The Terminal Moment Is Here

Paranormal Activity

Directed by: Oren Peli
Starring: Katie Featherston // Micah Sloat
Running time: 86 min
Genre: Horror // Thriller

It’s been ten years since The Blair Witch Project was released in cinemas and it seems that ten years was ample time for audiences to once again fall in love with a ghost story within the guise of a mockumentary. It may seem odd to discuss The Blair Witch Project straight away but the similarities that Paranormal Activity has to it are too great to ignore; both are simple ghosts stories, both present themselves under the illusion of “found footage” and both fully take place completely through a handheld camera. That’s not to say that Paranormal Activity is just a cheap copy though and along the way it manages to offer a few tricks of its own.

Presented without a title card or credits Paranormal Activity follows the lives of Micah Sloat and Katie Featherston, a young couple from San Diego, who with camera in hand ,try to find out what’s been making weird noises in their house at night. Katie is convinced that a spirit has been haunting her since childhood and has grown restless since moving in with fiance Micah, while cynical Micah is convinced that neighborhood children have been playing pranks on them. As the title suggests, there is something “paranormal” going on and as the nights progress and the incidents (which I will not explain in detail or spoil) grow in scale, it becomes clear that maybe some things are better left alone.

Paranormal Activity got a lot of praise earlier in the year for its effectiveness with a low budget and, with the $15,000 available to him, director Oren Peli gets more than his money’s worth: with lead actors Micah and Katie taking up 99% of the film’s brief 86 minute run time both are believable if not always likable, and while the film has scares to fall back, on without the great chemistry of the two leads would mean nothing. The scares themselves, and to a greater extent, the effects are a breath of fresh air to modern horror, relying on subtle noises and the audiences personal fears rather than blood and gore to create tension and fear. And first-time director Peli certainly knows how to create tension.

Although he directs, Peli doesn’t control the camera: at night time, the camera has a fixed view of the room, while during the day Micah and Katie take turns to wield the camera. It manages to remain tense throughout, with a growing sense of dread during the day as the couple prepare for the night ahead, consulting websites and local psychics for an answer to their problem until the darkness invades their home. As the film progresses, the presence that is haunting them begins to prevaid every aspect of their lives and it’s a sensation that can even be felt in the cinema. Some of the scares may appear cheesy but remain effective even to the final scene.

With a refreshing take on the haunted house story and some simple but ingenious scares Paranormal Activity is a master class in atmosphere. Fans of the “gore porn” genre may find themselves getting restless but those willing to give themselves over to the film will find themselves more scared of a night time shadow than they have been by any masked killer.