Review of Paranormal Activity (2007) by Jérôme B — 28 Nov 2013

After moving in to a 'starter' home, a young US couple become aware that they are not alone, and as the night's progress, they become increasingly more disturbed.

I have a great love for the 'found footage' and 'cinema verite' techniques, and this movie caused quite a stir when it was originally released, so I thought it was about time that I checked it out. What we are presented with feels just like it has been taped by a worried couple trying to get to the bottom of a problem. The sense of realism is kept going throughout, as there are no opening credits, no story set-up and things unfold just as they would in real life. There are long periods of Katie and Micah just going about their daily business, and this does not get boring, as it off-sets what happens when they are asleep. And of course this is what we are all here to see, and these are handled very well, from the subtle movements early on to the full on paranormal attacks later. The acting is pretty wooden but again this fits perfectly, as the main couple are always just meant to be normal people. There is no gore to speak of, but this is more than made up with the impending sense of dread that the viewer feels as things progress. This is of course not a perfect movie, and this reviewer felt that a couple of the sequences were just too over the top. And unfortunately the finale is one of them, as it could have been handled in a more understated way that would have preserved the chilling sensation that the rest of the story has. All in all, this is a great little movie that does have the power to make certain viewers feel genuinely uncomfortable, and it will be interesting to see in what direction the rest of the franchise heads.