Paranomal Activity is one of the more polarizing films on Horrorthon. JPX found it creepy and engrossing. Catfreeek thought it was overhyped and she hated the characters. DCD loved it but then discredited herself by admitting that she'd rather be watching Mary Poppins. Whirlygirl commented that she also liked it. Using salty language, I was hoping this review would serve as the hammer blow that would end the discussion once and for all. I'm sorry to report that I mostly feel indifference.
I give it credit for being as effective as it is on such a meager budget (compared to say, the recent limp Elm St. remake). The characters are believable. In many ways it's a traditional slow building haunted house movie. It begins with minor incidents such as a door slam and ends with a deadly supernatural force.
I enjoy Jordan's observations on found footage movies but the truth is they're one of my least favorite horror genres. I would rank them somewhere between horror musicals and Troma movies involving killer animals or vegetables. For found footage films to succeed they need to convincingly appear to have been shot amateurishly. Therefore they can get away with looking like YouTube videos or an episode of reality television. I'll spare you my Ghosthunters rant for now but Paranormal Activity succeeded in making me feel like I was privy to the last remaining footage of a young couple. Katie and Micah seem like nice enough people. I wasn't actively willing them to die but I wasn't fantasizing about having dinner with them either. When you remove the mundane conversations and bickering then you're left with a solid half hour that could have fit well in as part of an anthology. But this was a massive hit so what the hell do I know? (Oh right, EVERYTHING.)
So that's it. I have nothing to add to the discussion because I can't get past my dislike for the very nature of the film. Still, feel free to call me when you hear of a found footage film involving guys in robes chanting gibberish over a pentagram.
