Paranormal Activity 2

There is a wide controversy on whether not ghosts exist in our daily lives. In fact an entire franchise of entertainment can be centered around spirits interacting with the living. “The Sixth Sense”, “Ghostbusters”, “Field of Dreams”, “The Shining”, this list continues on for a while. However, what if someone set up a video camera and actually caught real evidence of the paranormal? That was how the 2009 film “Paranormal Activity” was conceived, and now a year later the sequel continues on the viral video.

“Paranormal Activity 2” is not actually a sequel but a prequel set only a few weeks before, where Katie from the first movie is staying with her family. They are a nice and really harmless bunch of people, but as expected there are late night disturbances in the house which appear to be a burglary. So with the safety of the house in mind, including a baby and a German Sheppard, several surveillance camcorders are set up to catch evidence of the break ins. Instead what they discover is more frightening than they would have ever guessed.

Now having seen the first in theaters with a full house, it was really fun to watch everybody squirm and get inpatient with the long breaks in between the action. Then suddenly a few loud bumps hit through the auditorium speakers, and something would happen to make everyone freak out. This is really the appeal of both films that you have no idea what is going to happen next. The unseen demon is lurking somewhere but we can’t predict when it will strike or just how vicious it will be. The sad part is that since this beat out “Saw 6” at the box office last Halloween, it’s no longer a snuff video. People realize that this sequel has been made in Hollywood and can’t pass for real anymore. Like “The Blair Witch Project” before it, “PA2” involves ordinary people who try to find ghosts that are mean and deadly.

My biggest complaint for this prequel is that it tries to weave a convoluted story around a household, and then uses most of the same gags from the first movie. Doors slamming shut on their own, people dragged over the floor by something invisible, creepy Ouija boards, demonic possession, and eventually murder. In fact early on a weak reference to “The Exorcist” is made when a nanny brings a crucifix to the house for its protection. Believe it or not, it was Steven Spielberg who first saw this when it was a viral video and personally financed it for theatrical distribution.

“PA2” is a step down in terms of believability, shock, and scares all around. Oh you’ll jump when all the cupboards blast open suddenly, the baby is dragged down into the basement, and especially with the money-shot head breaking near the end. However, you can probably skip this and have more fun watching an episode of “Ghost Hunters” .

1. Paranormal Activity 3 | Effing Bored wrote:

   October 29, 2011 at 12:02 pm

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