Why do people stay in houses that scream “Get out!”? This is a question that has plagued me for years! I guess, in Micah and Katie’s case, the answer is that leaving the house wouldn’t really make a difference. Is that good enough of an answer? Not really.

We never really get to see the outside world and to be honest, it comes across more of an excuse designed for the audience to accept than an actual reason. Then again, in the film’s defense, only one film has given me a more than suitable (and relatable) excuse for staying in a haunted setting: Poltergeist.

Paranormal Activity is being hailed as “the scariest movie since The Exorcist” and the advertisements are filled with loud screams coming from ecstatic audience members. There are a few genuine creepy moments, but unless you are a 14 year old girl, I don’t see anybody losing sleep over this, for the most part, uneventful film.

I hope it doesn’t sound like I appalled this film. On the contrary, I liked it. There were a few moments that gave me chills in my spine that were more than enough to top any of the American horror films of later years. As a scary movie, it just does not deliver enough chills to make a ruckus over. The last few moments work very well. It’s the build up that falls short of expectations. As a general rule, if there is to be any time for the audience to feel safe, it should be within the first ten minutes. After the first 25 minutes, I finally came to the conclusion that my wits were in no danger.

It’s the Ouija board’s fault! Once pyrotechnics got involved, I found myself looking forward to shadows moving in the background and objects or even ghostly images appearing in the background for the eye to discover. But, as you can tell, it was too good to be true. If there were only a lot more thrown at us. If whispers could be randomly heard at nonchalant moments or if there were more things happening every night or even if there more shocks during the day, the product could have been a truly relentless and creepy film, instead of just a lightly scary film.

As far as Katie and Micah go, they came across as naturally flawed human beings. Nothing in this movie felt staged. Paranormal Activity comes across perfectly as a plausible video diary of a frightened couple dealing with a malevolent spirit. That is, if you believe in such things.

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