Paranormal Acitivity

A film which has terrified audiences and delighted Hollywood money-men with its "realistic", steady-cam approach and miniscule budget, initially had me as skeptical as Richard Dawkins flicking through the Book of Genesis. I wasn't a fan of the film's spiritual predecessor, The Blair Witch Project, with it's limp pace and lack of any true horror but it did introduce the new(ish) dimension of the home-movie-esque presentation which has been used to great effect in subsequent films such as Cloverfield, REC and to some extent Diary of the Dead.

It is this technique that is PA's greatest asset. Unlike the three students lost in the woods, PA puts the audience in a much more familiar environment for most of it's 92mins - that of a couple's bedroom. Such a setting toys with the very base of our hierarchy of needs and wants, that of sanctuary and evokes many an unsure moment from our childhood when things going bump in the night spun our imaginations out of control. This coupled with the now overly-familiar low-res shots witnessed in every reality tv show makes for an experience that is incredibly tangible, creating the suspension of disbelief that is required in all good horror films.

That is not to say it isn't without its flaws. The film lurches along for most of the first half. Proceedings do ramp-up significantly towards the end of the second act at which point the escalation of events either makes or breaks the suspense depending on your point of view. It certainly doesn't leave any questions unanswered! Which is all I'll say.

A rare example of a modern supernatural tale which doesn't ape a dozen others or resort to being a gore-filled nonsense, crafting the necessary tension and executing it's scares with a subtle touch.