After experiencing what they think are a series of "break-ins", a family sets up security cameras around their home, only to realize that the events unfolding before them are more sinister than they seem.
It has been five years since the disappearance of Katie and Hunter, and a suburban family witness strange events in their neighborhood when a woman and a mysterious child move in.
Directors:
Henry Joost,
Ariel Schulman
Stars:
Stephen Dunham,
Katie Featherston,
Matt Shively
Three film students vanish after traveling into a Maryland forest to film a documentary on the local Blair Witch legend, leaving only their footage behind.
Directors:
Daniel Myrick,
Eduardo Sánchez
Stars:
Heather Donahue,
Michael C. Williams,
Joshua Leonard
In order to ascertain the current situation inside, a supposed medical officer and a GEO team step into the quarantined and ill-fated apartment building.
Directors:
Jaume Balagueró,
Paco Plaza
Stars:
Jonathan D. Mellor,
Manuela Velasco,
Óscar Zafra
Two strangers, who awaken in a room with no recollection of how they got there, soon discover they're pawns in a deadly game perpetrated by a notorious serial killer.
When a group of misfits are hired by an unknown third party to burglarize a desolate house and acquire a rare VHS tape, they discover more found footage than they bargained for.
An American nurse living and working in Tokyo is exposed to a mysterious supernatural curse, one that locks a person in a powerful rage before claiming their life and spreading to another victim.
Director:
Takashi Shimizu
Stars:
Sarah Michelle Gellar,
Jason Behr,
Clea DuVall
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 somehow demonic but is certainly most active in the middle of the night. Especially when they sleep. Or try to.Written by
Paramount Pictures
(at around 1h 19 mins) When Katie is saying she doesn't want to leave the house, it is assumed that Micah has set the camera on the bed, as it stops moving and stays at a constant angle. This explains why the camera stayed while Micah walked away. See more »
Quotes
[first lines]
Katie:
Is that what I think it is?
Micah:
Depends on what you think it is.
Katie:
I think it's a big-ass camera! Whatever happened to one of those little hand held cameras?
See more »
Crazy Credits
Epilogue text reads: "Micah's body was discovered by police on October 11, 2006. Katie's whereabouts remain unknown." See more »
Alternate Versions
The version that was released in theaters is the cut supervised by Steven Spielberg. The Director's Cut, comprised of the unedited film with three possible endings, has several differences:
1. There is a scene in the Theatrical Cut not present in the Director's Cut that takes place early on, where Katie and Micah wake up and find her keys thrown from the kitchen counter to the floor.
2. The low frequency tone that occurs when the demon is present is not quite as loud in the Director's cut. There is only one instance of the demon whispering in the Theatrical Cut; there are at least three in the Director's Cut, all of which are heard in the bedroom at night.
3. A lot of the demon noises - the loud growl followed by the bang, the footsteps, even the shadows that appear on the bedroom doors - were completely re-dubbed and retouched. All of these scenes are much, much louder/noticeable in theaters for jump scares. There seem to be at least two added "shadow" effects - another on the bedroom door, and a silhouette in the hallway - in the Director's Cut, whereas the Theatrical Cut only has one shadow used.
4. The night when the demon plays the door games with Katie and Micah (opening and slamming it shut, knocking furiously) has been re-dubbed, as well. The knocking is much faster and louder in the Theatrical Cut.
5. There's some added dialogue between Katie and Micah where they discuss how the stress is negatively affecting their lives. She says she's failing her university course and won't pass unless she "does something drastic" on her midterm. He says he lost a large sum of money playing the stock market earlier, and that he'll be taking a break for awhile.
6. The demon's daytime attack is completely absent. The only time we get a good look at the picture that is smashed and clawed is when the two run up and down the hallway during the night to get away from the demon.
7. There's an extra video attached to the "Goodbye Dianne" explanation at the computer. There is at least two minutes of added footage of the woman's ordeal, which has been heavily used in the TV commercials. Micah shows Katie footage of Dianne's demonic possession and subsequent exorcism as she is tied to a bed. Her appearance transforms from healthy to disheveled and dark, with large cuts on her face and body. Eventually, the footage shows that the exorcism was unsuccessful, and the possessed Dianne becomes so destructive that she chews her own arm off to the elbow.
8. The double-layered voice Katie projects in bed when she says, "Everything will be fine from now on" (and later screaming downstairs) uses a different effect to achieve this. Unlike the Theatrical Cut, the two voices are very distinct.
9. The ending is completely changed. Katie awakes shortly after midnight on the final night, gets out of bed and stares at Micah for roughly three hours. Unlike the Theatrical Cut, she does not move to his side of the bed to continue watching him, and the sheets do not fly off of his body. Instead, she goes straight downstairs. After Micah is awakened by the scream, he runs downstairs and we hear the ensuing scuffle. Like before, Katie slowly climbs the stairs, except the footstep effect is slightly altered and when she enters the room, she is holding a knife and covered in blood. Micah's body is not thrown at the camera; he remains downstairs. Katie sits down on the floor against the bed and proceeds to rock back and forth, knife in hand, for several days. We hear her ignore phone calls and the door bell. Eventually, one of her friends comes in to check on her and finds Micah's body, which momentarily interrupts Katie's rocking. The friend lets out a scream and runs out of the house. Twenty minutes later, we hear the police knock and enter, warning anyone in the house to "make themselves known" because they have their weapons drawn. As they search the first floor, it appears as if the demon has left Katie's body: we see the light to the attic turn on, then off, as if the demon went back into hiding. The police come upstairs, find Katie and warn her to drop the weapon. She's dazed, running toward them yelling, "Where's Micah!? Where's Micah?!". The door to the attic slams shut, startling the police so much that one accidentally shoots Katie dead. The final sixty seconds of the film shows the confused policemen, asking "Where did that [noise] come from?" and ultimately declaring the house "clear". The film fades to black, and a text appears that dedicates the film to Katie and Micah.
"Paranormal Activity" is one of those polarizing movies that, for the most part, will simply either work for the viewer or not. While scanning the most popular reviews, one can see comments ranging from quite positive to quite negative. In any event, it certainly developed a winning formula for success, having been filmed on a VERY low budget and generating huge revenue, proving that big budgets aren't necessary to create a box office sensation. It takes no name actors and puts them in a "found footage" scenario as a boyfriend (Micah Sloat) stubbornly insists on documenting just about everything when he and his girlfriend (Katie Featherston) start experiencing strange phenomena in their large and opulent San Diego home. As can be expected, things start out small and become creepier as time goes on. Eventually, things end with a big bang. Director Oren Peli manages to create a good atmosphere for the many night time scenes, and some genuine shocks, and does all of this with a noticeable lack of special effects. Our two leads are able to consult with a psychic (Mark Fredrichs), who gives them some valuable knowledge, but he's still not exactly an expert in matters deemed to be demonic in nature, so there is little that they can do to protect or arm themselves. The very minimal level of performers also helps to achieve a level of intimacy, and the movie never leaves the one location of the house. Understandably, it's kind of hard to sympathize with the somewhat annoying Micah, who keeps up a pretty cavalier attitude towards the whole thing, and he's one of those characters in these types of movies who keeps the camera going even when implored by another to stop. Katie is definitely a more universally appealing character, but she does bring some baggage to the relationship and scenario, as strange things have been happening to her for much of her life. Ultimately, this viewer gives this moderately positive feedback because, while it never gripped him the way it did so many others, it still managed to come up with some good and eerie moments, and does a fine job of giving off that whole vibe of a house in the early hours of the A.M. Six out of 10.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
| Report this
"Paranormal Activity" is one of those polarizing movies that, for the most part, will simply either work for the viewer or not. While scanning the most popular reviews, one can see comments ranging from quite positive to quite negative. In any event, it certainly developed a winning formula for success, having been filmed on a VERY low budget and generating huge revenue, proving that big budgets aren't necessary to create a box office sensation. It takes no name actors and puts them in a "found footage" scenario as a boyfriend (Micah Sloat) stubbornly insists on documenting just about everything when he and his girlfriend (Katie Featherston) start experiencing strange phenomena in their large and opulent San Diego home. As can be expected, things start out small and become creepier as time goes on. Eventually, things end with a big bang. Director Oren Peli manages to create a good atmosphere for the many night time scenes, and some genuine shocks, and does all of this with a noticeable lack of special effects. Our two leads are able to consult with a psychic (Mark Fredrichs), who gives them some valuable knowledge, but he's still not exactly an expert in matters deemed to be demonic in nature, so there is little that they can do to protect or arm themselves. The very minimal level of performers also helps to achieve a level of intimacy, and the movie never leaves the one location of the house. Understandably, it's kind of hard to sympathize with the somewhat annoying Micah, who keeps up a pretty cavalier attitude towards the whole thing, and he's one of those characters in these types of movies who keeps the camera going even when implored by another to stop. Katie is definitely a more universally appealing character, but she does bring some baggage to the relationship and scenario, as strange things have been happening to her for much of her life. Ultimately, this viewer gives this moderately positive feedback because, while it never gripped him the way it did so many others, it still managed to come up with some good and eerie moments, and does a fine job of giving off that whole vibe of a house in the early hours of the A.M. Six out of 10.