Flippant is the word that we will retain of Paranormal Activity. Sailing on the success of its predecessors ([Rec], The Blair Witch Project, Cloverfield and Cannibal Holocaust, which, contrary to what many people think, invented the genre of the on-board camera and not Blair Witch) and leads us in the footsteps of a young couple tormented by a spirit more or less a prankster. It is in this atmosphere that begins Paranormal Activity.
From the outset one is in the mood, and this until the end. The crescendo of the tension is certainly predictable, but each of us will have the opportunity to jump at the slightest appearance of the spirit, which is what makes the charm of this kind of production : know exactly when and where the surprise is going to hit and be surprised, however, at every time, or almost.
Another positive aspect, producers, screenwriters and other members of the crew have understood an essential thing : in the genre, there are two types of films, those who decide to show everything (you can think of Massacre Has The Chainsaw, Friday the 13th…) or, on the contrary, decide to play on the not-seen, on the psychology of the viewer, who begins to imagine his own movie, the interpreter in its own way. This is the case of Paranormal Activity, since it sees absolutely nothing, except the lights that light up, doors slamming, sounds suspicious… there is Nothing palpable, tangible. It is alone to the eye of scrutiny of the camera.
![[critique] PARANORMAL ACTIVITY](http://penelopethemovie.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/critique-paranormal-activity-2.jpg)
As soon as one leaves the train in this adventure, and that one believes in it a little bit, Paranormal Activity is a total success that we will live a situation of permanent stress. The staging is very neat and the two protagonists of the film offer credibility to this story of mind that would lend to laugh more than anything else. Thus, each, or rather each couple will be able to find through them : the girlfriend who believes hard as iron and who is little by little beginning to lose patience with the boyfriend more down-to-earth that do not believe for a single second.
“Creepy is the word that we will retain of Paranormal Activity.”
Only downside in my eyes, the end is almost sloppy because it will be totally pumped on The Exorcist. More mysterious, more worked on would have deserved to be exploited to a stun that would have been total for the shot. Damage knowing the importance of purposes in horror films.
Nevertheless, Paranormal Activity offers us a spectacle keeping all his promises (the thrill, the anxiety, the tension, the bursts are at the rendez-vous, a show that happens once the light turned off, to taping the viewer to do the release at the last second.
This is all that we ask in this kind of movie !
• Production : Oren Peli
• Scenario : Oren Peli
• Main actors : Katie Featherston, Micah Sloat, Amber Armstrong
• Country of origin : United States
• Released : December 2, 2009
• Duration : 1h26mn
• Distributor : Wild Bunch Distribution
• Synopsis : A young couple suspect their home to be haunted by a demonic spirit. They decide to put in place a surveillance video during their sleep in order to record the events of the night of which they are the victims. The recovered images from September to October 2006 were mounted in a 86 minutes movie, “Paranormal Activity”.