Movie Review: Paranormal Activity

The movie follows a couple who start experiencing some odd sound effects in their house. The girl, Katie (Katie Featherston) thinks the sounds are ghostly in origin. Her boyfriend Micah (Micah Sloat) picks up a video camera which the pair set up in the bedroom in an effort to catch their ghost. Fortunately, Micah learned from the comparable Blair Witch Project and was smart enough to buy a tripod as well — sparing the audience a bout of motion sickness. The camera shot becomes the source of dread and terror throughout the film as, night after night, the haunting gets more and more intense while the dread and suspense build with no release in sight.


[image-1]I have to say it: This is one of the scariest movies I have ever seen. The acting was pretty good, and the camcorder gimmick isn’t as annoying as Blair Witch or Cloverfield. After the movie ended (the ending is so shocking), I just sat there with my mouth open, trying to relax after the great terror I just experienced. The most amazing part of the film is how little violence appears on screen. Paranormal Activity contains no torture scenes, no blood and guts, and no masked man running around with a big knife. In fact, you never actually see the source of the terror — and that's the scariest part.


I highly recommend this movie for anyone looking for a good scare. Paranormal Activity is an excellent date movie, because it will get the two of you (or three, I don’t judge) holding each other for comfort. But guys, remember: Don’t expect to be rounding third later in the evening if you scream like a little girl.


Editor's Note: Though no release date has been announced yet, rumors have Paranormal Activity opening in more theaters (including in the Bay area) in the near future. As soon as we have firm dates and times, we'll bring them to you on Daily Loaf.


When I was 6 years old, I saw Jaws for the first time and was truly terrified that my trip to the beach the next day would be my last. Despite my love of the water, I still feel the terror that movie caused. Now, 20-something years later, I have experience true terror yet again. This time, though, the scare isn’t in the water; it's in the bedroom. The movie: Paranormal Activity.

I saw reports that claimed Paranormal Activity was the scariest movie some people had ever seen, so I sought out the flick and “demanded it” on the the film's website. Sure enough, the movie came to Tampa (your welcome), but only for a midnight showing. After seeing the movie that only cost a small amount to make, I was truly terrified and amazed at something as simple as a shadow or a random light turning on could be so scary.

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