Katie Featherston, Micah Sloat, Michael Bayouth, Amber Armstrong, Mark Fredrichs

Katie and Micah are enjoying a happy and carefree existence. Their future looks promising until bizarre events begin to occur at night. In order to get to the bottom of things, Katie and Micah purchas...( read more  read more... )e a video camera to find out what happens at night while they sleep.

Flixster Users

57% liked it

221,613 ratings

Critics

82% liked it

179 critics

R, 1 hr. 39 min.

Directed by: Oren Peli

Release Date: September 25, 2009

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DVD Release Date: December 29, 2009

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Stats: 26,584 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (26,584)


  • February 9, 2010
    One of a very few select movies that had me jumping at noises in my house AFTER the movie was over. I hope that with the sucess of this film makers will start making more atmospheric and suspenseful ghost stories instead of the flashy, showy crap we've had to deal with; Haunting ...( read more)In Connecticut comes immediately to mind.
  • February 6, 2010
    Too hollow to truly terrify, too flat and serious to be a lot of fun, it is an interesting idea of Blair Witch Project meets Poltergeist but fails to become anything more than a novelty.
  • January 20, 2010
    Better than I expected but really I think im over this style of film.
  • January 15, 2010
    "You cannot run from this - it will follow you. It may lay dormant for years. Something may trigger it to become more active and it may over time reach out to communicate with you."


    Comparisons to The Blair Witch Project have become remarkably overused over the

    ...( read more)years since that film's release - the 1999 hit has become synonymous with genre stories presented as actual events captured utilising strictly commonplace equipment. Most recently, movies like Cloverfield have employed the "Blair Witch approach", but the comparison is never appropriate since such pictures focus too much on execution rather than spirit, and at the end of the day come across as movies rather than the real deal. The Spanish sleeper [Rec] was the last film to earn the comparison, and now along comes Paranormal Activity. Offering an intense, escalatingly terrifying ghost story, this film delivers 90 minutes of disquieting terror, and was seemingly made for the cost of the camera it was filmed on. Those who've been startled by strange noises in the middle of the night should find Paranormal Activity absolutely bone-chilling.


    In brief, the story concerns a happy couple whose lives are ruptured by a demonic presence. Katie (Featherston) believes she is being haunted by a demon, and her boyfriend Micah (Sloat) purchases a video camera in order to capture solid evidence on film. At night while they sleep, Micah sets up the camera on a tripod, focusing on their bed as well as the open door leading to the hallway. Micah's camera does its job, with the microphone capturing strange sounds and the viewfinder capturing unsettling images. Perhaps the demon doesn't like the camera or perhaps it's jealous of Katie's relationship with Micah, but whatever the reason, the demon is becoming more enraged by the day. Night after night and day after day over 21 days, the camera records the escalating hostility.


    Instead of the typical two-dimensional characters of regular slasher movies, Katie and Micah come across as realistic and sympathetic. One gets a convincing insight into their lives and psyches, to the point that they feel like real people as opposed to caricatures, and this makes the film's proceedings all the scarier. It's crucial to note that, from the very start, Katie is sure that she is being stalked by a demon that has followed her since childhood, and a psychic (Friedrichs) confirms her suspicions, as well as adding that it wants her. Due to this, leaving the house won't help because the demon will follow Katie wherever she is. This clever plotting prevents viewers from asking "Why don't you morons just move out?". It's interesting to note the differing perspectives of the characters - Katie is genuinely terrified, while Micah finds the situation amusing and cool. Micah repeatedly taunts the demon and is keen to buy a Ouija Board, despite warnings from the psychic and pleading from Katie.


    The banality of the static camera, devoid of any aesthetic flourish, heightens the sense of reality as one's attention is torn between watching the protagonists sleeping on the right side of the screen, and the doorway on the left side of the screen. The unknown quality of the darkness beyond the door frame in which anything could be lurking becomes a source of insufferable tension, and the terrifying disposition of these sequences is heightened by the home video quality of the footage. It's surprising how effective a tripod can be in these Blair Witch-inspired movies, too - it provides more nervous energy and queasy-gut than all the jerky hand-held shots of the entire film. Because the camera never moves, one is encouraged to scrutinise every shadow, and when your senses are heightened to this extent, any sudden moves deliver twice the force. Admittedly, the most horrifying moments arrive during the film's final 20 minutes; a fact that may frustrate those who expect non-stop payoffs. But these scenes are effective as an exact result of their tardiness. Peli intentionally lets an audience watch night after night as Katie and Micah retire for the evening and brace for the worst. Sometimes nothing happens. Other times, they wake up to find a set of car keys have inexplicably moved. All these mundane moments lull viewers into a false sense of security, and therefore when the shocks finally arrive...they hit hard. While it's a stretch to call any motion picture conventionally frightening, Paranormal Activity is undeniably infused with a creepy, unsettling atmosphere which envelops a viewer.


    Shot in about a week on an $11,000 budget by first-time feature writer-director Oren Peli, Paranormal Activity was originally purchased in 2007 by Paramount, who had planned to remake it as a star vehicle and dump the original on DVD. The studio, however, wisely discarded this decision since they realised that a glossy Hollywood version could only detract from this movie's effectiveness, which is deeply grounded in reality through its gritty verité style. In a sense, Paranormal Activity is the Blair Witch Project redux. Writer-director Peli replaces the "lost in the woods" premise of the 1999 hit with a "trapped in a house" concept. Both were low-budget, and both claim to be constructed from "lost" footage. More importantly, both rely on the viewer's imagination to build the horror. Since a viewer's perspective is constrained by what the camera can capture, one can only hear sounds of what happens beyond its field of view. The film is only as scary as a viewer makes it. Unfortunately, Paranormal Activity has been forced to endure the type of backlash which overwhelmed The Blair Witch Project following its release. Like Blair Witch, Paranormal Activity is a thoroughly "love it or hate it" affair - you either accept the concept, or the style annoys you. Either way, one would have to be seriously deluded to deny the effectiveness of the filmmaking on offer.


    Yet, Paranormal Activity sells itself short in a number of ways. First of all, unnecessary jump cuts pervade the motion picture, as if conversations are altered, which immediately spoils the "actual events" set up. (For instance, there are cuts between questions and their respective answers.) For all its authentic edge, the characters remain fixed onto the rails of narrative convention too, and the ending of the theatrical version feels like just that - theatrical. It's suspiciously neat. Steven Spielberg suggested this particular ending, but it seems the man dropped the ball here. The ending of the original 2007 cut is far better. Furthermore, there are a few questions that come to mind - if Micah is so tech-savvy, for example, why doesn't he post the videos on the web so someone could potentially see what's happening and offer valuable advice?


    Stephen King once wrote that creating horror is similar to martial arts: finding vulnerable points and pressing. This is the perfect description of Paranormal Activity. It's probably best watched alone in the middle of the night for maximum effect. If you cut out all distractions, and glue your eyes and ears to the screen...you'll be scared silly.

  • January 4, 2010
    For only $15000, this movie managed to scare the shit out of me pretty well. Truthfully it was NOT AS SCARRY as i was hoping. I was thinking that i would constantly be screaming like i was in the strangers. But this film is much more suttle. I am not comparing it to the strangers...( read more) on any level, i am simply saying that I was hoping to be jumping around more than i was.
    This movie is excellet to what with a girlfriend, ik if a guy took me to see this i would be hiding in is sholder right away. lol. But anyway. I love the was this movie was done..so simple and you never really knew what they *being micah would try next. Worth Renting and watching in the dark with your over excitable friends..:)
  • February 9, 2010
    this movie will make you CRY GUARANTEED
    i was screaming practicaly the whole time blocking my eyes although i have to tell you that even though i didnt really wacht it i thougt that it was good
  • February 9, 2010
    So creepy the first time you see it.
  • February 9, 2010
    i would like to see it
  • February 9, 2010
    it was a little slow but the end was good
  • February 9, 2010
    I finally watched it! And I kind of regret it. lol Definitely jumpy and scary but I thought it would've been much scarier. The ending was freaky and some other parts were creepy. Like Katie being dragged down the hallway by the demon thing. And Micah was such a jerk. Promised he ...( read more)wouldn't buy a Ouija board and then goes and gets one anyway. I knew this movie was fake from the beginning (thank you Wikipedia!) but it was made really well to make you think that it was real. Comparing this with Blair Witch Project, I think I liked this one better, in terms of scariness and plot.

Critic Reviews


December 15, 2009
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

It illustrates one of my favorite points, that silence and waiting can be more entertaining than frantic fast-cutting and berserk f/x. For extended periods here, nothing at all is happening, and belie... full review

November 27, 2009
Nigel Andrews, The Financial Times

Paranormal Activity shows how little it takes for inventive filmmakers to do a lot. full review

November 9, 2009
Nick Schager, Lessons of Darkness

The same old thing dressed up in very slightly different clothes. full review

October 12, 2009
David Edelstein, New York Magazine

In the light of day, it's all very silly and conventional. But of course we're not talking about the light of day. full review

October 9, 2009
A.O. Scott, The New York Times

It works best when it comes out of nowhere, because that's, in the end, where it goes. full review

October 9, 2009
Kurt Loder, MTV

Even Roger Corman might have hesitated to pitch this deal to one of his hungry young proteges: "You get a little over $11,000, one camera and two unknown actors to make a really scary movie. No effect... full review

October 9, 2009
Claudia Puig, USA Today

This unsettling ultra-low-budget tale capitalizes on our innate fear of things that go bump in the night, and adds a supernatural element that will effectively terrorize even the toughest among us. full review

October 8, 2009
Colin Covert, The Minneapolis Star Tribune

Without financing, stars or more than a couple of special effects, first-time writer/director Olen Peli has made a diabolically effective essay in irrational horror. full review

October 1, 2009
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

With a $15,000 budget too puny to empty a petty-cash drawer, the no-frills Paranormal Activity comes packed with thrills. full review

View more Paranormal Activity reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments


  • iSsyXOXO
    January 27, 2010
    This movie was just a waste of time. I thought it was quite funny watching the people around me crying out of the theater. There were even people including some of my family members and friends who had to sleep with the lights on. I really don't get how it's THAT scary. I actually laughed at some of the events and arguments the couple had. "Yeah, go upstairs with your little friend while I try and figure things out."
  • Muktidaya
    January 11, 2010
    Was good.
  • rajsdhyan
    December 31, 2009
    watch this and many new movies in HD at FRIDAYMOVIES. ORG
  • balgrl
    December 27, 2009
    I went into this movie excepting to pee my pants scared. I got out and it was the BIGGEST WASTE OF MONEY in my life.. I was like seriously... People who think this movie is creepy, seriously has to be on drugs.. There was nothing scary about it... The girl complained through the WHOLE movie and was whiny.. Big disappointment.
  • Ghanjaspawn
    November 14, 2009
    Complete and utterly EPIC FAIL. It had some freaky scenes, but this movie was totally over-hyped. I've seen episodes of Ghost Hunters scarier than this.
  • Giwrg0sSs
    November 1, 2009
    Looks Really Scary......
  • sunshinegurlsrule95
    October 24, 2009
    but you people do know the ENTIRE movie is them and no crew or anything.
    i kinda liked it but not really cuz thier house looked like mine so thats how i got abit creeped out..

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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