Paranormal Activity (2009): C

On the evidence of Paranormal Activity, ten years is how long filmmakers must wait before blatantly ripping off cult classics. Oren Peli’s super-low-budget film is a shameless domestic variation on The Blair Witch Project, not only in its use of faux-verité documentary footage for a ghost story but with regards to its actual finale, which has the embarrassing gall to actually end [minor spoiler alert] with its camera tipped over on its side. The bump-in-the-night action focuses on Micah (Micah Sloat) and girlfriend Katie (Katie Featherson), a grating couple whose lives are upended by the arrival in their home of a seemingly malevolent specter that’s been haunting Katie since childhood. Micah’s response is to yell at the spirit, buy a camera and document the proceedings, which Katie naturally bristles at but allows because, well, there has to be footage for the audience to watch. While the supernatural spookiness initially amounts to little more than a few scary noises emanating from downstairs in the wee hours of the morning, things soon spiral into more overtly creepy realms. A recurring shot of the couple’s nighttime bedroom – with the focus always on an open doorway – lends the action a sense of inescapable doom. Yet otherwise, this is the same old thing dressed up in very slightly different clothes, right down to mundane character bickering, the halfhearted stabs at creating a mythological context for the otherworldly events, and the inevitable letdown of a climax that can’t possibly live up to the film’s preceding suggestions of unholy terror.

Comments

[Shoob]

Agree with your assessment. Just came from the movie which I found quite disappointing. Maybe if I had stumbled upon it at night at home when I couldn't sleep I'd be scared but as it was I kept waiting to be really scared and instead felt cheated by the ending.

[Dana Greve]

Could not have said it better myself. A waste of my time and money. I feel dumber for just watching it! Now I can wonder at the mental sharpness of the friends that wholeheartedly recommended PAYING to see this movie!

[Raf B]

God this movie was bad on so many levels. How is it possible so many people gave it such a high rating? I admit it has perhaps three genuinely creepy moments...but in 90 minutes? I saw this with two other people and we all were grossly disappointed, annoyed, and simply BORED by this flick.

[Paul]

Had I paid money to see this in theaters, I'd be pissed. Garbage film. I'm really quite amazed how consistently the "top critics" on rotten tomatoes seem to give worthy films bad reviews and terrible films such high ratings. I'm glad to see you're not one of those "critics" and willing to give a frank and honest review. Thank you!

[Paul Hoover]

Man, this was the biggest let down since.....Blair Witch. I was totally disgusted with the Blair Witch, and this was almost as bad. At least , the camera was mostly still in this movie so that I didn't get motion sickness. I am thankful my friend let me borrow this and all I wasted was 2 hours of my life. For the love of Jesus, don't listen to the hype over this terribad movie.