Rating
5.0

Paranormal Activity is rated R, though there isn’t any real reason why. Yes, there is a certain expletive uttered once — perhaps twice — during the film’s entire running time. But other than that, there is no excessive blood or gore, no nudity of any kind, no reason for the movie to have an R rating. Nothing, of course, except that the movie is scarier than hell.

Yeah, that could be why Paranormal Activity gets an R rating.

In the same vein as The Blair Witch Project, the film has no opening or closing credits, instead simply offering the viewer a small note at the start thanking the families of those on screen. The footage begins to roll home movie-style, and we learn that the main characters, Micah (Micah Sloat) and Katie (Katie Featherston), are a young couple who have recently been experiencing strange paranormal activity while they sleep.

Micah is the one who decides to videotape the events and is the cameraman most of the time. Whether this footage is for proof, monetary gains or sheer posterity is never fully explained, but it’s a reason for us to see what is happening to these rather unfortunate people.

Most of the “action” occurs while the couple is in bed and asleep. The camera sits on a tripod for long stretches of time while the audience observes what happens at night. These events are hinted at in the film’s advertisements, and I certainly won’t be spoiling them here.

In most reviews, it is appropriate to go into some detail as to what a viewer has in store, but doing so in this case would rob audiences of an opportunity to actually be surprised and engrossed by the brilliance at work here. I’m not merely recommending Paranormal Activity; I’m insisting you go see it if you are interested in actually being scared. If you just want to know what happens, go to Wikipedia and be that guy (you know who you are).

Paranormal Activity is written and directed by Oren Peli and was made on a budget of $15,000. The development of the characters and the simplicity of their plight is what makes the movie scary. This is the type of flick that is designed to look like a home-movie, carrying with it a certain degree of realism because the special effects simply don’t look like special effects — this stuff looks real.

Last year’s Cloverfield and Quarantine were two other examples of the home-horror movie phenomenon. They are good, but not great; they can be spooky, but never downright terrifying. Those who think they are haven’t seen movies like this. There is a certain perfection in the simplicity of movies like Paranormal Activity and The Blair Witch Project, in which atmosphere, performances and sound effects are used to their utmost effect to shake audiences to their very core.

Some will disagree with me, saying Paranormal Activity isn’t scary in the least. Maybe what scares people is entirely arbitrary, or maybe these folks need blood and gore to feel “fear.” In that case, go see Saw XXVII.

All I can say is I was freaked, and my girlfriend balled her eyes out. Ours was a midnight showing, and we didn’t get to bed until around 3:30 a.m. because she was completely wigged. If that isn’t an endorsement for a horror film, I don’t know what is.