by Hollanes Paranormal Activity is currently the top trending topic on Twitter and has generated massive amounts of buzz across the web and other news sources. People are already calling it the scariest movie ever, a very bold statement to say the least. Right before the movie started an employee of the theater said that after the movie starts we have one hour and if we feel that the movie is too intense or too scary we would be given a full refund for the ticket. Has Paranormal Activity lived up to its hype?
Personally, I have to say that I was scared before I went into the theater, for the time I was in the theater, and even for the next few nights. The movie has a way of getting into your head and taking you for a suspenseful ride that may leave you scared to death or just disappointed in general. The hype behind the film had a lot to do with the overall feel of the movie and what was expected going into it. I felt that the movie was scary and lived up to the reputation it has been given in the few weeks that it has been out, it is packed with suspense that builds and builds like you wouldn't believe. The film starts with small occurrences that almost everyone has felt like they've had at one point in their life, and then builds to the main characters interacting with the paranormal activities.
The special effects were really cool and I think the small budget of the film had a lot to do with that. The film's budget was a mere $11,000, not giving the director much money in the way of special effects. It was really just old fashioned movie effects which sold the movie even more. Had there been an actual view of the demon or maybe more physical interaction with it I don't think I would've been as scared. People fear what they don't understand and the director really played off that idea. The audience doesn't know anything about the antagonist other than the fact that it is a demon and that it has 3 toes on each foot; you are left completely in the dark about the appearance and name of what is making you regret paying around $8.
After the movie I'd have to say that I was a little scared, it was pretty pathetic actually. I saw the movie with my girlfriend and one of her roommates; neither one of them was scared of the movie at first. On the way home we discussed what scared us and what didn't and I felt that the one thing that really made the film somewhat believable compared to any other scary movies was the way the small paranormal activity that was experienced elevated from small to very big. Once it's time for bed the film really got to everyone. We all ended up being scared of being dragged out of our bed by a demon or one of us becoming possessed; like I said, it was pretty pathetic.
All in all I'd say the movie was the scariest I've personally seen, much scarier than something like a slasher movie or the typical scary movie that comes out. Paranormal Activity earns an 8.5 out of 10. H.
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Basic Synopsis: The movie starts off with the main characters, a couple, Katie and Micah. Katie has had odd things haunt her ever since she was 8 and now the occurrences are starting to become more frequent. Micah decides that he is going to film what is going on and the couple later finds out from a psychic that a demon is haunting Katie. The demon eventually becomes aggravated with Micah, who taunts the demon and tries to challenge it almost every chance available to him. Much later on Katie becomes possessed by the demon and kills Micah, the one thing getting in between the demon and Katie. The end of the movie states that Micah's body was found by police and that Katie's whereabouts are unknown; a pretty generic horror story ending.
