Rated R for language.
Directed by Oren Peli
Staring Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat
Paranormal Activity is realistic enough to make it the creepiest film I have seen in a long time.
After a young, middle class couple moves into a suburban 'starter' tract house, they become increasingly disturbed by a presence that may or may not be demonic but is certainly active in the middle of the night. Especially when they sleep… or try to sleep.
I recently had the opportunity to see Paranormal Activity with the Christian band White Collar Sideshow If you are familiar with them or clicked on that link, you know that they are freaks. And I mean that is the best way possible. Their performance is like watching Stomp on acid and believe it or not, they love horror films (sarcasm implied). So seeing this one with them was a real treat.
Although half of the band didn’t care for it, the other half, my wife, and I thought it was interesting… and downright scary. For me the genius and terror of the film was found in the realism of the performances. Newcomers Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat are so convincing and so natural, you feel as if you are watching an actual homemade video. Unfortunately that realism is carried over into the couples’ daytime dialogue which is slow and pretty annoying.
Paranormal Activity is like a documentary with one camera angle (like Cloverfield and The Blair Witch Project but not as “shaky”). Although this is not a true story or even based on true events, the subject matter in the film is all too real and I would caution anyone who wants to go see it.
This horror film does not have some crazed psycho killer on the loose slaughtering everyone in sight or the torture-porn scenes in the Saw or Hostel films. What it does have is a lot of creepy activity while a couple sleeps. At first its noises, and lights getting turned on and off, but night after night the paranormal activity increases and so do the chills.
The other key is the agonizing suspense. The director flawlessly uses the “imagining the monster” is far more terrifying than “seeing the monster” tactic. We are forced to constantly think about what we just experienced. In some cases, if you blink or look at the wrong spot on the screen, you will miss something. For example, in one scene you are viewing a completely empty room in dead silence for about 30 seconds. If you think about, just seeing an empty room does not seem scary at all, but there-in lies the genius of this film: something that simple can scare you down to your core.
If you read other reviews, you will most likely read something about not being able to sleep after watching it. I’ll admit it does cause me to lose a little bit of sleep. Not only is it terrifying, it's thought-provoking. And when you think about it, you are terrified all over again.
SPOILER WARNING: Here is one last thought. Even though I found it scary… which is what the filmmakers wanted, I have a difficult time recommending it based solely on the subject matter. The title led me to believe I was going to see a movie about ghosts. I enjoy a good ghost story as much as the next guy, but I also know ghosts don’t exist. This movie goes down the road of demonic activity and I certainly believe in demons. It is for that reason that I have a hard time recommending it and cannot go higher than an “Only If Free.”
SHOULD KIDS SEE IT
No. And I would once again stress that the subject matter is very real and many viewing it will find it disturbing.
Side Note:
As said above, we don’t recommend your kids see this film. But on the occasion that they actually have already seen it, you may want to dialogue about the film with them. These questions below may be a help to you.
Conversation Starter
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):
- What are some of the messages or themes you observed in this movie?
- How do you suppose we—as serious Christ-followers—should react to this movie?
- How can we move from healthy, Bible-based opinions about this movie to actually living out those opinions?
