A deserving money-making gem in an otherwise drained genre.

Rating: 8/10 (30 November 2009)

Presented as real footage in true Blair Witch style – although talk show appearances in 2009 by the two stars dispel that claim – this eerie chiller has received word-of-mouth seldom seen in the cinematic world. Shown at two film festivals in October 2007 then January 2008, it was shelved until Paramount dusted it off for a limited release on 25 Sep 2009. It's opening weekend only returned $77K but it was the hype surrounding it that was the real bonus. Over the next three weeks it went on to make $41 million and as I write this it has grossed over $103 million in the U.S. alone. Have I mentioned it had an estimated budget of $11-15K?
Israeli director Oren Peli makes his debut with Paranormal and what a debut it is. He is able to wring tension out of a story that is anything but new and he makes old, tired genre techniques feel fresh again. Where creaky steps or heavy breathing in your average modern horror movie will generally induce eye-rolling, Peli makes it indisputably terrifying. However the thing that impresses the most is his tremendously believable visual effects. It's unclear whether CGI was used or if Peli came up with ways of doing it in front of camera; without researching you would never know. To have seamless effects like this is rare and it elevates Paranormal from spooky to pant-wetting. Just try and stay calm when powdery footprints appear next to the couples bed in one petrifying scene.
Peli's end result is aided heavily by his lead actors. Their organic performances add an edge to the picture that your glossier horror flicks rarely feature. The usual tics of couples everywhere are inherently visible - Katie getting stroppy with Micah for his playfulness and immaturity is a humorous highlight – and at no time does it feel like the actors are unknown to each other. Finding out they are a real-life paring wouldn't come as too much of a surprise.
A deserving money-making gem in an otherwise drained genre.
4 out of 5 (1 - Rubbish, 2 - Ordinary, 3 - Good, 4 - Excellent, 5 - Classic)