The "Retro Game Reviews" forum, which includes Retro Game Reviews, has been archived and is now read-only. You cannot post here or create a new thread or review on this forum.
I’m man enough to admit it. Blair Witch Project is the scariest movie I have ever seen and even to this day it manages to unsettle me. The use of handheld cameras and the eerie setting were more than enough to make me feel like I were there with the three characters and fear for the Blair Witch herself. Having gone over my mates just last night he had a copy of the latest phenomenon to grace the silver screen, Paranormal Activity. Does it have the same impact as the 1999 success though or is it merely a copycat.
The plot is very simple here with a young couple claiming to hear odd noises occurring late at night in their house and wanting to investigate further. The movie opens with Micah testing his newly purchased camera that he and his girlfriend, Katie plan to use to document these supposed ghostly actions. What the movie then consists of are the recorded events thereafter. It’s almost like a log book even displaying a day number at the bottom of the screen during each evening.
Perhaps the biggest shortcoming of the movie is that it starts off fairly slow. I’ll get that out of the way right now. We see a lot of scenes of Micah and Katie being silly, presumptions of what it is that is going on and just random filler that one could argue is just delaying the exciting, heart-pounding scary moments. But then again people may see it as a good way at building tension. Either way, for me I just felt that these daytime parts went on too long especially at the start of the movie.
That isn’t to say that they are all completely dull. Much like Blair Witch interviews and the reactions of the characters are key to explaining what the phenomenon could be and how it’s affecting them. Ghosts spring to mind when you picture this movie, but as we research further into the subject with Micah we learn that it is something much more sinister which again heightens the tension. Watching Micah shouting and mocking the spirit later on in the movie is tough to watch too as you know the consequences are going to be dire and when we witness a key scene with a psychic literally wanting nothing to do with the house panic and fear really set in. The day scenes definitely add to the experience, but a few could have easily been cut as they offer nothing more than added pointless minutes on the final reel.
The fear strikes you throughout the movie with each daytime scene being met with a sigh of relief as you nervously await the terrifying moment when night falls and we focus on the couple sleeping again. And that is where the movie truly shines. Never since Blair Witch has the darkness of the night freaked me out so much. With the camera set on a tripod, and running while the couple sleep, it’s during these moments that we witness the paranormal on goings and gradually night by night the events get more and more disturbing. A slow moving door or some slight footsteps on the landing kick things off and even then it made my heart race, but later on when doors slam, bangs are heard and unexplainable photos are found it soon becomes a matter of simply just getting through the night without getting too freaked out. The final two evenings in particular are absolutely terrifying and among the best twenty odd minutes of horror I’ve had the pleasure of viewing. I won’t spoil it for you, but let’s just say the ending will not disappoint.
The acting is surprisingly good with two no-name actors taking the lead and showing genuine chemistry throughout. Even during the more frightening moments they keep things real without going over the top (for example in Blair Witch.)
Perhaps the biggest reason this whole movie succeeds so well in terrifying its audience is that it all seems so plausible. Sure the idea of ghosts and demons existing splits the public into two groups, but either way you’ll find it hard not to buy into this movie a little. It’s never over the top and relies on your imagination more often than not as never is a ghost seen on screen at any point. Shadows, objects moving that shouldn’t and weird noises have more impact resulting in a more believable concept.
While a cinema screen is likely where you’ll see this movie over the next few weeks (and I’m sure it’ll still be terrifying then) it seems likely the best method of watching this is in your own home at night. A cinema full of people compared to an empty house with just your and a few friends. Seems obvious which would have more impact. When this eventually hits DVD rest assured, I’ll be picking up a copy for some future scare-filled nights.
Paranormal Activity easily ranks highly in the horror department and the fact it was made for a mere couple of thousand just goes to show that special effects and Hollywood actors aren’t needed to scare the living hell out of you. I warn you though, watch this and chances are sleep will become an impossibility the night you do.
The plot is very simple here with a young couple claiming to hear odd noises occurring late at night in their house and wanting to investigate further. The movie opens with Micah testing his newly purchased camera that he and his girlfriend, Katie plan to use to document these supposed ghostly actions. What the movie then consists of are the recorded events thereafter. It’s almost like a log book even displaying a day number at the bottom of the screen during each evening.
Perhaps the biggest shortcoming of the movie is that it starts off fairly slow. I’ll get that out of the way right now. We see a lot of scenes of Micah and Katie being silly, presumptions of what it is that is going on and just random filler that one could argue is just delaying the exciting, heart-pounding scary moments. But then again people may see it as a good way at building tension. Either way, for me I just felt that these daytime parts went on too long especially at the start of the movie.
That isn’t to say that they are all completely dull. Much like Blair Witch interviews and the reactions of the characters are key to explaining what the phenomenon could be and how it’s affecting them. Ghosts spring to mind when you picture this movie, but as we research further into the subject with Micah we learn that it is something much more sinister which again heightens the tension. Watching Micah shouting and mocking the spirit later on in the movie is tough to watch too as you know the consequences are going to be dire and when we witness a key scene with a psychic literally wanting nothing to do with the house panic and fear really set in. The day scenes definitely add to the experience, but a few could have easily been cut as they offer nothing more than added pointless minutes on the final reel.
The fear strikes you throughout the movie with each daytime scene being met with a sigh of relief as you nervously await the terrifying moment when night falls and we focus on the couple sleeping again. And that is where the movie truly shines. Never since Blair Witch has the darkness of the night freaked me out so much. With the camera set on a tripod, and running while the couple sleep, it’s during these moments that we witness the paranormal on goings and gradually night by night the events get more and more disturbing. A slow moving door or some slight footsteps on the landing kick things off and even then it made my heart race, but later on when doors slam, bangs are heard and unexplainable photos are found it soon becomes a matter of simply just getting through the night without getting too freaked out. The final two evenings in particular are absolutely terrifying and among the best twenty odd minutes of horror I’ve had the pleasure of viewing. I won’t spoil it for you, but let’s just say the ending will not disappoint.
The acting is surprisingly good with two no-name actors taking the lead and showing genuine chemistry throughout. Even during the more frightening moments they keep things real without going over the top (for example in Blair Witch.)
Perhaps the biggest reason this whole movie succeeds so well in terrifying its audience is that it all seems so plausible. Sure the idea of ghosts and demons existing splits the public into two groups, but either way you’ll find it hard not to buy into this movie a little. It’s never over the top and relies on your imagination more often than not as never is a ghost seen on screen at any point. Shadows, objects moving that shouldn’t and weird noises have more impact resulting in a more believable concept.
While a cinema screen is likely where you’ll see this movie over the next few weeks (and I’m sure it’ll still be terrifying then) it seems likely the best method of watching this is in your own home at night. A cinema full of people compared to an empty house with just your and a few friends. Seems obvious which would have more impact. When this eventually hits DVD rest assured, I’ll be picking up a copy for some future scare-filled nights.
Paranormal Activity easily ranks highly in the horror department and the fact it was made for a mere couple of thousand just goes to show that special effects and Hollywood actors aren’t needed to scare the living hell out of you. I warn you though, watch this and chances are sleep will become an impossibility the night you do.
I will have to admit, that it did cause a lot of my friends to have a few sleepless nights.
I think it was brilliantly filmed and in all honesty, when on a proper paranormal investigation, people do have a lot of silly moments (I know this is a story of a couple at home, but it actually is similar to an investigation). There was a bit too much filler, but that is because it is true to real life. You could be somewhere hours and hours and get absolutely nothing and to keep it plausable and exciting, the amount of activity was spread across the film and tension built by these moments. But I would agree in your statement that for a thriller and horror, you would expect more action.
Brilliant for a budget film though!
I think it was brilliantly filmed and in all honesty, when on a proper paranormal investigation, people do have a lot of silly moments (I know this is a story of a couple at home, but it actually is similar to an investigation). There was a bit too much filler, but that is because it is true to real life. You could be somewhere hours and hours and get absolutely nothing and to keep it plausable and exciting, the amount of activity was spread across the film and tension built by these moments. But I would agree in your statement that for a thriller and horror, you would expect more action.
Brilliant for a budget film though!
I’m man enough to admit it. Blair Witch Project is the scariest movie I have ever seen and even to this day it manages to unsettle me. The use of handheld cameras and the eerie setting were more than enough to make me feel like I were there with the three characters and fear for the Blair Witch herself. Having gone over my mates just last night he had a copy of the latest phenomenon to grace the silver screen, Paranormal Activity. Does it have the same impact as the 1999 success though or is it merely a copycat.
The plot is very simple here with a young couple claiming to hear odd noises occurring late at night in their house and wanting to investigate further. The movie opens with Micah testing his newly purchased camera that he and his girlfriend, Katie plan to use to document these supposed ghostly actions. What the movie then consists of are the recorded events thereafter. It’s almost like a log book even displaying a day number at the bottom of the screen during each evening.
Perhaps the biggest shortcoming of the movie is that it starts off fairly slow. I’ll get that out of the way right now. We see a lot of scenes of Micah and Katie being silly, presumptions of what it is that is going on and just random filler that one could argue is just delaying the exciting, heart-pounding scary moments. But then again people may see it as a good way at building tension. Either way, for me I just felt that these daytime parts went on too long especially at the start of the movie.
That isn’t to say that they are all completely dull. Much like Blair Witch interviews and the reactions of the characters are key to explaining what the phenomenon could be and how it’s affecting them. Ghosts spring to mind when you picture this movie, but as we research further into the subject with Micah we learn that it is something much more sinister which again heightens the tension. Watching Micah shouting and mocking the spirit later on in the movie is tough to watch too as you know the consequences are going to be dire and when we witness a key scene with a psychic literally wanting nothing to do with the house panic and fear really set in. The day scenes definitely add to the experience, but a few could have easily been cut as they offer nothing more than added pointless minutes on the final reel.
The fear strikes you throughout the movie with each daytime scene being met with a sigh of relief as you nervously await the terrifying moment when night falls and we focus on the couple sleeping again. And that is where the movie truly shines. Never since Blair Witch has the darkness of the night freaked me out so much. With the camera set on a tripod, and running while the couple sleep, it’s during these moments that we witness the paranormal on goings and gradually night by night the events get more and more disturbing. A slow moving door or some slight footsteps on the landing kick things off and even then it made my heart race, but later on when doors slam, bangs are heard and unexplainable photos are found it soon becomes a matter of simply just getting through the night without getting too freaked out. The final two evenings in particular are absolutely terrifying and among the best twenty odd minutes of horror I’ve had the pleasure of viewing. I won’t spoil it for you, but let’s just say the ending will not disappoint.
The acting is surprisingly good with two no-name actors taking the lead and showing genuine chemistry throughout. Even during the more frightening moments they keep things real without going over the top (for example in Blair Witch.)
Perhaps the biggest reason this whole movie succeeds so well in terrifying its audience is that it all seems so plausible. Sure the idea of ghosts and demons existing splits the public into two groups, but either way you’ll find it hard not to buy into this movie a little. It’s never over the top and relies on your imagination more often than not as never is a ghost seen on screen at any point. Shadows, objects moving that shouldn’t and weird noises have more impact resulting in a more believable concept.
While a cinema screen is likely where you’ll see this movie over the next few weeks (and I’m sure it’ll still be terrifying then) it seems likely the best method of watching this is in your own home at night. A cinema full of people compared to an empty house with just your and a few friends. Seems obvious which would have more impact. When this eventually hits DVD rest assured, I’ll be picking up a copy for some future scare-filled nights.
Paranormal Activity easily ranks highly in the horror department and the fact it was made for a mere couple of thousand just goes to show that special effects and Hollywood actors aren’t needed to scare the living hell out of you. I warn you though, watch this and chances are sleep will become an impossibility the night you do.
The plot is very simple here with a young couple claiming to hear odd noises occurring late at night in their house and wanting to investigate further. The movie opens with Micah testing his newly purchased camera that he and his girlfriend, Katie plan to use to document these supposed ghostly actions. What the movie then consists of are the recorded events thereafter. It’s almost like a log book even displaying a day number at the bottom of the screen during each evening.
Perhaps the biggest shortcoming of the movie is that it starts off fairly slow. I’ll get that out of the way right now. We see a lot of scenes of Micah and Katie being silly, presumptions of what it is that is going on and just random filler that one could argue is just delaying the exciting, heart-pounding scary moments. But then again people may see it as a good way at building tension. Either way, for me I just felt that these daytime parts went on too long especially at the start of the movie.
That isn’t to say that they are all completely dull. Much like Blair Witch interviews and the reactions of the characters are key to explaining what the phenomenon could be and how it’s affecting them. Ghosts spring to mind when you picture this movie, but as we research further into the subject with Micah we learn that it is something much more sinister which again heightens the tension. Watching Micah shouting and mocking the spirit later on in the movie is tough to watch too as you know the consequences are going to be dire and when we witness a key scene with a psychic literally wanting nothing to do with the house panic and fear really set in. The day scenes definitely add to the experience, but a few could have easily been cut as they offer nothing more than added pointless minutes on the final reel.
The fear strikes you throughout the movie with each daytime scene being met with a sigh of relief as you nervously await the terrifying moment when night falls and we focus on the couple sleeping again. And that is where the movie truly shines. Never since Blair Witch has the darkness of the night freaked me out so much. With the camera set on a tripod, and running while the couple sleep, it’s during these moments that we witness the paranormal on goings and gradually night by night the events get more and more disturbing. A slow moving door or some slight footsteps on the landing kick things off and even then it made my heart race, but later on when doors slam, bangs are heard and unexplainable photos are found it soon becomes a matter of simply just getting through the night without getting too freaked out. The final two evenings in particular are absolutely terrifying and among the best twenty odd minutes of horror I’ve had the pleasure of viewing. I won’t spoil it for you, but let’s just say the ending will not disappoint.
The acting is surprisingly good with two no-name actors taking the lead and showing genuine chemistry throughout. Even during the more frightening moments they keep things real without going over the top (for example in Blair Witch.)
Perhaps the biggest reason this whole movie succeeds so well in terrifying its audience is that it all seems so plausible. Sure the idea of ghosts and demons existing splits the public into two groups, but either way you’ll find it hard not to buy into this movie a little. It’s never over the top and relies on your imagination more often than not as never is a ghost seen on screen at any point. Shadows, objects moving that shouldn’t and weird noises have more impact resulting in a more believable concept.
While a cinema screen is likely where you’ll see this movie over the next few weeks (and I’m sure it’ll still be terrifying then) it seems likely the best method of watching this is in your own home at night. A cinema full of people compared to an empty house with just your and a few friends. Seems obvious which would have more impact. When this eventually hits DVD rest assured, I’ll be picking up a copy for some future scare-filled nights.
Paranormal Activity easily ranks highly in the horror department and the fact it was made for a mere couple of thousand just goes to show that special effects and Hollywood actors aren’t needed to scare the living hell out of you. I warn you though, watch this and chances are sleep will become an impossibility the night you do.