Paranormal Activity

Now, I'm getting the impression that this movie inspired one of two things in people: boredom or fear, and I experienced the latter.

I enjoyed this movie. Did anyone else? That's why I'm posting it in Antidotes. Feel free to debate the Antidote status in the thread.

So... to be honest, I found the fucking scariest parts to be the shots of them in bed, with the camera speeding past, and they're just sleeping, and I was sitting there, waiting for something to happen, waiting for the clock to halt so I could see something eerie occur. Those were the points I had my head buried in bf's arms. I'm actually still pretty damn creeped out, and boyfriend is snoring next to me while the TV is blasting.

Oh, and the bit where

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So... anyone?

InkWeaver wrote:

Oh, and the bit where

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That was the only part that really made me jump.

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I saw Paranormal Activity the first night it came out, and I had no clue what the movie was about when I went. Honestly, I didn't think it was that scary and a waste of time. Then again, I have high standards when it comes to scary movies, so ymmv.

Also, I laughed at

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I want to see this movie! I get the feeling it'll never be shown in my area though, because nobody really cares about rural Australia. ;_;

Actually, Raine, this movie would be great to watch at home. It's got that very claustrophobic, average joe, this-could-be-my-and-this-could-be-my-house feel to it.

InkWeaver wrote:

Actually, Raine, this movie would be great to watch at home. It's got that very claustrophobic, average joe, this-could-be-my-and-this-could-be-my-house feel to it.

Well, that sounds pretty good then. I can only hope they bring it out on DVD here at some stage. :D

I just saw the movie and I'm very glad that the audience was nice and loud with their gasps and screams. I tend to get really INTO movies, and I'd have been so freaked out otherwise. The part where

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still got me. I was so not expecting that.

Also the

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I wish I hadn't seen the trailers so that I wouldn't have known about the doors slamming (though I'd have guessed that was going to happen) and thing with the sheets.

Was anyone else really surprised by the ending?

Mixed feelings about this one. I wasn't scared by it at all, but I can't deny it got me worked up and tense. It seemed like a lot of build up for such little payoff, though.

At least it held my attention the whole time and the characters were more believable and less douchey (yes, even the boyfriend) than most horror movie protagonists.

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I agree. I think because the boyfriend's actions actually made sense, even when they were stupid. As opposed to the usual horror movie boyfriend/husband/disbeliever type who seems to (or does) suddenly lose their fucking minds.

One of my students saw this and told me she couldn't sleep after seeing it, she was so scared. She felt like a retard when I gently pointed out that it wasn't actually real.

She thought it was REAL?!

rae wrote:

She thought it was REAL?!

So did my friend. Stupid people exist. News at 11.

Lol, be prepared for a total tl;dr because I love discussing movies just a bit too much. Especially horror movies. You've been warned.

So, last night my suitemate downloaded the original version of this film (different ending from the theaters), and we set up her laptop in the living room, hooked up some speakers to it, turned off all the lights, and watched it.

Jesus Christ.

I was deeply impressed by this film. It was impeccably researched/directed and the acting from the two main characters was outstanding. I've heard a few people whine that they thought the acting sucked. I think it's a matter of taste. As in if you thought it sucked you have none. The chemistry between the couple was very believable and all the dialogue/behavior was refreshingly natural. One thing in particular that I remember as being hilariously believable was the scene where

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The dynamic between the couple was so realistic and unforced. I like that we didn't just see them when scary shit is happening. We saw these people eat, cuddle, read, exercise, banter playfully with each other. We really got to know them and sympathize with them. I also liked the humorous parts of the film. The jokes and comments made by the two main characters didn't ever come across as forced ba-dum-CHHH sort of jokes. It just seemed like two naturally funny people playing off one another.

However, what impressed me most about this film was its suspense-building and restraint. So often in American horror films they have to have shit jumping out all over the place, or at least 15 minutes into the movie somebody has to be gorily murdered, or they have to show the Big Bad Monster so we can see what it looks like. This film did an excellent job slowly and believably allowing the situation to escalate.

I thought the ending was perfect. I know many people were probably expecting some in-your-face snorefest where the demon rips them apart limb by limb in front of the camera, but anything like that would have cheapened this so much. I'm sick of those kinds of movies. More of this, please.

I also like that the characters behaved in completely believable ways:

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What impresses me even more than the film is the fact that the man who directed it has never directed a film before. He doesn't even have any formal film training. The whole thing takes place in his own home, which he redecorated to suit the purposes of the film. He found his actors by posting ads on Craigslist. With $15,000, a handheld camera, two actors for Craigslist, and no formal training, this man shot Paranormal Activity within the span of a week. I was utterly gobsmacked when I researched the film and found that out.

SUMMARY OF NOVEL-POST FOR THOSE TOO LAZY TO READ: I highly recommend it.

Well, dammit, Narwhal, now I'm going to have to see it.

Where can I get the version that you watched? I saw it in theaters and would like to see the original.