Paranormal Activity 3 (2/14/2012)

Rated R for some violence, language, brief sexuality and drug use.

Starring Lauren Bittner, Chloe Csengery, Jessica Tyler Brown and Christopher Nicholas Smith

Directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman (Catfish)

More of the same Paranormal Activity.

I have to say that I am intrigued at how this trilogy is told as a story – backwards. (Yes, my use of the word “trilogy” was really more wishful thinking, because I am really hoping this is the last Paranormal Activity fake documentary.)

This particular film takes place in 1988, Katie and Kristi are young girls and befriend an invisible entity who resides in their home. Cheery, isn’t it?

So many films today are being released in 3D with multi-million dollar effects and/or multi-million dollar stars. Meanwhile, Paranormal Activity is shot with grainy home video cameras (Blair Witch-style) with “no name” actors…and it still had a HUGE opening weekend. In fact with an opening weekend of $54 million dollars, it is the biggest October opening to date, leaving all else in its wake.

So what’s the appeal? Why are young people flocking to these films? I guess they love to be scared out of their minds!

As a Christian, I have to say, films like this are a little creepy because I think they flirt with Satan. I know, I know… people are going to have about 100 different opinions about this. Some will say that we shouldn’t have anything to do with ANY film that has any type of evil witchcraft in it. Dang! I guess we can’t watch Lord of the Rings. Others will say, “Lord of the Rings is okay, but not Harry Potter.”

Well let me be clear. This film is leaps and bounds more evil and demonic than those films. This film is about an evil entity living in the home. And kids love the freaky factor. As adults who care about young people today, we need to understand that they are going to be curious about this and we need to be ready to have conversations with them.

Does that mean we should let our kids see this stuff? My vote is no. (I’m not going to let my kids see it… if that’s any consolation to you.) But are you ready to have conversations with kids who are intrigued by this topic?

Like the first two films, there are plenty of scares. The brilliance of these types of films is the age old- knowing something bad is going to happen, but not knowing what or when. There is also the fact that you are not sure where you should be looking on the screen. Will something move? Will that door open? Will something fly across the room?? And when it does…it’s either an “Oh no, did you see that?” or an “Oh no, I think I have to change my pants!” Either way, when I screened this film, they got me almost every time. And I felt emotionally drained because my entire body would tense up every time the characters went to sleep.

Those who have seen the first two will want to see this one- it puts all those missing pieces in place and explains why Katie and Kristi have experienced the things they have. If you decided to skip the first two, there is really no reason to see this one. As much as I really didn’t want to sit through another hour and a half Paranormal Activity movie… the film-makers accomplished their draw. I was curious how it all started.

That being said, now I do know what happened, but I wish I didn’t …because I don’t think I’m going to sleep tonight.

It’s scary, creepy and pretty smart (for a horror film). As a Christian, I’d just say skip it. But grading it as a piece of art – it’s a “Rental” for me.

SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
Jonathan McKee addresses this question in detail in his blog on the subject.

Understandably the R Rating is for the disturbing images associated with the “haunting.” And that’s just it. This film is all about a demonic presence. I don’t think we need to flirt with this kind of stuff.

In addition, there is a brief sex scene where Dennis and Julie decide to film themselves having sex but are interrupted by an earthquake before they are naked. The F-word is used around 8 times and the S-word about 6. There is also a scene where we see Julie smoking marijuana.

Conversation Starter
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):

Q: What’s the message/theme of this movie?
A: This horror movie is centered on a demonic “haunting” and possession. So the theme of supernatural forces is clearly displayed throughout the film.

Q: How do you suppose we—as serious Christ-followers—should react to this movie?
A: We should react very carefully. We do not need to give Satan any more time or attention than necessary. Although this is a fictional story, Satan and his demons are very real and should be taken seriously.

This installment is all about how this “haunting” began. The young girls innocently enough invite a demonic presence into their lives by playing silly games like “Bloody Mary” and talking to “imaginary friends” like Toby.

Read 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.

What does this passage tell us about Satan and his tricks?

Q: How can we move from healthy, Bible-based opinions about this movie to actually living out those opinions?
A: We need to follow the advice of Paul and put on the full armor of God.

Ephesians 6:10-1810 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

Spend some time discussing how this looks in our everyday lives.