About this time last year I saw a movie that was nothing short of mind-blowing. It is currently listed as the film with the highest return-on-investment ratio in the history of film, and is one of my favorite horror movies of all time. I'm talking about Paranormal Activity.
I first saw the trailer for Paranormal Activity online in mid-2009. I was immediately fascinated by the premise and the simplicity of the trailer. Basically, here's an audience, here's some freaky stuff, and here's the audience screaming.
Let's ignore the fact that I actually believe in the paranormal, i.e. ghosts, aliens, Bigfoot, etc. I was so interested in this film purely from the standpoint of a film-nerd. The film was shot entirely with a handheld camcorder, very similar in fact to the one I currently own. Special effects were kept to an extreme minimum, the cast size was less than five people, and the camera was a part of the film. The characters addressed it and it became the eye through which we viewed Micah's and Katie's collective experience. This was the rawest and simplest a film could get. One of the things that makes a film great is its ability to capture raw emotion. Regardless of the fact that this movie is not a documentary, the camera brilliantly captures all the emotion and all the freakiness of the events that unfold.
Forget gore. And startling the audience with sound is so played out and trite. Suspense is where you scare the living daylights out of people. The fear of not knowing is the fear that gets a hold of you the most and doesn't let go. That's why Paranormal Activity had such a great scare factor. Most of the scares were visual, and the only non-diegetic sound in the whole film was the low rumble one would hear right before something was going to happen, or not happen haha. It played with your head, didn't always deliver, and thus putting you more on edge. Adding to your edginess, the long takes that make up the film make you anxious and slightly hopeful that something crazy would happen next. Our attention spans have shortened so much due to modern society, just staring at a 30 second segment of a stagnant bedroom makes us so comfortable, augmenting the film's effect on you. I could break down each individual freaky event that happened throughout the film, but I don't feel like writing a novel today.
I love minimalist movies, especially when their done well. Video as a medium, instead of film, provides a sense of realism that, I feel, film is often unable to do. Films like Spike Lee's Bamboozled (2000), Cloverfield (2008), and what could be called the "predecessor" to PA and PA2, The Blair Witch Project (1999), are some of the most famous examples of the medium making the movie feel as real as possible, borderline documentary. I could write a whole other post on The Blair Witch Project, but I won't go there. The bottom line is, Paranormal Activity fascinated me so because of its realism or portrayal of realism. The singular lens was the eye through which we witnessed and became involved in the lives of the characters, and got ourselves a little freaked out.
And now...for me to share my disappointment: Paranormal Activity 2. (SPOILERS)
I was so in love with the first film, when I heard a sequel was coming, I cringed. I've never been a huge fan of sequels, and not many people are because they never seem to live up to the expectations established by the first installment. I'm sure there are a few exceptions to this rule, but regardless I was not happy to find out there'd be PA2. However, I consider myself an open minded person, so I figured I'd check out the trailer. The original trailer (above) didn't pique my interest as much, although I admitted I wanted to see more. More and more updated trailers came out, revealing more and more footage, and it didn't look too bad. But after learning that Paramount was actually budgeting the money for the project, I was extremely hesitant. What I loved about the first PA was its minimalism, lack of a professional Hollywood budget, thus my instinct was to not go and see this film.
But peer pressure's a bitch, so after being coerced into going to see it by the same people I saw the first movie with, I prepared myself mentally by wiping all expectations and hopes of what the film would be so I could focus on what the film was. And it was disappointing.
Now for the majority of the movie, I was into it. There were some great funny parts, which is always appreciated to lighten the mood of an otherwise extremely dark film. There are a few amazing paranormal happenings; bravo to whoever came up with the cabinets idea. This film even tied into the first one, both taking place around the same time and having a common link with Kristi and Katie from the original PA being sisters. And adding a dog and a toddler to the mix of characters was new and exciting. But ultimately, it was lack of originality and a God-awful ending that made me glad I used a gift card to buy my ticket and didn't waste $10 at the box office.
As I mentioned before, I was with the movie for the entire ordeal, never shying away from the screen unless it was to shake the last delicious Junior Mint out of its prison box. This sequel/prequel kept my attention which was good. There's nothing I hate more than being bored in a movie theatre. I jumped at a few noises, got excited over the dragging scene, and got uncomfortable during the nightvision basement fiasco, but when it was all over, I thought back to what I had just watched and realized, it really wasn't that great. Basically, it was the original with significant financial backing. PA2 was PA's richer cousin. Since they were almost the same, I felt I could've gone without seeing this second installment. I feel the same way about The Office and Parks & Recreation. One is just like the other, so if I've seen one, I've seen them both. So why would I watch both?
PA2 had many of the same scares as the first one with a few additions that could've been done without. The extended dragging scene was decent, but to lead to the basement was just unoriginal. A horror story in the basement? No way! I know, but it's been done. The whole nightvision gimmick had Hollywood's prints all over it. It was one of a few moments in the film where you could see it coming. Predictability is something that Hollywood horror needs to get away from, and is having a difficult time doing so. I'll give credit to director Tod Williams, he catered well to America's collective short attention span and broke up the long takes between six different cameras rather than just one. Smart for the masses, but it takes away from the original effect of the first installment. But once again, I'll acknowledge my appreciation for the cabinet scene. That was my favorite scene in the entire 90 minutes. I challenge you not to jump or say "Holy shit." However, the ending was lackluster and seemed like a desperate attempt on the writers' part to wrap it all up. Way less intense and climactic than the original, and upon the final summarizing text, the audience let out a groan of disappointment.
I know not many people will agree with me on the fact that Paranormal Activity is the better of the two, but I stand by my decision. Money doesn't make movies better. It's the application of that money that will ultimately affect the quality of the production, and in this case, the Hollywood budget did not add too much to the scare factor of the picture. The original film was shot on a $15,000 budget. Micah and Katie were each paid $500 to act in the film. Screw big budget movies and cheesy special effects. Paranormal Activity grossed over $100 million dollars, setting the R.O.I. record with 434,000%. If you stack the parent film against its offspring, in this instance the former surpasses the latter in terms of originality, tension, and affect on the audience.
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