of movies you can see the ending from far far away, in Paranormal Activity literally everything could happen.
So, what does that leave to say? I know a lot of people find the movie boring. For me, personally, it worked - and great. I saw it in the cinema, with about 15 other people and the atmosphere there was simply the best cinema experience I ever had, which may explain a little of my love for this movie. For everyone who did not see this movie so far: Watch it alone, watch it at night, watch it with good picture and sound quality (5.1 if possible somehow). This is the kind of movie you either love or hate. For me, it scared me and that is all I can ask from a horror movie, but rarely get - which is simply why I love it.