PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 3 Review

"Paranormal Activity 3" (2011)

It still works. Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost, the directors of last year's controversial pseudo-documentary "Catfish," take the reins of the third installment in the highly popular found-footage horror franchise. And as much as the series has definitely set its own formula by now, "Paranormal Activity 3" does not feel derivative and still gives viewers something to be terrified about. It's clear Schulman and Joost have a sense of humor because this installment gives us new scare tactics that play with audience expectation.

The best of these clever devices is a camera mounted atop the base of a rotating fan. It pans at a deliberate and painfully slow pace between the kitchen and living room giving us a lot of anticipation to chew on before we see the other end of that camera's range. It's a dastardly trick. Along with this camera, there are only two others mounted in bedrooms unlike the second installment which had a whole security system of cameras to watch. The movie is a prequel to the events of the first taking place in September 1988, which explains the lack in technology. This aspect, though, is about the only thing that's period piece material. The high-vaulted ceilings and overall look of the home make it look incidentally quite modern, and the babysitter's outfit is a bit obvious.

But decade accuracy isn't the point here. The story follows Katie (Chloe Csengery) -- of the first film -- as a young girl living with her sister Kristi (Jessica Tyler Brown) and her parents, Dennis (Christopher Nicholas Smith) and Julie (Lauren Bittner). The setting of a prequel is meant to show how Katie initially had an encounter with the evil forces that drove her to the activity of the original movie. Consequently, a lot of the action focuses around Katie and her sister. These girls, however, aren't your typical creepy young girls in horror movies. They're ordinary, everyday young girls. Except when Katie wants to play a scary game of "Bloody Mary," saying it three times could actually bring horrific results. And Kristi's imaginary friend "Toby," who she talks to with intimidated obedience, is the one making noises at night.

"Paranormal Activity 3" causes a larger sense of unsettling dread than even the first two installments. It might be because the looming presence in the house feels more personal and malicious -- and from Kristi it even gets a name. The second movie enlisted jump-out scares to utmost effect. And while this outing still toys with that, it even more effectively finesses pure suspense in moments where nothing even happens. Take the last 15 minutes, for example, which had me literally shaking with anxiety.

These films are, if nothing else, a lesson in restraint when it comes to eliciting scares. Sure there's no restraint when it comes to the number of sequels they're going to keep churning out -- "Paranormal Activity 4" is inevitably on its way -- but I would much rather see eager audiences sitting down to spooky ghost stories than the glib and vile "Saw" splatter-fest which previously dominated Halloween movie season.

My review of Paranormal Activity
My review of Paranormal Activity 2

"Paranormal Activity 2" (2010)

"Paranormal Activity 2" is that rare horror movie sequel that is scarier than the first. And even with a new director (Tod Williams) and set of writers, this sequel expands upon the original story in a way that makes sense and feels organic. The premise is generally the same, except this time the ante is ramped up because rather than just having a stationary camera in a bedroom to obsess over each night, the set is widened to an entire house we have to worry about.

After a supposed break-in into their expansive and lovely home, a family decides to take some precautions and install some hidden surveillance cameras within different rooms of the house. Unlike last time when even we didn't know what was invading the house, this time we know and are forced to watch as the family unwittingly discovers it on their own. The cameras aren't placed for supernatural hunting but instead placed for our convenience of looking in on the nerve-racking activity, a very clever move by the filmmakers. The family's first clue of something being not quite right was when the break-in left about just everything damaged yet nothing was stolen.

We're given several viewpoints throughout their home--crystal clear in the daytime and the blue-tinted nighttime perspective we're used to from the first installment--including the swimming pool with an automated pool cleaner teasing us every time, the kitchen, the living room, the front door with the stairwell and the baby's room. A toddler and a dog in the mix are an intelligent addition as they add to the awareness without being able to verbalize it. There is less fast-forwarding time through the overnight sequences and more watching their reactions to disturbances in the night while the others remain asleep.

The terror and action, where frighteningly paranormal things actually start occurring, ramps up faster than before even when it is over a longer period of time. And unlike the predecessor where the light of day was a safe haven, that isn't so much the case here as equally terrifying things begin happening during the day and night. The setups will have you shaking with anticipation and suspense as each moment of a loud sound against complete silence is like a bomb going off, bombs that we know are coming. The trick is just not ever knowing when. And when viewing those still camera feeds, your eyes dart left and right to every edge of the frame making sure you don't miss any subtle movement.

The only reason "Paranormal Activity 2" is getting knocked down from the original's perfect score is due to the inevitable loss of authenticity. We definitely know it's all an act now, but what's more impressive is how scared it still makes us. It's a new formula that works, one that tickles the audience with a dread of the unknown, keeping us on edge for something we cannot even see.

My review of "Paranormal Activity"