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It's one of the most talked-about films of the year and has recently passed the $100 million mark in the ...
It's one of the most talked-about films of the year and has recently passed the $100 million mark in the US. Everyone from internet forums to Steven Spielberg has been singing its praises; yes, "Paranormal Activity" has certainly caused quite a stir, but is it actually any good?The story, told as 'found footage' from a hand-held camera rather than a normal feature-length film, follows Micah (Micah Sloat) and Katie (Katie Featherstone), a young couple living in a house where strange incidents have been occurring in the night. Katie claims that the source of these nighttime oddities is a demonic spirit that has stalked her since her childhood - something that is supported by a psychic that visits the house. However, Micah, undeterred, attempts to capture the spirit at work with his camera, which becomes our window into the couple's world. Night after night strange things happen - an unexplainable thump, a door swinging open and shut again - causing a strain on Micah and Katie's relationship and scaring them beyond their wits. As the evidence of the spirit's presence strengthens, the couple realise that they are not in control of what might happen. Director Oren Peli has achieved quite a feat with "Paranormal Activity"; with a paltry $15,000 he has created a film that is as entertaining and tense as anything that could be made for a thousand times that budget; it is a triumph and inspiration for any budding filmmaker. For all of Peli's skill in telling an interesting story and the flourishes that make it scary, the film could not work without the two lead actors. Sloat and Featherstone are incredibly engaging and believable as the terrorised couple.As one would expect, the hype surrounding "Paranormal Activity" has certainly been exaggerated. It is not as terrifying as some reports have suggested and does not have enough genuinely scary moments to make it a classic horror. Still, the way tension is built in the film and the reliance on the actors and director's ability to tell the story is to be commended. Better than most horror films you'll see this year, "Paranormal Activity" is recommended, but not revolutionary.
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Press Association
How do you turn $15,000 into $100 million in a few months? If you're enterprising, Israeli-born filmmaker Oren Peli, you ...
How do you turn $15,000 into $100 million in a few months? If you're enterprising, Israeli-born filmmaker Oren Peli, you write and direct a low budget, supernatural horror movie, shoot it at your own house in your spare time and watch as that modest vision becomes a 21st century Blair Witch Project. Paranormal Activity is a phenomenon, scaring the life out of audiences with its deceptively simple narrative and grainy camerawork, captured by characters as they hunt for an evil spirit in their home. Various cuts of the film have been screened at festivals around the world but the version set to terrorise British cinemagoers is a genuinely creepy encounter with things that go bump in the night. The writer-director cranks up the suspense gradually until we're almost holding our breath, anticipating the next episode of ghostly interference. Unlike the recent glut of torture porn thrillers, which slather the screen in blood and entrails, Peli's film exercises restraint to the heart-stopping finale. Less is more and the suggestion of unseen evil in the house is far more unnerving than a blitzkrieg of expensive special effects. What you can't see can kill you. Micah (Micah Sloat) lives in San Diego with his girlfriend Katie (Katie Featherston), who senses a spirit watching over her. Reluctantly, Katie agrees to let Micah capture evidence of the haunting on his new video camera by setting up a tripod in the bedroom to record everything that happens as they sleep. Footage of a door opening and closing of its own accord is the first sign tha, t something is terribly wrong in the home. Micah doesn't take his role seriously, brazenly goading the spirit ("Is that all you got?"), while Katie desperately tries to prevent him making a bad situation worse. As the visitations become more intense, Micah invites a psychic (Mark Fredrichs) through the front door. The visitor leaves quick smart, sensing evil has taken root in the house and will stop at nothing until it has consumed Katie. "You can't run from this, it will follow you," he professes sombrely. Paranormal Activity almost lives up to the extraordinary hype from across the Atlantic, effectively taping into universal fears. Featherston and Sloat are compelling, the latter grating on our nerves as much as Katie's as he foolishly introduces a Ouija board to the house then rows with his frazzled girlfriend, cattily telling her to "go hang out with your friend upstairs!" Physical manifestations of the malevolent spirit start with a light turning on in the middle of the night, or a shadow moving across the bedroom door. As the film moves into the shocking final act, Peli pulls out all of the stops to have us biting our nails down to the cuticle. If you thought you were too old to be afraid of the dark, think again.
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