Maybe it’s because I only just watched this movie last night. Maybe it’s because I read all the hype and saw stars Micah Sloat and Katie Featherston on the talk show circuit. Maybe it’s because I’d already seen a lot of clips and trailers of the movie. Or maybe it’s because I watch a lot of “Ghost Hunters” and see guys chasing after real (I guess) ghosts.
But I’ve gotta tell ya, I just didn’t think “Paranormal Activity” was all that scary. In fact, I watched it with my 15-year-old son, and he didn’t think it was all that scary either. We laughed most of the way through it, and added our own MST3K comments (“That’s the noisiest demon we’ve ever heard! Why is he stomping around? Can’t he fly?”)
If you’re not familiar with the story, the Oren Peli-directed “thriller” follows young couple Katie and Micah, who are experiencing some strange things in their house – which is quite a nice house, by the way, for such a young couple. She’s a student and he’s a day trader, but never seems to do any work other than chase after demons with his video camera.
More after the jump…
So yeah, when they figure out they’re being haunted by a demon, he sets up his camcorder in their room at night to capture what happens after they fall asleep. Doors slam, powdered footprints enter their room, etc. etc. Things get worse, and eventually, they get really worse.
The movie was made for $15K, and you have to wonder what they spent the cash on, because really, anyone with a camcorder could have made this film. My son and I both agreed the last few seconds of the movie were somewhat frightening, but it’s not like we weren’t expecting it. I wonder if people think it’s scary for precisely that reason – because it seems like a film that any one of us could have shot for real … with a real demon.
What do you guys think? Was “Paranormal Activity” frightening for you?
Images: Copyright, Paramount Pictures
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