PARANORMAL ACTIVITY
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It’s been ten years since The Blair Witch Project evidenced the power of clever viral marketing to become the indie-horror-film-that-buzz-built and ultimately gross 4,000 times its minuscule budget. The inevitable comparisons are flowing as first-time writer-director Oren Peli’s Paranormal Activity - a film with no stars, virtually no special effects, and a mere $11,000 budget - grossed almost $8,000,000 on 160 screens this past weekend. Immediately, a key distinction must be made to truly appreciate which sets Peli’s film apart - whereas the ad campaign for Blair Witch, with its “These kids are really missing!” and “This film will scare the heck out of you!” tag lines, had people buzzing about the film long before it was finally released, what has sold Paranormal Activity has strictly been word-of-mouth from those who’d seen it and claimed to be terrified. There were no ubiquitous posters or endless viral pseudo-documentaries to sell Paranormal Activity - it came out of nowhere as the film someone you know had seen, and who swore up and down that it will scare the crap out of you.
And yes indeed - Paranormal Activity is one hell of a scary flick.
Still a week away from an official wide release, Paranormal Activity has been buzzed about all over social networking sites like Twitter, on entertainment news shows, even on CNN - if you’re not reading about what a surprise hit it is, you’re reading about how scary it is. And again, a distinction - almost immediately after The Blair Witch Project came out, the backlash began. Sure, there were those who were as terrified by it as they were told they’d be, but many found the film did not live up to its admittedly chilling climax; or worse, they found it completely boring and/or disorientating. Not so with Paranormal Activity - the reviews are flowing in, and they almost unanimously promise a monumentally terrifying experience.
Scariest film ever made? Not quite, but for $11,000, this is remarkably scary stuff - and what’s more, consistently so. Taking place entirely inside a house that is being terrorized by a malevolent spirit, protagonist couple Katie and Micah reveal from the very start that they are out to track the strange goings-on inside their home, via a camcorder and EVP technology. Katie reveals she has been haunted by strange forces since she was a child, and Micah - a familiar sort of macho-geek who is more mesmerized and entertained by the notion of a ghost than he is terrified by it - is determined to record the phenomena (think Cloverfield’s Hud, except with reason to not want to put the camera down). Though time is taken to introduce and flesh out its central characters, the film wastes no time in setting up its story - you know why the cameras are there minutes after the film kicks in, and it’s not long before you’ve found your permanent position at the edge of your seat for the duration of the film.
The terrifying presence in Katie and Micah’s house reveals itself slowly, and each passing episode is more intense than the last. Not only does this fit in perfectly with what we come to learn about the entity, but it serves the film brilliantly - each time the lights go out, the audience is more terrified than before, knowing that whatever Katie and Micah had to endure before was about to get worse. Much has been said - though not spoiled - about the film’s climax, and although its already-famed original ending would have indeed been more chilling (Steven Spielberg himself suggested the theatrical ending), the last ten minutes of this film are the stuff of nightmares.
But again, the beauty of Paranormal Activity - or more specifically, what sets it apart from The Blair Witch Project - is that the legacy of its terror will not rely on these last ten minutes. This is an unsettling film from start to finish, a return to genuine this-could-be-your-house thrills not seen since Poltergeist. What’s more, unlike the protagonists of Blair Witch and Cloverfield, Katie and Micah are consistently likable characters with immediately realistic fears and motivations - even when you disagree with Micah, you can’t deny you know a person or two who’d make the same decisions he makes. Credit Peli with creating in Micah that rare character who annoys with his irrationality and stubbornness even as he is consummately likable and recognizable. Actors Micah Sloat and Katie Featherston go above and beyond what one has come to expect form low-budget horror, delivering performances that exceed those found in current studio horror fare by a long shot. Their dedication to their characters only add to the this-is-really-happening aesthetic of the film upon which its effect ultimately relies.
It is exciting to see such a small film do so well, and to see audiences and critics alike embrace quality horror film making with such fervor. In a year when District 9 already proved what could be achieved when a great story is met with dedicated filmmakers and actors, perhaps there is hope for those of us who yearn for a dismantling of The Machine. Sure Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen made $402M domestically, but it cost $200M to make. In just one week and on 3% of the number of screens Transformers played on, Paranormal Activity has already made a monumentally stronger profit, and what’s more, has critical acclaim to match its staggering box office pull. Very, very impressive stuff indeed.
- Logan Crow
October 13, 2009
5 Comments on “PARANORMAL ACTIVITY”
Comment:
October 13th, 2009 at 3:09 am
I agree with everything you said, and I know I’ll be hearing noises for a few days…. :/
October 13th, 2009 at 1:45 pm
what’s this about an original ending?!?!
October 13th, 2009 at 2:08 pm
okay, did some research….I think I’d have liked the original ending, as well as the alternate ending, a bit more. The latter because I was thinking the same thing as what I’m reading online, vis. a nice tie-in to Micah’s bravado-induced knife-play display earlier in the film. And while there IS a certain tragedy to the original ending, in my book it’s not all that more tragic than the theatrical ending. Can’t say more without spoilers. :)~
October 18th, 2009 at 10:53 am
Saw the film last night with a packed spellbound audience. The communal experience of fear was what most impressed me (and something that we’ve been in serious need of). But I’ve got to say, “It weren’t no Blair Witch.”
October 19th, 2009 at 12:32 pm
I loved it, saw it in the cineramadome on my birthday. It really blew my mind, luckily I got too drunk that night to stay up listening for footsteps in the hallway. It also reminded me alot of the original The Haunting in the way it used shadows and sound. I would like to know more about the original ending. Hopefully we can see it as a DVD extra.