Review: The country is buzzing with “Paranormal Activity”
by Cherlyn Gardner Strong on Sep. 25, 2009, under Ghosts and Hauntings, Life, Paranormal Films
"Paranormal Activity" Movie Poster
Last night’s advance screening of “Paranormal Activity” at El Con Cinema was horrifically fun. The screening was in advance of tonight’s midnight showing at El Con. The opportunity for me to attend the advance screening was made possible by txtMovieClub.
This film is unusual in many ways. The movie has released in stages via much hyped advance screenings in 13 cities across the country. Tonight, midnight showings will take place in those same 13 towns. These limited releases are intended to create a buzz for cities to ”Demand It” in a national competition via the movie’s website. The winning town will enjoy the “major” film release. The film was first shown in 2007 at the Screamfest Horror Film Festival. That same year, DreamWorks Studios took an interest in the film. At the time, Steven Spielberg took a DVD copy of the movie home, but returned it to the Studios in a trash bag after experiencing some paranormal activity of his own. A bedroom door in his home became inexplicably locked from the inside, requiring the aid of a locksmith to unlock it.
The ending of the film last night was not the original ending offered in the 2007 film festival. Knowing both endings, I personally think I would have preferred the 2007 version. I am wondering whether the major film release could present yet another alternate ending, to prevent spoilers. Maybe, maybe not. I can tell you that last night’s ending was pretty scary, even if it wasn’t my preferred choice.
The film depicts a segment of the lives of a normal, but fictional, San Diego couple who are experiencing paranormal phenomena. The actors share their first names with their characters Micah (Micah Sloat) and Katie (Katie Featherston), who have been together for three years. The movie begins with Micah shooting footage of the tormented Katie. We learn in these opening shots that Micah purchased the camera to document the paranormal activity which has followed Katie since she was 8 years old. Everything the audience sees is the “footage” captured by Micah. Yes, it is reminiscent of “The Blair Witch Project” in this respect. However, “Paranormal Activity” is a much better film.
The film’s promotional poster promises nightmares – which I did not have. It also “guarantees” that the film will “leave an imprint on your psyche”…It did that for me for about 2 hours. It did have me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I was entirely impressed by the comedy incorporated into the film alongside the terrifying moments. The realistic interaction and frequent banter between Micah and Katie was highly entertaining. You may be left with questions about the decision making skills of Micah and Katie. However, that’s what horror flicks are all about. The film builds up to a climax, much like the manner in which the movie studio is releasing the film to the public. If you have been waiting for a non-gory film that surprises and scares, this is it.
Catch it tonight at El Con’s CineMark Theater. The replaying of Micah’s “footage” will commence promptly at 12:01 am. Get there early, though.
The film is Rated R for language with a run time of 1 hour and 36 minutes.
September 25th, 2009 on 1:06 pm
I had nightmares last night and I was super sensitive to every single little sound after watching that movie.
September 25th, 2009 on 1:14 pm
No nightmares for me. I was up until 2:00am trying to get the internet to work. “Something” didn’t want me to write a review about it!
September 26th, 2009 on 10:17 am
Cherlyn, any theories or information about gender differences where interest in the paranormal is concerned? Interest in the paranormal seems to be a mostly female avocation.
September 26th, 2009 on 10:48 am
I’ve heard paranonormal activity…like poltergeist-type stuff is more associated with distressed adolescent females. Who knows if the girls are so stressed they see things or something is attracted to the negative energy…but maybe that causes them to believe more than males.
Cherlyn is my sister and we grew up in a house with four girls who fought a lot! So we all felt we had unusual stuff happen to us in that house, but who knows if it was just in our minds or what.
September 26th, 2009 on 11:01 am
I know there has been lots of research into the differences in the belief in the paranormal between women and men. I think that people interested in science and mathematics tend to be more skeptical. They want proof. There are more men than women in those fields. I found an article that reflects this. I like this blurb especially:
“Studies using intelligence tests in conjunction with belief in the paranormal have yielded mixed findings, with some failing to find a relationship (e.g., Wiseman & Watt, 2004) and others demonstrating higher IQ scores in believers than disbelievers (Jones, Russell, & Nickel, 1977). Otis and Alcock (1982) found that an individual’s level of skepticism is negatively related to superstitious beliefs and individuals in certain academic fields may possess a greater level of skepticism than others. Individuals from the natural sciences have been found to be more skeptical than individuals from the humanities, arts, and education, while individuals working in the arts and humanities tend to be relatively more superstitious than individuals in other academic fields (Happs, 1987; Otis & Alcock, 1982; Shermer, 1997). If we take into consideration how traditionally men dominate the fields of science and mathematics, women may be at a disadvantage when it comes to developing a ‘skeptical mindset’.”
Click here for the full article.
September 26th, 2009 on 11:24 am
Those darn bats! They should stay at home and work at home! Like Daddy should have…
September 26th, 2009 on 9:28 am
Can you tell us about bats?
Last evening, as dusk gave up its fight with night ( do you like that?), bats appeared over El Encanto while Red Star was manning the grill. One or two or three lingered and fed on insects, we assume. This is uncommon, but not rare hereabouts; certainly an enjoyable show of acrobatics and survival. Ah, to be a bat!
Why are bats associated with the paranormal? What can you tell us about bats and Paranormal Tucson?
September 26th, 2009 on 10:51 am
Nice writing Red Star. I’ll think about bats for a while and will get back to you.
September 26th, 2009 on 10:15 am
Speaking of bats, the colony living under the Campbell Ave bridge at River will soon be migrating south for the winter. This coming week may be your last chance to watch them take off for the evening. It’s fun, free and educational.
September 26th, 2009 on 11:11 am
Agree that bats are a total blast and vital players in the local ecology. They are are also undercovered by local news media, such as it is.
Perhaps it’s the irrational (read “paranormal” human baggage they have to carry…
September 26th, 2009 on 11:29 am
Nice job again, Red Star, you posted your comment at precisely 11:11 am…my favorite time of the day (of two, with 11:11 pm being my other favorite.) Read this while I think about bats some more.
In the meantime, I don’t have anything against bats. I don’t even associate them with vampires like most people do (due to Dracula). I just have a problem with those bats that become rabid. I hear rabies vaccinations are a terrible thing to endure. I actually like that they eat mosquitos because I don’t want West Nile Virus. So, they are okay with me in that respect.
I did find this on Wikipedia, which is interesting: “Bats are also a symbol of ghosts, death, and disease. Among some Native Americans, such as the Creek, Cherokee and Apache, the bat is a trickster spirit.”
September 26th, 2009 on 11:53 am
All things considered, you might try to hook up with Gannet’s Jonathan DuHamel, Economic Geologist, rather than Red Star…
September 26th, 2009 on 11:58 am
Only in your dreams, Red Star.
September 26th, 2009 on 12:30 pm
“Only in your dreams, Red Star”
But of course. It’s obvious the paranormal is your little Gannett schtick…
September 26th, 2009 on 1:06 pm
Yeah, “paranormal” is even in the blog title.
October 23rd, 2009 on 12:18 am
Thanks for mentioning txtMovieClub Cherlyn!
I was so happy that we were able to offer this exclusive screening in Tucson. Usually Phoenix gets all the screenings, so it was nice to see it work in reverse for a change.
October 23rd, 2009 on 11:28 am
txtMovieClub is great! I hope to enjoy many Tucson advance screenings in the future.