IMDB Rating: 7.4 ( Wat?? I will give much more than this)
Tops USA Box Office for consecutive weekends
Paranormal Activity is the latest horror film.
"Some thing" disturbs the life of Katie and Micah. It lurks in their house in San Diego and scares them like-hell. They try to find out what it is. They contact a psychic Dr. Fredrich, who tells them that they are being plagued by a demon. Like BWP, they use a camera and tries to find what is really happening to them. They keep the camera in their bedroom and whilst they are sleeping, the demon shows "what it can do". The night scenes in infrared are really creepy. They hear whispers, sounds, footsteps and the intensity of the weird things increases each and every night until the "last night".
The movie starts with just a credit, no titles. It ends with credits to the couple and to the police department who provided the footage.
We were really scared to our wits. I immediately searched about this movie and found out...OH NO!!! The movie is really the real footage(or so I thought)... This cant be true... I was totally confused... wait a minute, Micah and Katie... the couple... I searched imdb and many other sites... Their real names do match... Wat the hell is happening,....
But, then something clicked... Katie (Katie Featherston) has already acted in the film 'Mutation'. And, her next film 'Walking Distance' is under post-production... Micah Sloat who is the Micah in this movie. This is his first film. Only then, we got our breadth.
ok... now the review:
+ points:
Hats off to Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat for their so-so natural acting. Their expressions, the way they talk, everything is so-so real. We should give special credits to Katie. When she lets out her screams and fear, you tend to believe that what you are seeing is the real footage.
The Night scenes are very gripping. The night scenes are shown under Infra-red vision which adds to the intensity. The scenes start with Micah and Katie going to sleep, then a clock is displayed at the bottom-right corner indicating the actual time of the scene. The clock ticks for few seconds, then the video fast forwards and again slows down, an indication that something is going to happen. We wait, wait and wait... Then... Ah! Shit! the door moves on its own... This is just the first of the many nights. Each night the things happen with more intensity.
We hear sounds, whispers, bangings on the door, witness footsteps and many more creepy things. In the day time, the couple discuss about these things, after they watch the video they have captured. So, everything goes so so well. And, the movie has a gripping climax too.
Oren Peli has done a real good job. The way movie goes is (as said earlier) is so natural, and for that, this man certainly deserves the applause Clap...Clap...Clap... He has written, directed and produced the movie.
- points:
The film has its own negative side. People who expects too much of a 'Blair Witch Project' effect have reported disappointments. Though it depends on the perception of the audience, it is left entirely to the audience to decide..
The first half an hour of the movie are really boring. The editor could have cut these boring parts of the "footage":P. No one wants a long "jus-talking" scene in a horror movie. All the initial scenes seem so trivial, until the psychic Dr. Fredrich arives.
SPOILER ALERT BEGIN-
The Director has slipped in some parts of the movie, One night, when Katie sleep walks (or is put under a trance by the demon???) she escapes the security alarm. Katie always keeps the security system working before she goes to sleep. But, how did she escape from tripping the alarm on, when she goes out of the house and relaxes in the swing???
Another night, after we come to know that the demon is in the attic, we are shown that the demon comes down switches on the light, the switches off after leaving the room and reaches the bedroom. I didnt notice it ironical, until my friend commented "What a responsible Demon" Ha ha... True. If the movie is filmed as a real footage, and while Micah and Katie are sleeping, why should the demon switch the light on and off, is it to scare the audience? Sounds are OK... But, the lights going on and off, in an entirely different room, when no one is watching (forget that we are watching), is definitely not realistic. Its dramatic,
Here comes the next dramatic element. Micah and Katie argues over the weegie board and leaves the house, then a strong wind blows into the room, and the cursor on the weegie board moves on its own and catches fire. Ok, this might be considered realistic. But, this becomes so much like any-other horror movie, which is certainly not the motive of the director nor the expectation of the audience.
-SPOILER ALERT END
As noted in imdb: A miss in Continuity: In a shot when Micah is coming down the stairs, there's a tiny water mark or speck on the lens. In the very next shot (emerging into the living room) it has magically vanished
Neglecting these minor mistakes, the feel that the movie is the real footage stands out conspicuously. And, it cant be denied that this movie is one of the best horror films.
Some people who might act very sober and cool, may find it funny. You must watch this with little seriousness.
If you are not scared of the movie as a whole, you must really acknowledge the many + points in this movie.
ALL IN ALL, one of the MOST GRIPPING HORROR MOVIE with very little dramatic elements.
So, my rating for the movie is 3.6 out of 5. I could have given more points, if the director has made the movie more perfect.
The DVD or BLU-Ray is still not out. You can watch the Blair Witch Project, which is more or less similar to this.
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