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Paranormal Activity
Out now on DVD/Blu-Ray
Home camcorder style of shooting horror movies is becoming quite popular these days, with the success of the Blair Witch Project and Cloverfield inspiring more and more movies. The idea of using technology that is readily available to the majority of viewers and setting the scene in a place familiar to those viewers does well in adding a scary atmosphere to what is already a chilling horror movie.
Paranormal Activity is also one of these camcorder thrillers (albeit the camcorder is well out of my budget!). The film focuses on a young couple, Micah and Katie, you are experiencing strange events in their large American home. Katie appears to be the focus of all the activity and is quite rightly a little scared about it. Micah on the other hand believes that it is a whole load of nonsense and thinks all the weird activity that is happening is down to one of the kids on the street. This is why he buys a camcorder to catch them at it. Of course as the film progresses, Micah catches more of the events on the camera causing him to actually believe something paranormal is going on. As with anyone who is interested, he antagonises whatever is there to do more with the camera. The demonic spirit is more than happy to continue the haunting and the activity increases until the films dramatic climax. What happens then? Well you will have to see the film to find out!
As stated, the film has a lot of atmosphere due to the fact it is filmed in a real home and real camcorder. The film was originally made for a film festival of horror movies and the budget was very small. In fact, I believe it only took about a week to film all of the footage. The atmosphere is further created by the two actors that play Micah and Katie. They act just like a real couple and it is scary how good they are together. Adding further to the atmosphere, whenever any activity is about to happen, the filmmakers added a very low frequency rumble to their film. This subtle rumbling indicates to look out for something weird happening and because it's so low frequency, you can feel it in your chest, hopefully to help get the adrenaline flowing and make the scene a bit more scary!
The story is alright to follow; I didn't find it scary as I thought I would. Maybe that's down to me going on paranormal investigations and becoming desensitised to it all (I guess being sat alone in the cellar of a haunted mansion and being groped by unseen hands will do that to you!) Although I was desensitised to it, the friend I went to the cinema with when I watched the first time, jumped all the way through and struggled to sleep that night. It's one of these films that affect people in different ways.
The story has two endings, the theatrical ending (which was added when the demand for the film to be released in the cinema) and the real ending. The real ending is much more believable and a hell of a lot more creepy, whereas the theatrical ending is perfect in the cinema as it gives you that one last scare. As both endings are on the DVD/Blu-ray, watch the film with both of them and make up your mind on which one you prefer. Both endings lead onto the credits, which consists of a single slide. This was the part that messed with my head as pretty much the film stops. I'm not sure about anyone else, usually sit and watch the credits and use this time to make my mind up about the film. Without this closure time, you are left thinking, “was this real or just a film?”
One down point I would like to say about the film is the sound quality. This may be down to the equipment I am using at home to view it, but as the sound is being captured by the camcorder it may not be as clear as most movies. However this does give it a more authentic feel and you believe the events are actually happening. The main points I struggled with it when Micah spoke in his low voice and it caused my TV set to resonate, making me miss what he was saying. One last thing about the camcorder, I do not see if there is any benefit on buying it on Blu-Ray - as in not sure if there will be a major step up in quality. However, I only have a DVD player, so I cannot make a true comparison.
The DVD does have a special features section. Unbeknownst to me there was a fan competition where you could submit the filmmakers your own paranormal related short horror film. The winning entry of this competition and the runners-up, are available to watch in this section. Some of the films are very good and definitely worth a watch (especially the parody of the film “Normal Activity” - which is currently my favourite).
Overall, Paranormal Activity is worth a watch - it's a good horror movie made in a very short amount of time and on a small budget. At a paranormal enthusiast, it was a must buy for me but for those looking just for a good horror movie then Paranormal Activity is essential viewing, even if it's just worth a rent. Unless of course, you're scared...
92%
HM/Jason
www.ghostsandmore.info
Out now on DVD/Blu-Ray
Home camcorder style of shooting horror movies is becoming quite popular these days, with the success of the Blair Witch Project and Cloverfield inspiring more and more movies. The idea of using technology that is readily available to the majority of viewers and setting the scene in a place familiar to those viewers does well in adding a scary atmosphere to what is already a chilling horror movie.
Paranormal Activity is also one of these camcorder thrillers (albeit the camcorder is well out of my budget!). The film focuses on a young couple, Micah and Katie, you are experiencing strange events in their large American home. Katie appears to be the focus of all the activity and is quite rightly a little scared about it. Micah on the other hand believes that it is a whole load of nonsense and thinks all the weird activity that is happening is down to one of the kids on the street. This is why he buys a camcorder to catch them at it. Of course as the film progresses, Micah catches more of the events on the camera causing him to actually believe something paranormal is going on. As with anyone who is interested, he antagonises whatever is there to do more with the camera. The demonic spirit is more than happy to continue the haunting and the activity increases until the films dramatic climax. What happens then? Well you will have to see the film to find out!
As stated, the film has a lot of atmosphere due to the fact it is filmed in a real home and real camcorder. The film was originally made for a film festival of horror movies and the budget was very small. In fact, I believe it only took about a week to film all of the footage. The atmosphere is further created by the two actors that play Micah and Katie. They act just like a real couple and it is scary how good they are together. Adding further to the atmosphere, whenever any activity is about to happen, the filmmakers added a very low frequency rumble to their film. This subtle rumbling indicates to look out for something weird happening and because it's so low frequency, you can feel it in your chest, hopefully to help get the adrenaline flowing and make the scene a bit more scary!
The story is alright to follow; I didn't find it scary as I thought I would. Maybe that's down to me going on paranormal investigations and becoming desensitised to it all (I guess being sat alone in the cellar of a haunted mansion and being groped by unseen hands will do that to you!) Although I was desensitised to it, the friend I went to the cinema with when I watched the first time, jumped all the way through and struggled to sleep that night. It's one of these films that affect people in different ways.
The story has two endings, the theatrical ending (which was added when the demand for the film to be released in the cinema) and the real ending. The real ending is much more believable and a hell of a lot more creepy, whereas the theatrical ending is perfect in the cinema as it gives you that one last scare. As both endings are on the DVD/Blu-ray, watch the film with both of them and make up your mind on which one you prefer. Both endings lead onto the credits, which consists of a single slide. This was the part that messed with my head as pretty much the film stops. I'm not sure about anyone else, usually sit and watch the credits and use this time to make my mind up about the film. Without this closure time, you are left thinking, “was this real or just a film?”
One down point I would like to say about the film is the sound quality. This may be down to the equipment I am using at home to view it, but as the sound is being captured by the camcorder it may not be as clear as most movies. However this does give it a more authentic feel and you believe the events are actually happening. The main points I struggled with it when Micah spoke in his low voice and it caused my TV set to resonate, making me miss what he was saying. One last thing about the camcorder, I do not see if there is any benefit on buying it on Blu-Ray - as in not sure if there will be a major step up in quality. However, I only have a DVD player, so I cannot make a true comparison.
The DVD does have a special features section. Unbeknownst to me there was a fan competition where you could submit the filmmakers your own paranormal related short horror film. The winning entry of this competition and the runners-up, are available to watch in this section. Some of the films are very good and definitely worth a watch (especially the parody of the film “Normal Activity” - which is currently my favourite).
Overall, Paranormal Activity is worth a watch - it's a good horror movie made in a very short amount of time and on a small budget. At a paranormal enthusiast, it was a must buy for me but for those looking just for a good horror movie then Paranormal Activity is essential viewing, even if it's just worth a rent. Unless of course, you're scared...
92%
HM/Jason
www.ghostsandmore.info
Thanks for your comments pb - yes, it can be a bit more creepy if the furniture is similar to your own.
Had two of my friends come over to watch it last night and they enjoyed it - they were both a bit jumpy (and I guess the occasional "BOOO" in their direction wasn't too appreciated!)
I think it depends on your disposition on how the film affects you.
Had two of my friends come over to watch it last night and they enjoyed it - they were both a bit jumpy (and I guess the occasional "BOOO" in their direction wasn't too appreciated!)
I think it depends on your disposition on how the film affects you.
Good review, pretty much agree with your points. my wife was pretty scared by it but I just jumped at the jumpy parts. The only thing that freaked me out was that they had the same sofa and doors as us!
Paranormal Activity
Out now on DVD/Blu-Ray
Home camcorder style of shooting horror movies is becoming quite popular these days, with the success of the Blair Witch Project and Cloverfield inspiring more and more movies. The idea of using technology that is readily available to the majority of viewers and setting the scene in a place familiar to those viewers does well in adding a scary atmosphere to what is already a chilling horror movie.
Paranormal Activity is also one of these camcorder thrillers (albeit the camcorder is well out of my budget!). The film focuses on a young couple, Micah and Katie, you are experiencing strange events in their large American home. Katie appears to be the focus of all the activity and is quite rightly a little scared about it. Micah on the other hand believes that it is a whole load of nonsense and thinks all the weird activity that is happening is down to one of the kids on the street. This is why he buys a camcorder to catch them at it. Of course as the film progresses, Micah catches more of the events on the camera causing him to actually believe something paranormal is going on. As with anyone who is interested, he antagonises whatever is there to do more with the camera. The demonic spirit is more than happy to continue the haunting and the activity increases until the films dramatic climax. What happens then? Well you will have to see the film to find out!
As stated, the film has a lot of atmosphere due to the fact it is filmed in a real home and real camcorder. The film was originally made for a film festival of horror movies and the budget was very small. In fact, I believe it only took about a week to film all of the footage. The atmosphere is further created by the two actors that play Micah and Katie. They act just like a real couple and it is scary how good they are together. Adding further to the atmosphere, whenever any activity is about to happen, the filmmakers added a very low frequency rumble to their film. This subtle rumbling indicates to look out for something weird happening and because it's so low frequency, you can feel it in your chest, hopefully to help get the adrenaline flowing and make the scene a bit more scary!
The story is alright to follow; I didn't find it scary as I thought I would. Maybe that's down to me going on paranormal investigations and becoming desensitised to it all (I guess being sat alone in the cellar of a haunted mansion and being groped by unseen hands will do that to you!) Although I was desensitised to it, the friend I went to the cinema with when I watched the first time, jumped all the way through and struggled to sleep that night. It's one of these films that affect people in different ways.
The story has two endings, the theatrical ending (which was added when the demand for the film to be released in the cinema) and the real ending. The real ending is much more believable and a hell of a lot more creepy, whereas the theatrical ending is perfect in the cinema as it gives you that one last scare. As both endings are on the DVD/Blu-ray, watch the film with both of them and make up your mind on which one you prefer. Both endings lead onto the credits, which consists of a single slide. This was the part that messed with my head as pretty much the film stops. I'm not sure about anyone else, usually sit and watch the credits and use this time to make my mind up about the film. Without this closure time, you are left thinking, “was this real or just a film?”
One down point I would like to say about the film is the sound quality. This may be down to the equipment I am using at home to view it, but as the sound is being captured by the camcorder it may not be as clear as most movies. However this does give it a more authentic feel and you believe the events are actually happening. The main points I struggled with it when Micah spoke in his low voice and it caused my TV set to resonate, making me miss what he was saying. One last thing about the camcorder, I do not see if there is any benefit on buying it on Blu-Ray - as in not sure if there will be a major step up in quality. However, I only have a DVD player, so I cannot make a true comparison.
The DVD does have a special features section. Unbeknownst to me there was a fan competition where you could submit the filmmakers your own paranormal related short horror film. The winning entry of this competition and the runners-up, are available to watch in this section. Some of the films are very good and definitely worth a watch (especially the parody of the film “Normal Activity” - which is currently my favourite).
Overall, Paranormal Activity is worth a watch - it's a good horror movie made in a very short amount of time and on a small budget. At a paranormal enthusiast, it was a must buy for me but for those looking just for a good horror movie then Paranormal Activity is essential viewing, even if it's just worth a rent. Unless of course, you're scared...
92%
HM/Jason
www.ghostsandmore.info
Out now on DVD/Blu-Ray
Home camcorder style of shooting horror movies is becoming quite popular these days, with the success of the Blair Witch Project and Cloverfield inspiring more and more movies. The idea of using technology that is readily available to the majority of viewers and setting the scene in a place familiar to those viewers does well in adding a scary atmosphere to what is already a chilling horror movie.
Paranormal Activity is also one of these camcorder thrillers (albeit the camcorder is well out of my budget!). The film focuses on a young couple, Micah and Katie, you are experiencing strange events in their large American home. Katie appears to be the focus of all the activity and is quite rightly a little scared about it. Micah on the other hand believes that it is a whole load of nonsense and thinks all the weird activity that is happening is down to one of the kids on the street. This is why he buys a camcorder to catch them at it. Of course as the film progresses, Micah catches more of the events on the camera causing him to actually believe something paranormal is going on. As with anyone who is interested, he antagonises whatever is there to do more with the camera. The demonic spirit is more than happy to continue the haunting and the activity increases until the films dramatic climax. What happens then? Well you will have to see the film to find out!
As stated, the film has a lot of atmosphere due to the fact it is filmed in a real home and real camcorder. The film was originally made for a film festival of horror movies and the budget was very small. In fact, I believe it only took about a week to film all of the footage. The atmosphere is further created by the two actors that play Micah and Katie. They act just like a real couple and it is scary how good they are together. Adding further to the atmosphere, whenever any activity is about to happen, the filmmakers added a very low frequency rumble to their film. This subtle rumbling indicates to look out for something weird happening and because it's so low frequency, you can feel it in your chest, hopefully to help get the adrenaline flowing and make the scene a bit more scary!
The story is alright to follow; I didn't find it scary as I thought I would. Maybe that's down to me going on paranormal investigations and becoming desensitised to it all (I guess being sat alone in the cellar of a haunted mansion and being groped by unseen hands will do that to you!) Although I was desensitised to it, the friend I went to the cinema with when I watched the first time, jumped all the way through and struggled to sleep that night. It's one of these films that affect people in different ways.
The story has two endings, the theatrical ending (which was added when the demand for the film to be released in the cinema) and the real ending. The real ending is much more believable and a hell of a lot more creepy, whereas the theatrical ending is perfect in the cinema as it gives you that one last scare. As both endings are on the DVD/Blu-ray, watch the film with both of them and make up your mind on which one you prefer. Both endings lead onto the credits, which consists of a single slide. This was the part that messed with my head as pretty much the film stops. I'm not sure about anyone else, usually sit and watch the credits and use this time to make my mind up about the film. Without this closure time, you are left thinking, “was this real or just a film?”
One down point I would like to say about the film is the sound quality. This may be down to the equipment I am using at home to view it, but as the sound is being captured by the camcorder it may not be as clear as most movies. However this does give it a more authentic feel and you believe the events are actually happening. The main points I struggled with it when Micah spoke in his low voice and it caused my TV set to resonate, making me miss what he was saying. One last thing about the camcorder, I do not see if there is any benefit on buying it on Blu-Ray - as in not sure if there will be a major step up in quality. However, I only have a DVD player, so I cannot make a true comparison.
The DVD does have a special features section. Unbeknownst to me there was a fan competition where you could submit the filmmakers your own paranormal related short horror film. The winning entry of this competition and the runners-up, are available to watch in this section. Some of the films are very good and definitely worth a watch (especially the parody of the film “Normal Activity” - which is currently my favourite).
Overall, Paranormal Activity is worth a watch - it's a good horror movie made in a very short amount of time and on a small budget. At a paranormal enthusiast, it was a must buy for me but for those looking just for a good horror movie then Paranormal Activity is essential viewing, even if it's just worth a rent. Unless of course, you're scared...
92%
HM/Jason
www.ghostsandmore.info