This weekend, the marketing phenomenon known as Paranormal Activity blossomed on to 159 total screens in 44 cities. It grossed a little over $7MM, or, if you’re the kind of person that doesn’t want to do the math…approx three times its budget on EACH SCREEN IT PLAYED ON.
To be honest, this is more a function of brilliant grass roots marketing than anything else. I’d never even heard of it before I started researching information for the launch of this site a couple weeks ago. I immediately was sucked in by the hype and was absolutely thrilled to see it was going to be shown here in Kansas City this weekend.
So, the big question here is…did it disappoint, or did it meet expectations?
To get the big bogey off the radar – no, it wasn’t a life changing experience that left me shivering under the covers or jumping out of my seat. Yes, the scariest scenes were in the trailers. No, no one in my theater jumped out of their seats, screamed, or vomited in the isles.
Ok – now that we’ve killed the hype, what exactly was it? Is it an instant classic? Well, that depends on what you’re looking for. I’m trying really hard to avoid drawing paralells to The Blair Witch Project – both because it’s too easy, and I really didn’t like the movie for anything other than it’s marketing plan (which was also similar).
It was sharp, it was smart – and the acting was really, really good. Not really, really good in that De Niro/DiCaprio way of taking on a different character, but really, really good in that “These are real people” way. The scariest part of the whole movie is that you’re sucked in to the point it doesn’t feel like you’re watching a movie. There is a distinct difference in the fear that projects off screen when the blonde movie star is being stalked by a killer in the woods – and the fear that reverberates through the audience when Katie and Micah hear something running up their stairs.
Yes – it was a basic haunted house flick. And, perhaps it’s coming at a time where everyone is either in a paranormal research reality TV show or watching one, so it resonates a little bit more. Maybe it’s the shaky camera work or the fact it really felt like a couple taping stuff on their own – but you walked out of this moving truly feeling like this could (or even does happen).
And that my friends is what sets this apart. This movie builds tension in a believable scenario to the point where you are completely exhausted. It starts, it builds, and it does not let up. It’s like being beaten for an hour and forty minutes – and that’s with really only a few scares thrown in there. I think that says something about the masterful work of Oren Peli.
Lastly, unlike the slasher flick or the mind-warping thriller…this movie will hang around with you for a couple days. When you don’t view the people in the movies as characters, it tends to make a deeper mark on you. I’ve never found myself researching hockey-mask-wearing-killers after a Friday the 13th marathon, but I was definitely reading about hauntings more deeply in the 36 or so hours following watching this movie.
Final Verdict – this is a must see. It will likely break into my top 5 when it’s all said and done. I would strongly urge you to see it in the theaters though – as the effect will likely be lessened by watching at home.
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