Paranormal Activity (2007)

I was pleasantly surprised by this film.  Its hyper-realism gave a new direction to the 'found footage' or 'shaky cam' genre.  Most found footage is too shaky and makes me really dizzy.  However this movie was fairly enjoyable.

It starts off with Micah buying a fancy video camera to document the strange events going on at his house, a large two story, three bedroom house that he shares with his girlfriend. Why does a couple need a house that big?

Most of the scary stuff happens around the 2-3:00 am mark, the "witching hour" as it's called.  According to any ghost hunter show on TV ever, this is definitely the time where ghosts or other paranormal things should appear or make their presence known.  Also, Micah is constantly taunting their presence when he should just very well leave it alone.

It was enjoyable because it kept me guessing.  Such as when Katie, the girlfriend, walks outside to the patio at night, I thought, "oh, she's just sleepwalking."  But when Micah brings her back upstairs, the TV has mysteriously turned on.  There are other instances like this that at first showed me that all of this can be scientifically proven and there's nothing to worry about; but then something truly paranormal would happen and leave me wondering.  What is real?  Should Katie have seen a shrink about her childhood experiences?  Yes, even if something unreal was pursuing her, letting go of her past "demons" could have helped her.  Either that, or they should have called Ghostbusters.

If you're looking for an action film, this is not for you.  It was a very original kind of movie, because even though it was scripted, it was presented as reality.  It was one couple who turned on a camera in their home, and we could see into their lives.  It just so happened that there was a dark presence in their home. I will give this movie a 7/10.