Read Mixed User Reviews for Paranormal Activity

6

SmileyGOct 19, 2009

I'll admit that the climax was the most disappointing segment in the entire film for me, falling back on the common cliches that seem to plague the recent lacklusters of it's genre. The film did do a good job of avoiding the ladder I'll admit that the climax was the most disappointing segment in the entire film for me, falling back on the common cliches that seem to plague the recent lacklusters of it's genre. The film did do a good job of avoiding the ladder up until that very point. Plus, the performances were fine only when the "paranormal activity" wasn't occurring. When the lights went out (...& on again.) & the door(s) starting slamming, I felt the characters were "ready for their close-ups." But all & all, the building suspense & the relentless tension provided the qualities that seem to be such rare gems these days in the latest installments of the unsatisfying chip chills/thrills horror.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful

6

AronJ.Oct 21, 2009

Was decently made despite the obvious low budget. Definantly has a real fear affect because of the this is really happening approach. Was a little slow to begin, took over an hour to get the haunting type things but maybe that was for the Was decently made despite the obvious low budget. Definantly has a real fear affect because of the this is really happening approach. Was a little slow to begin, took over an hour to get the haunting type things but maybe that was for the better. Decent movie, good idea, maybe not executed at a 100%… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful

6

JamesH.Jan 12, 2010

It certainly does have a believable creepiness about it, but there is way too much where nothing happens, the bickering and so forth. So much happens at night when it

1 of 1 users found this helpful

6

VegaVOct 11, 2009

Not bad. Had it's creepy moments, but certainly not worth all the hype. The movie borrows from several different movies (Blair Witch, The Ring, Japanese Horror movies) making it completely unoriginal. Nifty special affects, and use of Not bad. Had it's creepy moments, but certainly not worth all the hype. The movie borrows from several different movies (Blair Witch, The Ring, Japanese Horror movies) making it completely unoriginal. Nifty special affects, and use of sound are pretty impressive considering the "hand-held" documentary styled filming.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful

6

OfficialNov 4, 2013

Considering that this is a low budget movie, "Paranormal Activity" really is an effective horror film. Trust me, some of the scary scenes are when nothing is happening.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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5

ScarTissue1990Mar 19, 2012

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This movie is okay, not "the scariest film I have ever seen" but, the end where the body flies to the camera did make me jump a little. But, I wouldn't really watch it unless someone made me..… Expand

4 of 5 users found this helpful41

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6

grandpajoe6191Sep 18, 2011

Oren Pelli's "Paranormal Activity" is a decent movie in the 'scary' category, but a fantastic one in the 'psychology' category.

11 of 15 users found this helpful114

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4

RyanS.Jan 3, 2010

It's like a cheap version of Drag Me To Hell. Except that actually had humor; this has boredom. The hour and a half that it took to watch this felt like twice that. And the ending sucked.

1 of 2 users found this helpful

5

Arthur_S_PoeApr 4, 2015

I'm actually not a fan of horror movies. They mostly make me laugh, which is why I tend to by picky of them. This one was supposed to be good. It really was. The hype was there, the comments were mostly good and the marketing part certainlyI'm actually not a fan of horror movies. They mostly make me laugh, which is why I tend to by picky of them. This one was supposed to be good. It really was. The hype was there, the comments were mostly good and the marketing part certainly did it's job. But... it was mediocre at best. It has a dash of originality to it and if you're not so cynical towards the genre as myself, also a dash of reality but... that's it. It's just another horror movie with a feeble plot, horrible acting and scenes that are interesting at best, but far from scary. I wouldn't suggest watching it unless you're a hardcore horror fan because you probably won't be able to find anything interesting within the movie. Also... the 'Based on a True Story' tag is bull...… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

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5

ERG1008Aug 19, 2010

Couple have weird goings on in house, decide to set up a camera to capture odd happenings on film, lunacy!
Hand-held camera jump fest which doesn't add that much in the way of originality to the genre.
One or two scary moments but let down byCouple have weird goings on in house, decide to set up a camera to capture odd happenings on film, lunacy!
Hand-held camera jump fest which doesn't add that much in the way of originality to the genre.
One or two scary moments but let down by silly stuff. If I heard a massive noise downstairs in the middle of the night,the first thing I'd grab wouldn't be a video camera & then continue filming whilst my girlfriend went bonkers.
Thought the ending undid a lot of the work & tension that the rest of the film had built up. The alternate ending, albeit a lot more blunt, fitted better.… Expand

2 of 6 users found this helpful24

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4

gggOct 22, 2009

Its not terrible, but it's not just bleh., wait to see on dvd. there are way better movies screening today.

0 of 2 users found this helpful

5

MatthewCOct 11, 2009

The movie has some good creepy moments, and the setup works reasonably well. But I don't understand how more people weren't completely disappointed by that ending. It almost totally ruins the entire film. I'd be more specific, The movie has some good creepy moments, and the setup works reasonably well. But I don't understand how more people weren't completely disappointed by that ending. It almost totally ruins the entire film. I'd be more specific, but I don't want to put out a spoiler. Suffice it to say that I wish I'd left the theater a few minutes before it ended.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful

5

DanTheManOct 26, 2009

So disappointing. I had heard how genuinely scary and creepy this movie was, but it did nothing for me. It uses every ghost movie cliche in the book and is truly not creepy at all. I did like the two actors and it was well-done for a So disappointing. I had heard how genuinely scary and creepy this movie was, but it did nothing for me. It uses every ghost movie cliche in the book and is truly not creepy at all. I did like the two actors and it was well-done for a one-guy-with-a-camcorder type of movie, but I felt like I had seen all of these tricks a thousand times before. I saw it with a female friend who's an admitted wuss, and even she said it didn't scare her at all.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful

4

StanDNov 28, 2009

What's the big deal? Why are all the critics so ga-ga over this boring film? Doesn't come close to living up to the hype. It's a great concept, but in reality this film is very uninteresting. There's not a single moment What's the big deal? Why are all the critics so ga-ga over this boring film? Doesn't come close to living up to the hype. It's a great concept, but in reality this film is very uninteresting. There's not a single moment of true suspense let alone horror. Nothing remotely scary, and the ending is predictable from the beginning, but the last shot was cheesey and amateurish. This is really for kids who like to be scared when told to be so, something for the DVD player on a night when there's little else going on...… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful

5

KevinF.Oct 14, 2009

I'm impartial on the status of this film. I went to see it last night to shoot down all the hype it received, but I really wasn't impressed at all. Well, I'm lying. I wasn't impressed, but I wasn't unimpressed. The I'm impartial on the status of this film. I went to see it last night to shoot down all the hype it received, but I really wasn't impressed at all. Well, I'm lying. I wasn't impressed, but I wasn't unimpressed. The movie is ok. It's like Cloverfield, not good, but not bad, and it just received too much hype. I am going to say ths isn't a really good film, but hey, go check it out yourself. I give this a 5/10.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful

6

JamesNWAOct 11, 2010

It's not a bad movie but it disappointed so many people because of the way it was hyped up by the media. The sequel looks far better and a lot more scarier.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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5

Execute_Order_6Nov 25, 2010

I tried to get into it, but i just couldn't. It's not scary. The only truly scary scene is the scene where they hear a loud noise downstairs

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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5

TBDOPEY22Feb 22, 2011

I didn't care for this at all. It was a very poor movie with alot of hype. This must have scared alot of people who don't like scary movies. It was very chopped and not put together good. If you can see it free,it maybe worth a look, but ifI didn't care for this at all. It was a very poor movie with alot of hype. This must have scared alot of people who don't like scary movies. It was very chopped and not put together good. If you can see it free,it maybe worth a look, but if you have to pay for it don't.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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6

aaronpaul121May 23, 2012

The movie is just fine, not shockingly good. I was very impressed with the horror scenes, it really did convince me by me being terrified at those scenes. I love the way the characters were acting in those scenes.But in the other hand, theyThe movie is just fine, not shockingly good. I was very impressed with the horror scenes, it really did convince me by me being terrified at those scenes. I love the way the characters were acting in those scenes.But in the other hand, they do some over-the-top acting in some scenes, it really turned me off a little bit. The flow of the story was not consistent, thus making the plot a little bit obscure. But for a scary and psychological movie, they really did a descent job...… Expand

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

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6

j30Oct 7, 2011

A pretty creepy movie with just enough thrills and a chilling finale. I had a hard time sleeping after this one. If you're bored and want to watch a little scary movie. Go for it.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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6

ChappyStickSep 17, 2011

its not during the movie that makes me scared but when i got into bed the night i saw it i couldn't sleep. it was sorta entertaining in the beginning and the middle but it loses all kinds of entertainment towards the end.

0 of 3 users found this helpful03

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6

infinityqsOct 21, 2011

For a very low budgeted film, Paranormal Activity proves to be a great horror film. Though the film has no story, but it still has great horror themes.
Pros:
Good Horror themes
Cons:
Weak Dialogue No Story

0 of 4 users found this helpful04

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4

vini1904Aug 14, 2012

The story can not be interesting enough and this style of film ever explored before, here shown tiring and boring look through the camera home. The performances are not convincing and has no holes are observed the franchise as a whole.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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6

ZilcellAug 8, 2012

Its kinda scary. It sorta relies on found footage too much to make the story work, but despite a plot hole or two, the character development and decent scares make it a pretty good entry in the genre.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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6

eTurkeyFeb 11, 2012

More than a decade ago a movie called the The Blair Witch Project introduced to audiences worldwide a genre known as "found footage". Flash forward to 2009 and that style of film has been popularised once more in a little, independent featureMore than a decade ago a movie called the The Blair Witch Project introduced to audiences worldwide a genre known as "found footage". Flash forward to 2009 and that style of film has been popularised once more in a little, independent feature called Paranormal Activity. The BIG question everyone wants to know -- is this flick scarier than the feature that started it all? Well, yes and no. It is frightful at times (particularly the last twenty minutes) but there's such a slow build up to the good stuff it's somewhat disappointing.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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4

moonman1994Aug 6, 2013

Although suspenseful Paranormal Activity is not scary. It was impressive for the budget but that's about all that was impressive about it. The acting was good but the camera work was more annoying then innovative and the story line was justAlthough suspenseful Paranormal Activity is not scary. It was impressive for the budget but that's about all that was impressive about it. The acting was good but the camera work was more annoying then innovative and the story line was just plain boring.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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4

chemicalreaperOct 12, 2012

A terrible film with contrived and forced 'scares.' 99.9% of the film is non-eventful, leading up to the "big" scare at the end of the film: three seconds of scare for 85-and-a-half minutes of build-up. To be honest, the US release trailersA terrible film with contrived and forced 'scares.' 99.9% of the film is non-eventful, leading up to the "big" scare at the end of the film: three seconds of scare for 85-and-a-half minutes of build-up. To be honest, the US release trailers were better and scarier than the film itself.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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4

MetalMovieNerdNov 6, 2012

I am not going to be one of these people who jump on the band wagon and say this movie is bad. But in this case, this isn't a good movie. Its watchable but its not a good movie. And the most unfortunate thing is that critics love the majorityI am not going to be one of these people who jump on the band wagon and say this movie is bad. But in this case, this isn't a good movie. Its watchable but its not a good movie. And the most unfortunate thing is that critics love the majority of the film except the ending. Are the just stupid? The last half-an-hour is the only time the movie is scary and where something happens! The last third? And what does the first two thirds offer? Doors opening and closing and be sheets being lifted up and down. That isn't scary, that's just stupid. It not only wastes the film it was shot on, but it wastes my time as a viewer. Granted there are moments but most of the eventful scenes don't happen until the end of the film. Its a shame a good idea was wasted on bedsheets and doors moving.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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6

ypomoniJul 5, 2013

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. OK, so I knew nothing about the film before seeing it. I hadn't even seen the trailer. I liked the title, so I decided to go see it.
Maybe that's why I liked it. I was expecting a bit of paranormal activity, and I got a few scares as well!
The couple seemed completely believable to me although, I still can't get my head around the house they lived in! Wow, Micha must be making a lot of money!
Katie is a university student who has been stalked by an entity in the past. She begins as being annoyed by the resurfacing of the entity in the past all it did was stand by her bedside, nothing more (maybe it burned her house down, but she claims she isn't sure about this). She doesn't know whether to be scared or not after all, her boyfriend seems to think the whole situation is a bit of a joke. That changes as the film progresses.
Micha is intrigued by the whole thing. He wants to capture evidence on camera; I'm not exactly sure what he was trying to do, but ultimately his motives appeared to be that he wanted to prove to his girlfriend that he was the one who had everything under control, he was the alpha male.
The entity at first is mischievous, making loud thumping noises and playing with doors. But as the film progresses and most likely due to Micha's actions it becomes stronger, until it finally gets what it wants.
The film worked for me because I had no presumption of how scary it was suppose to be. It has no gore, virtually no script, it's extremely slow at some parts and you never get to see the entity. And yet all of this combined gives the film a feel of the home-made video, that this a real couple as it what they are experiencing. It also works to intensify those few scary moments which, when they do come, do actually make you jump.
If you are looking for some scares, then this will do nicely.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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5

MarickJan 12, 2015

Paranormal Activity is an American supernatural horror, released in 2007. The film follows a young couple, Katie and Micah, who began to be hunted by a supernatural power in their home. They use a camera or to register wierd events , tryingParanormal Activity is an American supernatural horror, released in 2007. The film follows a young couple, Katie and Micah, who began to be hunted by a supernatural power in their home. They use a camera or to register wierd events , trying to find out what haunts.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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5

MovieMasterEddyApr 3, 2016

“Paranormal Activity” is a crudely made, half-clever little frightener that has become something of a pop-culture sensation and most certainly the movie marketing story of the year. Midnight showings in college towns and then in big cities,“Paranormal Activity” is a crudely made, half-clever little frightener that has become something of a pop-culture sensation and most certainly the movie marketing story of the year. Midnight showings in college towns and then in big cities, announced through minimal, viral publicity, have generated frenzied word of mouth and long lines at the box office.

And now, to capitalize on this success, Paramount is giving the movie, written and directed by Oren Peli on a minuscule budget of $10,000, a full commercial release. Starting today, you can see it during daylight or dinner hours. It won’t be the same, though. At the midnight screening I attended last weekend, by far the most entertaining thing about the movie was the audience.

“Oh no. Oh hell no.” That was a stocky gentleman in the row behind me, whimpering as a door swung open on-screen. There was a lot of screaming later on — when, for example, the same door slammed shut — and also laughter, both anxious and mirthful. There was, above all, the sense of a communal, half-clandestine good time that is all too rare in an age of corporate entertainment. I was on the job, and also chaperoning a teenager, but I felt as if I’d snuck out of the house and broken curfew.

By any serious critical standard, “Paranormal Activity” is not a very good movie. It looks and sounds terrible. Its plot is thin and perforated with illogic. The acting occasionally rises to the level of adequacy. But it does have an ingenious, if not terribly original, formal conceit — that everything on-screen is real-life amateur video — that is executed with enough skill to make you jump and shriek. There is no lingering dread. You are not likely to be troubled by the significance of this ghost story or tantalized by its mysteries. It’s more like a trip to the local haunted house, where even the fake blood and the tape-loop of howling wind you have encountered 100 times before can momentarily freak you out.

The film starts abruptly and never leaves the nondescript house in San Diego where a young couple is dealing with an unusual problem. It seems that Katie (Katie Featherston) has been troubled by intimations of a supernatural presence, which her boyfriend, Micah (Micah Sloat), has decided to capture on video. He rigs up a camera in their bedroom, which starts to pick up things that go bump in the night.

During the day, he and Katie argue about what to do, and their quarrels occasioned some interesting relationship advice from members of the audience. Half expressed the strong conviction that Micah should get as far away from that crazy shrew as possible, while the other half thought she should throw that idiot and his camera out of the house. Instead of seeing a couples therapist, they briefly consult a psychic (Mark Fredrichs), who can’t really help other than to provide the movie with a flimsy pretext for keeping poor Katie and Micah at home.

Further plot summary is beside the point. Weird stuff continues to happen, and Mr. Peli shows a measure of ingenuity in producing scares out of the simplest imaginable effects. You see no monsters, very little blood and nothing you don’t anticipate, and yet it all has some impact. A number of horror movies, from “Blair Witch” to “Diary of the Dead” to “Cloverfield,” have used make-believe amateur footage, but “Paranormal Activity” does so in a way that is rigorously sloppy, almost convincing you that this is a poor doofus’s record of his girlfriend’s harassment by a demon.

But the suspension of disbelief ultimately depends on the late-night crowd. In a sparsely attended theater, or at home on DVD, the creakiness of the film would be much more glaring, and its lack of subtext and visual polish would mute its modest, fleeting pleasures. It works best when it comes out of nowhere, because that’s, in the end, where it goes.… Expand

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6

ErikTheCriticSep 26, 2018

Considering that this is a low budget movie, it's a pretty effective horror film. The only problem is that it gets boring at times when not much is happening.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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6

GirardOct 13, 2018

First of all, I wouldn't consider it as the scariest movie ever. I admit it gets to build a really creepy and suspenseful atmosphere that could make you anxious but that doesn't stick to the end of the film, rather it gets lost.
However, oneFirst of all, I wouldn't consider it as the scariest movie ever. I admit it gets to build a really creepy and suspenseful atmosphere that could make you anxious but that doesn't stick to the end of the film, rather it gets lost.
However, one of the most positive things that the movie has, it's that it offers a more realistic experience for the viewer, it works pretty well with building tension and doesn't show up until the last minutes of the film.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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6

IAmaMovieGeekMay 30, 2020

While this movie had it's scary and intense scenes, it overall was a little boring. 6/10.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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5

JLauSep 25, 2020

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Girl is haunted by a poltergeist whilst her boyfriend tries to film it, spends the film ignoring everything she says and then gets himself killed.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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6

SilviaVOct 22, 2009

I love scary moves, this one had a few little shake in your seat events, they were far and few in between, they took a long to finally show up in the movie, very slow, should have gone to my second choice of movies. not enough action.