Paranormal Activity (Bob says 2 out of 2)

1. Did I enjoy it? YES
This movie will actually scare you. Most horror movies provide one or two jumps for its audience if they're halfway decent, but rarely do I see a film like this where I'm disturbed, engaged with the movie's suspense, and genuinely uneasy even a few hours after the movie's over. It's that good. Roger Ebert correctly points out that horror films need not rely on quick cuts to create their desired effect. This movie relies on long shots and no music, definitely separating it from the pack. Stylewise, it's in the same vein as the Blair Witch Project, with the main character documenting the enfolding events using his own camera. But this movie is creepier than Blair Witch in my opinion. The movie follows a couple that records their investigation of a possible paranormal presence in their house. Katie, a student hoping to go into teaching, claims that this presence has been haunting her since she was a child, moving from house to house as she does. Micah, her boyfriend, seems more excited by the chance to capture the events on film than to truly be concerned about his girlfriend or the seriousness of the danger. I felt his character was a little one dimensional in that way, playing the part that many horror films have of a naive idiot who does exactly the opposite of what he should do. But that is forgiveable because the primary objective of a horror movie is to scare its audience, and boy does it succeed.

2. Would I watch it again? YES
This film debued at the Screamfest Film Festival in 2007, and it apparently had a different ending than the one I saw in the theater for its nationwide release. I look forward to watching it on DVD with its two other endings promised by its director to be included. Horror films seem to be the creepiest when they take place in our own backyard. Better yet, in our house. In our bedroom while we sleep.