Paranormal Activity
Title: Paranormal Activity (Extended Version)
Rating: 3/5
Genre: Horror
Starring: Micah Sloat, Katie Featherston
Director: Oren Peli
Duration: 99mins
“[Trying to communicate with the entity] What is your quest? What is your favourite colour?”
There isn’t too much of a plot, revolving around a mysterious entity tied to the character of Katie that only reveals itself to her, whispering suggestions in her sleep and haunting them relentlessly. The boyfriend’s resolution to videotape it all to discover the cause does little but anger the suspected demon resulting in a rise in both tensions and an escalation of the impact the entity has in his scare tactics. The handcam works in far less of a ‘Blair Witch’ style, successfully maintaining a realism in both acting and basic effects used within the story, with far less movement than even [Rec] which told the story from the point of view of a cameraman. It feels adequately amateurish because it is amateur in both production costs and choice of actors, which is precisely what gives the film its strength; the ‘average’ looking leads easier to empathise with than a failing model.
The characters feel real; in fact, I wouldn’t half surprised if this was half ‘mockumentary,’ genuinely scaring his partner for the camera, as their relationship felt that akin to one another. You have no cliché puppy love or stereotyped screaming sissy girls; they joke, fight, scream at spiders, and in the case of Micah, lend his own brand of subtle humour, never failing to grab his camera before looking to see why his partner is screaming her head off. It is the humour that is a double bladed weapon, not only creating a contrast for the more genuine scenes of torment but creating a realistic persona that’s easier for the audience to identify with (if your mate came up to you and said a demon was stalking you, would you laugh in their face, mock them, want to film it, or gasp in absolute belief of them. I’d be surprised if many picked the latter).
Comments
Post a Comment