I have talked briefly before about the ‘found footage’ genre synonymous with the Blair Witch Project (1999) in a previous blog and today’s film(s) are now the flag bearers for this form of horror. For me this genre started with The Last Broadcast (1998) and Alien Abduction: The McPherson Tapes (1998) which were the first films of this type I remember seeing. The roots of the genre could however be traced further back to the 1980 video nasty Cannibal Holocaust, which was banned for some time due to its extreme content.
I initially remember reading about Paranormal Activity around 2007 when it was first being screened around the USA. The promotion followed the path laid by the Blair Witch Project in its use of the internet and rumour. The most memorable advertising used for the film was the audience reaction films shot during early screenings. This built the hype of Paranormal Activity to the point that I recall a young female in the row behind me proclaiming her nausea at the thought of the film before the pre-movie adverts had even concluded.
The plot is a simple haunting as we have seen countless times over the years. It is the self shot nature of the film that differentiates it from its peers. The film is extremely effective in building an atmosphere however, can become slightly repetitive in it’s narrative cycle. I remember the relief felt in the cinema on daylight and the audible dread that ensued with nightfall. That said, some of the scares and jumps, although you knew they were coming, were excellent and generally in-keeping with the nature and budget of the rest of the film. This was important for me as over the top special effects could have spoiled the low budget effectiveness of the film. I found myself being sucked in by the narrative, made clear to me by my growing hate of protagonist Micah and his constant, and ill-informed, taunting of the ghost/demon.
One thing I felt let down by was the ending which for me changed the tone of the film. The ending I saw originally was the general release version depicting (spoiler alert) Micah’s body being launched at the camera prior to Katie’s demon-esque face lunging for the camera. Watching the two alternate endings immediately following I was happy that the police ending was not used as this didn’t seem to fit the film but was disappointed that in my opinion the most affecting ending, showing Katie slit her own throat after an off-screen altercation with Micah, was overruled. It is clear that the reason this ending was omitted was to make the sequel (and it’s ending) a possibility which is disappointing as, after seeing the sequel, I feel this ending could still have been used and still consider it to be the most appropriate conclusion.
Testament to the success of Paranormal Activity it is said to have made $198 million worldwide which, based on production costs, makes it one of the most profitable movies ever produced. When this amount of money has been generated a sequel is almost always inevitable.
I initially remember reading about Paranormal Activity around 2007 when it was first being screened around the USA. The promotion followed the path laid by the Blair Witch Project in its use of the internet and rumour. The most memorable advertising used for the film was the audience reaction films shot during early screenings. This built the hype of Paranormal Activity to the point that I recall a young female in the row behind me proclaiming her nausea at the thought of the film before the pre-movie adverts had even concluded.The plot is a simple haunting as we have seen countless times over the years. It is the self shot nature of the film that differentiates it from its peers. The film is extremely effective in building an atmosphere however, can become slightly repetitive in it’s narrative cycle. I remember the relief felt in the cinema on daylight and the audible dread that ensued with nightfall. That said, some of the scares and jumps, although you knew they were coming, were excellent and generally in-keeping with the nature and budget of the rest of the film. This was important for me as over the top special effects could have spoiled the low budget effectiveness of the film. I found myself being sucked in by the narrative, made clear to me by my growing hate of protagonist Micah and his constant, and ill-informed, taunting of the ghost/demon.
One thing I felt let down by was the ending which for me changed the tone of the film. The ending I saw originally was the general release version depicting (spoiler alert) Micah’s body being launched at the camera prior to Katie’s demon-esque face lunging for the camera. Watching the two alternate endings immediately following I was happy that the police ending was not used as this didn’t seem to fit the film but was disappointed that in my opinion the most affecting ending, showing Katie slit her own throat after an off-screen altercation with Micah, was overruled. It is clear that the reason this ending was omitted was to make the sequel (and it’s ending) a possibility which is disappointing as, after seeing the sequel, I feel this ending could still have been used and still consider it to be the most appropriate conclusion.
Testament to the success of Paranormal Activity it is said to have made $198 million worldwide which, based on production costs, makes it one of the most profitable movies ever produced. When this amount of money has been generated a sequel is almost always inevitable.
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.
Paranormal Activity 2 has been top of the UK box office since it’s recent release and has received
many positive reviews. I tweeted immediately after seeing the movie to say that, although their were a few scares to be had, I felt that the sequel struggled to build the same atmosphere as the original. This was always going to be difficult as Paranormal Activity, although not necessarily a new idea, seemed fresh on first viewing. The larger budget for the sequel shows in the quality, number, of cameras and the increase in special effects and shocks. Paranormal Activity 2 relies more upon these shocks and effects more than the atmosphere built in the original. More events occur in the daytime which means that the audience cannot feel safe in the light which is particularly efficacious. The main problem with the sequel is in the regurgitated occurrences from its predecessor. This gives a slightly derivative feature to the film which is unfortunate as with the bigger house, bigger family and bigger budget I feel that more, and more originality, was a possible achievement. That being said I still recommend seeing both films, particularly at this time of year. Try and see it in the cinema where it is most effective, if that is not possible it has to be at midnight with the lights out.For better or worse discussions are ongoing regarding the potential of a third movie.
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