As some of you may remember, last week I claimed this land for Spain and declared November to be “Film Noir Month.” Well, just ignore that second one. I was lying. Or I changed my mind. I haven’t decided which yet. But I have decided that this week, possibly even in honor of it being Friday the 13th, I’m going to review…
Paranormal Activity (2009):
I’m hoping that the majority of you have heard of this movie. It started out getting limited release, but it was so well received that it’s made its way to theaters everywhere, even Canton. My friend Gus (the polar bear from Central Park) described it as “the scariest thing since Sarah Jessica Parker… and she’s pretty scary.” I have to agree with him on both counts. Paranormal Activity is a scary movie, and there’s just something about Sarah Jessica Parker that I can’t stand.
Before I go into what makes Paranormal Activity effective, I suppose I ought to explain what it’s about. Here’s the Cliff notes: Katie and Micah are a young couple, recently moved into a pleasant suburban home. The movie begins with the two preparing to investigate a series of strange occurrences that has been plaguing Katie since she was eight. They begin their investigations by setting up a camera in a corner of the bedroom, since all of these “paranormal activities” have happened at night… so far. After this initial set-up, things get creepier, and then we get, as Gus would say, “to the scary part.”
Part of what makes Paranormal Activity so frightening is that it’s subtle. Whereas most horror movies these days rely on buckets o’ gore and cheap scares, this one works its way under your skin way before any truly crazy shit starts going down. It helps that, like The Blair Witch Project, this film presents itself as completely true. As anybody who thinks about what they’re going to watch before they see it will know, SPOILER everything that happens is entirely fictional. However, knowing that doesn’t at all detract from the film. Trust me. It’s just as scary if you know that it’s not real. That’s how you can tell that it was a well-made film. Any movie that is only as good as its gimmick really isn’t all that good, because sooner or later, the novelty wears off, which is why 3D sucks. Long after people have stopped thinking that Paranormal Activity is actually real footage that some cunning studio executive found and decided to put in theaters, people will still be watching it and thinking: “Jeepers! This is scary!”
Now, nobody would think “Jeepers! This is scary!” if Paranormal Activity wasn’t a good film. Well, some people might. But many of us wouldn’t. I, for one, would have been all sarcastic and what-not; my review would have been so mean that you’d think I’d just seen the newest installment in the Sparkly Vampire series. Fortunately, you’ll all be spared the full force of my sarcasm (for now), since Paranormal Activity is, indeed, a good film. Much of this has to do with its rather impressive realism, much of which results from good direction and tight camera-work. Many people have been comparing the film’s style to that of The Blair Witch Project, and there are some similarities. But I think what really sets Paranormal Activity apart is that the scariest things happen when the camera isn’t moving. Yes, there are plenty of handheld scenes, and yes, some of them are pretty creepy, but having the camera stationary is ultimately very effective. There’s something very unsettling about seeing a door move or see lights turn on when both of the characters are clearly asleep in front of you. The audience knows that the characters are in danger even before they do, not because they’re the typical oblivious horror victims, but because they’re in the most vulnerable state anyone can be in… sleep.
Although the realism is largely due to the direction and camera-work, a fair amount of the credit has to go to the actors, Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat, for accomplishing something that seems pretty rare in most horror movies: making their characters seem like actual people. Neither performance is anything groundbreaking, but Featherston and Sloat never seem to actually be acting. Without relatable characters, this movie would have completely failed. No amount of special effects or clever direction would have been able to make up for bad acting. I’m not saying that either of them deserves an Oscar, but it’s good to recognize how well they carried the movie.
Well, it’s about time to wrap things up. If you don’t like scary movies, don’t see this. If you do, or if you’re just more open to the idea of seeing a really well-made horror film, then I would strongly recommend it.
For more information, go to: http://www.imdb.com
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