Disappointment Not Hype Related

Rating: 4/10 (18 October 2009)

The movie had an auspicious path to release. Initially there were whispers about the tiny budget indie movie that could; there was the hokey (and almost certainly hoax) claim by eventual producer Steven Spielberg that his screener copy of the movie was haunted; then there was the nearly unanimous clout given by reviewers of the festival scene claiming the film contained unimaginable fright; and finally there was a purportedly grass roots effort that ended in propelling the movie from its limited midnight only distribution to wide release.
'Paranormal Activity' takes on the style of a "hidden footage" film. Recent movies of note to use a similar style were Cloverfield (2008) and Rec (2007). The entire movie takes place in one house and most of the "activity" is in one room. It uses a combination of sound based and off-camera activity to help build tension and heighten the sense of the unknowable. There is very little by way of visual horror.
The film opens with the viewer being introduced to the main character, the camera, as well as the main human participants, Kate and Micah. The viewer is never to forget that the camera is present and that there is no doubt that the camera is an intrusive presence. It seems that every other dialog part in the movie is Kate, in some form or another, complaining, "Micah, turn the camera off." The redundant exchange is grating. And oddly familiar. Then one recalls the same device being used ad nauseam in The Blair Witch Project. At that point the familiar becomes hackneyed.
One could argue that the entire execution of 'Paranormal Activity' has been done once before in the decade old 'The Blair Witch Project.' It may be the limitation of the "found footage" medium, but other than the considerably longer runtime of 'Paranormal Activity,' the pacing, style of tension built (sounds, character reactiveness, off camera action), and even the sequence of events including the finale are almost exact.
When the camera goes live, we are slowly told the story of Kate and her life-long battle with disturbances around her. The manifestations started when she was eight, always seemed focused on her, but even her sister could see the disturbances. She describes her fifteen year ordeal in great detail to a psychic who agreed to visit the house and hoped to help. The psychic, however, informs the couple that he deals with ghosts and reconnecting with the dead. Kate's problem is something else entirely, according to the psychic, and he refers her to a colleague in a field that might be able help. (The psychic has one more scene later on and it is one of the best in the film.)
At this point Micah pulls some kind of daft hissy fit where he forces Kate to ignore the "fruit" of a psychic and let him, Micah, deal with the problem. Micah, see, is a Day Trader, and he has access to this thing called the "internet" which allows him to visit, over the "word wide web," a web page called Wikipedia as well as some Angelfire and Geocities web pages that has precise information regarding this little problem of Kate's. It would be no problem for him to figure this thing out. That, in its entirety, is inferred. Kate, as tortured and near breakdown as she is, agrees.
The movie will sputter, catch, rev, stall, and eventually die. There's no question that one must be able to suspend his disbelief to catch fright in a movie like 'Paranormal Activity.' I'm usually able to do that well enough to enjoy any film, but not this one. After a few taunt moments about halfway in, the movie gets so caught up in its tired repetition that one ultimately gets bored with the thing.
Night scene, occurrence. Day scene, freak out, "Turn off that camera Micah," examine footage,discussion. Night scene, occurrence. Day scene, freak out, "Turn off that camera Micah," examine footage,discussion. Night scene, occurrence. Day scene, freak out, "Turn off that camera Micah," examine footage,discussion.
Whatever is behind Kate's problem could be burning entire villages in Tanzania and dumping the charred bones on their bedroom floor and Micah would still Have this covered, babe, armed with a Ouija board. Micah's character arc, or lack thereof, is a woeful disservice to the movie. It is not until the last moment that Micah thinks that whatever is happening is beyond his expertise as a day trader.
The scenes of occurrence themselves have very little cumulative effect. Each, individually, are barely nerve-wracking but are underscored with a single note of subtle deep resonating bass. The nearly subconscious suggestion of the note whispers, "wait for it wait for it" Awesome idea. I thought so when David Lynch did it in the BOB and dream sequences from Twin Peaks twenty years ago as well.
After the brief tension at the little before half point, the viewer must wait until the last act for a few more possible chills. In this act it is all in Kate's hands. Micah has gone into Day Trader Retreat and keeps maniacally fiddling with the camera, so Kate does what she does best and carries what little quality there is in the film. Her fear is palatable (which makes one wonder even more why she let Captain Day Trader attempt to save the day) to the viewer and what gut wrenching one feels in the film can directly be attributed to Kate. The final few occurrences are as close to scary as the movie gets.
In summary, if one keeps the perspective that 'Paranormal Activity' was made for something like twelve grand, then it would have to be considered a strong effort.
But is 'Paranormal Activity' is an unqualified success and extraordinarily scary without caveat? No it isn't.
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