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Driven by Elizabeth Olsen’s mesmerising lead performance, this languid and unsettling story buries deep into your mind

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Paranormal Activity (Film)

by Anthony O'Connor | December 01, 2009 18:30 | Edited December 01, 2009 18:33

Well-paced and believable, this horror jewel is best enjoyed with as little prior knowledge of its gems as possible.

It's difficult to review a film like this without giving away the moments that make it special. For many viewers, it's the unexpectedly robust scares that give this flick its edge. So, if you're a fan of creepy movies, especially the likes of The Blair Witch Project, [REC] and, to a lesser extent, Cloverfield - go see this before someone ruins it for you.

 

Paranormal Activity is the taut tale of Micah (Micah Sloat) and Katie (Katie Featherston), a nice, young couple who are experiencing strange phenomena. It's told through Micah's camera footage, and before you roll your eyes and move on, know that the really scary moments in this flick are static, when the camera's locked off on a tripod. It's a nice change from the nausea-inducing, swerving camera antics of The Blair Witch Project and other films using the "found footage" conceit.

 

Another nice feature of the story's set up is that this paranormal activity isn't viewed by the couple in the same fashion. For Katie, it's troubling and reminds her of darker moments from her childhood. For Micah, it's an adventure. You can almost see the dollar signs in his eyes when he actually manages to capture supernatural activity on camera, at least in the beginning, which is strangely contagious. When the occurrences are things like moving doors or flickering lights, it's kind of scary, but it's also exciting. The movie effectively stokes up that sense of "the other": the idea that there are forces in this world that we can never hope to understand, and that to toy with them can have grave consequences.

 

In short, Paranormal Activity makes you believe, or at least puts you in a more receptive state. Comparisons with The Exorcist have been made, but Paranormal Activity feels more like a Gen-Y Poltergeist. Unlike that Tobe Hooper-directed hit, however, Paranormal Activity never jumps the shark. Katie and Micah do the smart thing (with one slightly jarring exception in Micah's case): they call the professionals, and they try to identify the problem and its cause - they even get it on camera, but that's not enough.

 

The juxtaposition between the high-tech set-up that Micah watches during the day and the primal fear of the bedroom scenes at night is deliciously creepy, and the way in which it amps up - slowly but surely - will make even jaded genre veterans sit up and pay attention.

 

It's hard to say if Paranormal Activity will stand the test of time. If you know what's coming, it might just kill the effect. That said, going in blind will almost guarantee a genuinely chilling horror movie experience that should be seen at the cinema. Don't ask your mates, just see this one - you won't be sorry.