Paranormal Activity (2007)

Director: Oren Peli
Starring: Katie Featherston, Micah Sloat, Mark Fredrichs

Synopsis:
The boyfriend of a woman who believes that she has had encounters with the supernatural starts recording their daily lives in attempt to find evidence to prove it.

Impressions:
I remember this movie getting quite a bit of buzz at a time when the ghost craze was reaching its zenith. As I never had much interest in said craze, I didn't feel any burning need to see this and probably never would have if not for me doing a theme week. It's basically a found footage movie leveraging a cast of unknowns to better sell the naturalistic feel. This could easily pass for one of those ghost reality shows, which either speaks to the sense of realism to the film or to the staging of the reality shows. If you're wanting more of a conventional scary movie, this may feel too amateurish and boring, but if you're one of those people who can spend hours watching ghost hunter shows, then this will probably be right up your alley. I appreciate it for what it is, but it's really not my cup of tea, and unless you're on board for the experience being offered here, I don't think the payoffs will be enough to make the experience worthwhile. With that in mind, take it or leave it.

Rating:
50/50