The Chimes

Issue date: 10/15/09 Section: Entertainment

photo courtesy of flickr.com. In "Paranormal Activity," Katie (Katie Featherston) tries to convince Micah (Micah Sloat) that there is a nightly presence in the house that doesn't belong.

Nothing builds up a movie hype around Halloween like a night vision view of a terrified audience. But as the trailer comes to an end, you realize the film is only playing in select cities. It urges you to "demand" it comes to your town. What the hell, Paramount?

Paranormal Activity opened only two weeks ago for midnight screenings in 13 college towns nationwide. Ohio can thank Ohio State for bringing the hot new flick to Columbus theatres. The creepy trailer and limited release have sparked thousands to rush to the box offices, making Paranormal Activity an almost instant hit.

Since its release, over one million people from around the country have demanded that the film be released nationwide. This Friday, Oct. 16, Paramount Pictures will release the film across the country. Those who "demanded" the film on the website, paranormalmovie.com, will get alerted when the first tickets go on sale.

The 90-minute film was written, directed and edited by Oren Peli in his San Diego home for only $15,000. It was picked up by DreamWorks after premiering at Slamdance, a film festival in WHERE. Dreamworks originally intended to remake the film on a bigger budget, but when Paramount Pictures and Dreamworks split, Paramount took over the film. Paramount originally showed the movie for free with midnight screenings near universities; before they knew it, the film was a sensation.

But the big question, of course, is does the film actually live up to all the hype? Rottentomatoes.com gave the flick 7 out of ten tomatoes, with a general consensus that the movie "[uses] low-budget effects and mockumentary method to great result… [turning] a simple haunted house story into 90 minutes of relentless suspense."

Bloody-disgusting.com gives the film four of five skulls, saying that Paranormal Activity "managed to do something that almost no other haunted house movie in the past 25 years has managed to do: actually be scary."

Other film critics and movie review websites come to similar conclusions; mostly citing the films tremendous suspense and the Blair Witch Project-esque "realness."

However, like the Blair Witch Project, don't hold your breath for a beyond terrifying experience. Like any good horror movie, Paranormal Activity plays on fears any human being experiences; in this case things that bump and creak in the night.

This means that some people will be downright terrified as they relate to the characters and dread trying to fall asleep that night. It also means that some people will blow it off as sissy stuff, a movie that plays on the fears of three-year-olds who want mommy to look under the bed.

Overall, it may be difficult to decide if you will like the film. Your bestie may have seen it and thought it was lame, but they may not wake up in a panic at the sound of trees scraping the window. If you are this kind of person, Paranormal Activity may be the Halloween scare you're looking for.

By Anamarie Miller
Chief Copy Editor
amiller6@capital.edu

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