Indie horror flick Paranormal Activity, made on an incredibly tiny $11,000 budget and hyped with clever guerrilla marketing, has been written off by some as a clone of The Blair Witch Project.
The charge might seem apt at first: Both films take a faux documentary approach to their chilling stories, and both benefited from creative internet marketing. But don’t let the comparisons deter you. The growing buzz surrounding Paranormal Activity — which has gone from Slamdance film fest fave, to midnight screenings, to a 40-city release this weekend — is warranted. Paramount Pictures made a wise investment when it acquired the movie, which was made in 2007 but is ramping up to become a sleeper hit.
Helmed by first-time director Oren Peli, Paranormal Activity hinges on the simplest of premises and the most basic of childhood fears: There is a monster in your bedroom. In an attempt to figure out why they are hearing whispering voices and other odd sounds at night, young San Diego couple Katie (played by Katie Featherston) and Micah (Micah Sloat) decide to record the strange occurrences that are taking place as they sleep.
(Spoiler alert: Minor plot points follow.)
What makes the R-rated Paranormal Activity more compelling than, say, an episode of Ghost Hunters or even 1999’s Blair Witch horror blockbuster is how engrossing the young couple’s predicament is and how believable the horror-house shocks actually are. Katie and Micah are not venturing into mysterious, unknown territory or making bad choices. They are a normal suburban couple who wind up staring down something horrifying.
We quickly discover that guttural breathing and hovering masses have been haunting Katie’s bedside — her personal space — since she was 8 years old.
While Katie’s descriptions of her past troubles and her current plight might prove boring for fans of the grotesque excesses favored by many modern horror directors, they will be refreshing for fans of old-school ghost tales. Both Featherston and Sloat do an admirable job with a limited script and concept. Their reactions, concern and, most importantly, fear come across as completely genuine.
The recurring time-coded bedtime sequences make this movie stand out as something special. Unlike other mockumentary films, the shots in Paranormal Activity are agonizingly long and uncomfortable. Many times the camera remains completely still and, in reality, not that much happens. However, at the screening Wired.com attended, this did not prevent audience members from squealing and screaming to beat hell.
Director Peli has done what many considered impossible in a post-Blair Witch world. His cut-rate film is highly successful in both thought and execution: The film is scoreless, the editing is tight and the no-name actors are believable. The noises that fill the couple’s horrifying nights get under your skin, and the possibility of what might happen stirs your brain.
Throughout Paranormal Activity’s 90-minute run time, you’ll experience a low-budget thrill ride that can only be described as exhausting and terrifying.
Photo courtesy Paramount Pictures
WIRED Tight editing and ghostly effects create genuinely chilling experience.
TIRED Jump-out scares? Really?
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