Paranormal Activity 3

Horrorphile

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Paranormal Activity 3

October 26th 2011 02:14

A budget of $US15,000 for Oren Peli’s indie hit Paranormal Activity (2007), then Paramount funds the sequel; $US2,750,00 for Tod Williams’ Paranormal Activity 2 (2010), and now they double that budget; $US5,000,000 for Henry Joost and Ariel Shulman’s Paranormal Activity 3 (2011). That’s Hollywood inflation for you. The irony being, the third movie, which is another prequel, is arguably the best of the three. Paranormal Activity 3 deals with the origin of the poltergeist that has plagued Katie (Katie Featherston) since she was a young girl. It is set mostly in 1988 and explains the malevolent nature of her haunting which is grounded in dark mysticism.

The sisters asleep in a shot not used in the movie

The opening scenes are set in 2005, a few years before the events of the first movie. We see Katie visiting her younger sister Kirsti (Sprague Grayden), who is pregnant (with Hunter who features in the second movie), and has just moved into the suburb of Carlsbad with her husband. Katie drops off a box of VHS tapes for storage. From the labels they appear to be home movies of the sisters as children. A jump to a year later and Kristi’s house has apparently been burglarized, and the box of tapes has been stolen. This is roughly the same scene that opens the second movie that depicts events leading up to the first movie.

Paranormal Activity 3 Christopher Nicholas Smith

Christopher Nicholas Smith as Dennis

Now we jump back in time to 1988 with young Kristi and Katie’s family. Their mum, Julie (Lauren Bittner) has a new boyfriend, Dennis (Christopher Nicholas Smith), who has an editing suite in the garage for his wedding video business. Soon enough there are things going bump in the night, so curious Dennis utilises his gear and sets up a camera in the girls’ upstairs bedroom and another in the master bedroom. The cameras record some freaky shit. Julie isn’t as impressed with the paranormal activity as Dennis and his mate Randy (Dustin Ingram) are, but eventually she sees the light … or should I say, the dark.

Lauren Bittner as Julie

Essentially there’s nothing new here, it’s the same “found footage” deal as the previous two movies, but somehow the ante has risen. Part of this is due to the anticipation the audience has, especially when the sub-title comes up saying “The first night …” But there is also an added level of suspense as the audience is expecting the intensity to be higher, as this is now the third movie and we know producers will insist on bigger scares and more potent shocks. The movie doesn’t disappoint. But, take that with a grain of salt. One person’s palpable atmosphere of fear is another’s yawnfest. I really dig these movies, but many people simply don’t find them effective at all.

Performances are particularly solid, especially the two young girls, but also Lauren Bittner as skeptical Julie. The special effects are impressive and there are some genuinely startling moments. I can’t help but wonder if these movies will age gracefully and retain their potency like Tobe Hooper’s Poltergeist (1982), oh, and there's a great reference to that movie in one scene? While not as broadly appealing as Poltergeist, they are still excellent ghost movies. But at the end of the day you either like the lo-fi style or you don’t.

Paranormal Activity 3 Jessica Tyler Brown and Chloe Csengery

Chloe Csengery as young Kristi and Jessica Tyler Brown as young Kristi in another shot missing from the final movie

My problem with all the movies, and this gripe extends to other movies where characters are filming/videoing crazy scary incidents, such as The Blair Witch Project (1999), is that I simply don’t believe anyone would have the concentration to continue holding a video camera and record the events when they are being terrorised. I know the answer, but it still bugs me. There were a few instances in Paranormal Activity 3 that stood out like a sore thumb; Dennis watching playback of some of the weird shit on tape and grabbing Randy’s attention, and he’s got a camera set up recording the whole scene. There is no reason he’d be taping himself, yet it’s plainly obvious the movie’s narrative demands this, and so the recording is contrived, and the audience is expected to accept this conceit.

The young sisters' bedroom where much of the haunting takes place

That aside Paranormal Activity 3 builds to a powerfully creepy final quarter of an hour after Kristi and Dennis take the kids to Kristi’s grandmother Lois (Hallie Foote)'s home. We meet Lois earlier on, and the first thing you notice is that her haircut and wrinkled skin makes her look like a witch from children’s books. But you push that silly observation aside, 'cos there’s an invisible demon in these here urban woods, and his name is Toby. Young Kristi can see him, and on occasion the adults, like Randy and Lisa (Johanna Braddy), a pretty babysitter, experience him first hand too.

Paranormal Activity 3 Katie Featherston and Sprague Grayden

Adult sisters Katie (Katie Featherston) and Kristi (Sprague Grayden)

Paranormal Activity 3 has an abrupt end, the kind that will frustrate some viewers, and while the series doesn’t need another installment, it’s almost guaranteed Paramount Pictures will produce a fourth as this one has made a bucket load at the box office already, and admittedly there is room for further exploration into the familial darkness that consumes Katie and her sister ... or we return to 2007 and discover what demonically-possessed Katie has done with baby Hunter.

Co-directors, Joost and Schulman have proven their mettle with the horror genre, having come from the compelling social media documentary Catfish, I wonder if they’ll continue in this area; halfway through Catfish (and armed with the knowledge that the distributors were insisting critics and audiences didn’t give away the doco’s twist) I was sure the doco was about to turn into a horror movie, so I’m amused that they have now helmed a horror movie.

NB: My recommendation is not to attend a weekend screening, and avoid the masses, as this is an M-rated movie. Although a packed cinema is great fun, this is the kind of movie that attracts the wrong kind of attention from obnoxious young patrons, if you get my drift.

Also, the trailer is very misleading as it is made up entirely of scenes that don’t feature in the movie. These will no doubt end up as deleted scenes on the DVD/Blu-ray, but still, it’s very cheeky on behalf of the filmmakers.

Here’s the false advertisement for the movie, oh I mean, the trailer:

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Posted By: Bryn - Category: movie reviews

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Comments

20 Comments. [ Add A Comment ]

Comment by David O'Connell

October 27th 2011 10:20

20/20 Filmsight
Screen Fanatic

I loved the ending mate, really creepy, even if implausible. And yes, with the camera/self-filming issues, you're spot on, but it doesn't really bother me that much when the film as a whole works so effectively.

Even if the Bloody Mary bit is different from the one in the trailer, it actually turned out to be one of the best set-pieces in the film.

Roll on Part 4!!!

Comment by gothic

October 28th 2011 00:06

i went to see it today, as im on total horror overload till monday nite. OMG! maybe my standards are just too high. i cant believe i spent good money on this grade A suckfest! MY families home movies were scarier than this. watching snoopy rise out of the pumpkin patch was scarier than this. this movie was so cheezy i watched blair witch as soon as i got home, to see if it was still the cheeziest movie ever made. i dont understand why husbands/boyfriends always want to f@ck with ghosts. id haul a$s out of there as soon as anything started. why do these idiots keep wanting to play ghostbusters??

Comment by Simon cobos

October 28th 2011 21:42

These "found footage" movies really get me going, I love them, great review as always. Great way to kick start my Halloween, I also went out and rented Grave encounters, also a found footage movie, and it really creeped me out you should give it a watch

Comment by Bryn

October 29th 2011 02:15

Horrorphile

David, how crazy is that trailer though, talk about false advertising!

gothic, hey, each to their own, I spoke to a young bartender recently who hated it too, and she thinks of herself as a horror fan, but now her boyfriend won't let her chose which movie to go see 'cos he hated even more. I really enjoyed it, thought it was handled really well, and found the ending really creepy.

Simon, yeah, I watched the trailer to that, wasn't so sure ... Might check it out then.

Comment by gothic

October 29th 2011 03:44

maybe it wouldnt be quite so bad if they werent following the same pattern every time.the 1st half an hour boring, then alittle fake scare here and there, then the last 1 and a half minutes comes the big totally predictible scare ( if you wanna call it that.) with the movie almost over, you know da#n well somethings coming. by the way, i did check and blair witch is still the cheezest, but not by much.

Comment by Bryn

October 29th 2011 03:46

Horrorphile

So if Blair Witch is the "cheeziest", what's the best "found footage" horror in your opinion? Or do none exist ...?

Comment by gothic

October 29th 2011 04:22

since this gimmick is still kinda new, i havent seen a good one yet, unless you wanna count the halloween movie where they go through the house wearing cameras on their heads looking for michael. but even that is a stretch. i can tell you cloverfield is the funniest one though. i cant remember if i ever even saw the monster in that one. they might have just fixed it so i imagined i saw it.

November 7th 2011 03:37

Bryn, you will be happy to know i have found a new respect for blair witch. i now have a new cheeziest movie. its so hilarious you gotta see it. its called grave encounters. it follows the standard found footage laws. 30 minutes of nothing, 30 minutes of fake scares, and 30 minutes where all hell breaks loose. and the male/female lead wants to keep filming even though everybody around him/her is dying.