Review of Paranormal Activity 2 (2010) by Ryan G — 11 Jan 2014

Paranormal Activity 2 is the use of an already existing formula. The good news is that this formula isn't tired yet. In my eyes, when the first film was released, it was a burst of creative energy into horror filmmaking.

We had seen the style of "oh my god everything was filmed and I found the footage and it's real" before, but the type of quiet horror utilized here was rarely seen. It was the slowest of slow burners, and it paid off huge by the end.

It would create dread and extreme uneasiness by little things like a chandelier moving, or a door creaking. Or that a single shot would be maintained for so long that your eyes would trick you into thinking little things in the shot were moving.

The details were so important that your eyes were in a constant scanning of the screen yelling "WHERE DO I LOOK? WHERE DO I LOOK?" So here we are again with a sort of sequel. It's a companion piece.

It is its own movie, but it makes a hell of a lot more sense if you've seen the first film. The timelines collide in a sense and it paints the first film in a different light. I really enjoyed that quality of it.

It rehashes similar scenes from the first film, and it's completely chilling at times even when you know what's coming. The addition of the dog and baby are appropriately stirring, because who doesn't love dogs and babies? The acting is actually pretty good too, and really overlooked.

For films like this the entire premise is contingent on realism. If the actors don't talk how real people talk, then this whole experiment falls through, and they pull it off well. If there is one flaw in this movie, and unfortunately it's a relatively important one, it's that it doesn't have a great payoff.

The ending is missing that fireworks and immeasurable tension quality of the final scene of the first film. The slow buildup doesn't feel worth it by the end, because everything happens too quickly and too simply.