Not the scariest film ever but definitely scary

Rating: 7/10 (4 December 2009)

I've watched a lot of horror films and I don't know about you, but are modern day horror films just not scary any more. Fancy CG effects, popular Hollywood actors and great camera work, but still you feel nothing.
I'll summarize PARANORMAL ACTIVITY for you. PARANORMAL ACTIVITY has none of that. It was made on a budget of $15,000 and in 2 weeks. The story is cliché - a couple that are been haunted. There are times where the acting is very average. Most of the film follows the same cycle...Micah the boyfriend videotapes Katie doing everyday stuff...he makes a joke, does something stupid, they have a fight, they go to bed...and something spooky happens...they wake up and the cycle continues again, increasing in spookiness.
This is the thing, I should hate this film, BUT i don't. Why? Because as flawed as it is, it did something many films have not being able to do in a while, which is scare me. I actually thought twice when i got home, turned off the lights and got into to bed, and that's the point.
Low budget or not...that is what horror films are all about! We have all been through it...it's the middle of the night you wake up because you heard a noise. You get up to check what it is. Turns out to be nothing, but how did you feel for that moment when you were walking around the house in the dark? Did your heart beat speed up? Did you feel cold inside? That's exactly what this movie will having you feeling.
Paranormal Activity is not like going to a fancy theme park and riding on amazing rides...this is like getting together with a bunch of friends and playing UNO and you end up having more fun than you would have at the theme park. It's simple, but sometimes our world tries too hard to be glossy and shiny and we miss the point. This is fear, real fear of something that in the middle of the night we all think is possible and that is why I liked it.
If you are expecting to see monsters or lots of blood...well don't bother watching this. Most of the time you'll see doors being slammed and hear weird noises. Not that scary ha? But...how scared would you be if this happened to you? That's what got me.
The only real complaint I have about this film is I think they should have kept the horror going and made it unbearably scary. Getting audiences to the point of nearly exploding with fear would have put this in my top ten of horror flicks. They ended it too soon.
Definitely check it out.