Movie Review: 'Paranormal Activity'

THE WOODLANDS, Texas -- For anyone tired of the typical scary movie that over does gore and guts, there is a new movie out that you will appreciate called Paranormal Activity.

The plot is centered around Katie, who since age eight has been haunted by an unknown demon that has made shadows on her walls and whispers in her ears. Now that she is an adult a lot of the paranormal activities have stopped. However, her boyfriend Micah has moved in with her, and the demon seems to have awakened to continue the horrific activities in her house.

When Micah moves in he is aware his girlfriend is being haunted by an unknown spirit. He sets up a documentary to show footage at all times of the day to catch any activities that occur.

As the days go by the paranormal incidents in the house intensify. From a shadow on the door, to Katie physically being pulled from the bed and dragged across the hallway: the demon seems restless. All hints point to an unhappy ending for this new couple. The new coming actors Micah Sloat as Micah and Katie Featherston as Katie did a great job with their characters. Katie was portrayed as an innocent yet worried young adult in the midst of school and starting a life with her boyfriend. Both actors helped develop the real-life feel of the movie. Because the whole film was a 'documentary' produced by Micah, the scenes were of everyday activities by Katie and Micah: from Micah’s one on one jokes with the camera to the occasional dinner. Sloat and Featherston's on screen chemistry makes it easy for the audience to connect with the characters.

Director Oren Peli formatted the film into a homemade documentary, making Paranormal Activity stand out from the average horror film. For one, there was no gore which I liked. They did not need to be cutting up flesh or hacking someone to death to make the film scary. Secondly, because the audience was so involved with the characters they seemed to be directly in the movie. Peli did not need any music to create suspense or drama, the documentary aspect of it placed the audience right in the middle of Katy and Mikah’s dilemma.

I was terrified to see Paranormal Activity because of all the hype it has been receiving. Even though Paranormal Activity was a really good horror film, I think a lot of people are overreacting to how scary it was. Before I saw the film I had heard of people running out of the theater, and some people screaming at certain scenes. At my showing there was not anything like that. There were plenty of loud gasps and the occasional curse word, but I feel like the movie was scary but not as intense as some people made it out to be.

I would highly recommend Paranormal Activity for anyone who is willing to step out of their comfort zone and see a unique yet equally terrifying horror film.