Paranormal Activity 1 & 2

So by now we've all heard of Micah and Katie and their dangerous romp with the paranormal; ending in her possession and his untimely death...
Well, if you haven't heard these names, you're sure to have heard of the $11,000 dollar miracle that was Paranormal Activity. An independent film directed by Oren Peli- and gained recognition at the Slamdance Film Festival. After a limited opening, Paramount bought the rights for $350K- a great investment if I might say so; the film turned out nearly 200 million dollars world wide.
Everyone loves an under dog- this movie that cost almost nothing to make, scared the pants off of millions of Americans in 2009. I should know, I was one of them. The movie was under limited release when I drove an hour from my home to see it with friend it. It's presented in the 'found footage' style- from the view finder of a home cam-corder, supposedly after the demise of the camera operator. The granddaddy of found footage film would be the Blair witch project. From 2008-2010, they were prolific: Quarantine (08), Cloverfield (08), Paranormal Activity 1 (09), Paranormal Activity 2 (10), and The Last Exorcism (10). If you've never been a witness to this film style before- your first experience with it is what makes it special- although it can also have the unfortunate side affect of making you nauseous. An upside to the Paranormal Activity films, is that for most of the movie, the cameras are stationary: be it on tri-pods or as recorded security camera footage.
Back to Micah and Katie- in the first film, the poltergeist activity in their California home ranges from doors opening and closing to heavy foot steps, to Katie being dragged out of bed by an invisible force. Before the film even starts, writers incorporate a 'thank you to the families of the deceased' into the preliminary credits- which gets you thinking... could this be real? And the answer is... of course not. As I mentioned before, I saw it just as it was coming out- and little was known about it. None of my friends had written on their facebook walls about 'that fake paranormal movie' yet- so naturally, not having done any preliminary research on the movie- and dreaming that parts of it may actually have been real, left me leaving my nightlight on. However, a brief frolic on IMDB.com revealed that it was entirely fictitious- and put my simple mind at ease.
It didn't take long for the movie's success to sky rocket and for the Internet to begin buzzing with movie goers questioning the movie's authenticity- which in the end left them questioning the possibility of the paranormal :) Good job Oren. Way to shake up the ant farm.
If you haven't already seen paranormal activity 1- I would recommend it.... maybe with the lights on. There is some strong language- but everything else, even the terror elements are pretty tame. I'd say it's safe for the 13 and up posse.

As for Paranormal Activity 2- which made it's dvd release this week, my hopes weren't high for the sequel of a movie who's prime buzz was the question of, 'could it be real?' Well... obviously, if there are sequels coming out of the woodwork- and questions of the legitimate nature of this found footage is quashed pretty quickly.
Still, in the preliminary credits there was the same 'thanks to the families of the deceased'. Which I thought was a tacky, and ominous sign of what the next hour and a half would bring.
The movie itself begins with the birth of baby hunter to Katie's sister, Christy and her husband- which is captured on hand-cam. After the family home is trashed (later chocked up to poltergeist activity), they install a thorough security system- including cameras in every room. The action is slow for the first fifty minutes or so- low rumbling noises, creaky floors- the Spanish nanny, Marteen,  senses evil and begins burning herbs in the home to send away bad spirits.... this presence seemed to be more of a wall flower than the door slamming, Katie- grabbing demon of the first Paranormal movie. I longed for a door to slam- or the tv to turn on by itself... anything. Very abruptly (and right as I was about to get up for popcorn) the action begins- cabinets fly open, the baby levitates, the family dog goes into convulsions- its non-stop from there. So if you like fast paced ghost movies, you can start the movie at around 58 minutes in... you won't miss much important.
I was feeling full and content with what I thought was the end of the movie- Christy has over come her possession, and remembers nothing. Katie, comes over for a visit and claims that the paranormal activity has only begun at her and Micah's house. *for those of you confused with the timeline- these tapes (P.A. 2) supposedly takes place two months before the first movie- so it's actually a prequel. That would have been the perfect place to end it- very classy. However, someone- who should probably be demoted- decided to throw in a little zest at the end- and have a possessed Katie storm her sister's house, bloodied from killing Micah, and finish off Christy and the husband, and make off with baby Hunter, who is never seen again. The end.

There was also a really akward, badly sewn plot strand that seemed to imply that the demon haunting the house was there to claim the first male to be born to Katie and Christy's family in a century.... like I said- badly done. I would have sooner believed that the house was built on Jimmy Hoffa's burial plot than to think that this demon was there to collect the male infant's soul. Who was the demon, Rumplestiltskin?
After Christy wakes up from her possession, there's reasonably good action that brought back out my nightlight.... after that- well, I prefer to think that it just ends there.
Did I mention that they're making a third one? should be interesting.... coming 2011- and look who's in it yet again.... Katie. I wonder how they'll finagle the timeline this time.