Paranormal Activity Review

The first time I watched this some years ago, I found it to be a solid scare. However, after some thought, I found it to have an incredible flexibility in its limiting yet unblinking perspective: the camera. Then again, that took away from something. I compare it to the Blair Witch Project. The limited yet unblinking perspective captured the fear that only a handheld camera can.

The couple, Micah and Katie move into their new home and Micah must record everything (because that’s what nerds do). Honestly, this seemed homemade sex tape but with an unseen demon thrown in for some extra spice in the bedroom. Everything seems fine and well-to-do, until things start to move around. In some ways, the home became a Chess board from Hell: action and reaction.

Katie seemed to be more aware of more than what she let on. In fact, she let her fears take the reins for much of the film, though she did have her few-and-far-in-between moments. She was more of an archetype that wasn’t fully fleshed out. Another limitation from the camera-only perspective is that it caught everything, but it didn’t go deep enough. The character development relied on typical responses to the paranormal.

Micah was much the same. But then again, this is where the appeal comes into play. They were designed to be a normal as possible. Sure, they moved into a haunted house, in no small part to Micah screwing around with a Ouija Board. Perhaps Micah’s strongest trait was his curiosity, which turned into fear near the end.

One place Katie shined was when she called for specialized help, whichever could be found. Even that was little help, typical of this kind of tale.

What I found to be a solid scare was eventually I sympathized with the couple. Sure, I had my gripes and groans, but they wiggled their way into my cold, dead heart. Sure, they had their annoying traits, but that added dimension.

What I found to be oddly true in many demonic haunting tales is if you fear it, whatever it is, that fear becomes its strength. Katie was the easiest target for whatever was in the house. The psychic help did say that it follows them around, mainly her. Now, this may be my inner feminist coming out, but that signals her as the weaker or the duo. On the flip side of this, the most useful tactic is to target the strongest first my using their inherent weaknesses. Or making one by simple mind games.

In hindsight of this, Paranormal Activity stands as an entertaining take on the haunted house, or better yet, the haunted person subgenre of Horror. Given the limits, there were several moments that stood out to me: one being the scene where the three-digit feet appear on the floor, denoting this thing isn’t quite human in form. This reminded me heavily of Lovecraft: if you could see the thing, surely, you’d go mad. I would have the say my favorite scene is when Katie was pulled from her bed and down the hallway.