Paranormal Activity
Paramount Pictures | Release Date: September 25, 2009
5.9
USER SCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 702 Ratings
USER RATING DISTRIBUTION
Positive:
377
Mixed:
138
Negative:
187
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User scoreBy dateMost helpful
10
BrentMNov 16, 2009
Easily the scariest move I've ever seen. The best movie this year in my opinion, even if you don't get scared easily, this movie will make you terrified. The whole audience was shocked and this movie plays on your mind for days and Easily the scariest move I've ever seen. The best movie this year in my opinion, even if you don't get scared easily, this movie will make you terrified. The whole audience was shocked and this movie plays on your mind for days and even weeks. GO SEE IT IF YOU'RE LUCKY ENOUGH TO GET THE CHANCE TO.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
JohnHDec 12, 2009
Let me summarize: If you liked Blair Witch and found it scary, you will find this scarier. If you didn't, this movie will be a joke. It takes the scariest bits of Blair Witch, improves on them, and reminds us that what you can't Let me summarize: If you liked Blair Witch and found it scary, you will find this scarier. If you didn't, this movie will be a joke. It takes the scariest bits of Blair Witch, improves on them, and reminds us that what you can't see is far scarier than what you can. I'll be honest, this was by far the scariest movie I have EVER seen. The acting and script was very realistic, and the low frequency ambience that fills the cinema is extremely effective. There is no blood, no gore, just suspense that builds up and up, and ends in a spectacular climax. The ending is not at all cheesy (A monster jumping at the camera actually works in a movie like this, because the camera actually exists), and will actually freak you out. No kidding.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
0
AveryBDec 13, 2009
The scariest thing about the movie is that it cost me $14.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
0
TJDec 14, 2009
One of the worst movie ever screened in cinema. Wasted more than 1 hour 30 min of my life watching this crap. I want a refund for the movie ticket! Once bitten twice shy, so don't even think of making Paranormal Activity. Just realise One of the worst movie ever screened in cinema. Wasted more than 1 hour 30 min of my life watching this crap. I want a refund for the movie ticket! Once bitten twice shy, so don't even think of making Paranormal Activity. Just realise that I have wasted another 3 mins writing this review.… Expand
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10
OliDec 14, 2009
It's definitely not the scariest movie ever made, but it works well at building suspense and keeping you on the edge of your seat.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
0
PaulHDec 15, 2009
Boring and anti-climatic, not that it would have even taken much at the end to reach some kind of peak compared to the rest of the "film." I'm glad I didn't pay to see this movie. If I had, I most certainly would have walked out to Boring and anti-climatic, not that it would have even taken much at the end to reach some kind of peak compared to the rest of the "film." I'm glad I didn't pay to see this movie. If I had, I most certainly would have walked out to get a refund.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
2
LanHDec 21, 2009
This movie isn't scary which just ruins the whole point of it. Towards the end our whole cinema was laughing because everyone was making jokes about it.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
3
EvanW.Dec 28, 2009
I can't believe how excited I was to see this boring, slow paced, waste-of-my-life film. I laughed more than I was scared.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
9
yorculpaDec 29, 2009
This movie relies on the viewer having a vivid imagination. It brilliantly conjures up fears that dwell within most or some of us. Not for those who like being spoon fed their stories. If you didn't like it, perhaps it's not the This movie relies on the viewer having a vivid imagination. It brilliantly conjures up fears that dwell within most or some of us. Not for those who like being spoon fed their stories. If you didn't like it, perhaps it's not the film that's boring.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
1
gamefriekFeb 26, 2011
What the hell were the directors and writers thinking? This movie had so much potential to be great, but it flopped badly. The story is of a couple that has weird things going on in their house. The whole beginning of this movie was just theWhat the hell were the directors and writers thinking? This movie had so much potential to be great, but it flopped badly. The story is of a couple that has weird things going on in their house. The whole beginning of this movie was just the two of them going "Whoa, did you feel/see that?". The only decent part of that whole 90 minutes was the ending. It was the only part that actually made me feel suspense, but only just a little bit. This movie was a complete waste of money that should have never been made.… Expand
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2
moviefanAug 31, 2010
Don't be fooled by the critics high ratings, this movie was 95% boring with only one or two semi-scary or interesting moments, both of which ended quickly with no real drama or interest. I was very disappointed, the ending was abrupt and asDon't be fooled by the critics high ratings, this movie was 95% boring with only one or two semi-scary or interesting moments, both of which ended quickly with no real drama or interest. I was very disappointed, the ending was abrupt and as bland and un-descriptive as the entire film and made me wonder what the purpose was of watching the entire movie, I wish I had not.… Expand
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3
JordyAtkinsSep 23, 2010
I get the idea of the film. A generic haunting or such and the couple use a sensible option of trying to record everything to see whats happening. As the movie progresses, it just seems ages to get going and then when it does, theres no realI get the idea of the film. A generic haunting or such and the couple use a sensible option of trying to record everything to see whats happening. As the movie progresses, it just seems ages to get going and then when it does, theres no real shock value. I'm a bad jumper in films, someone shouts bang, and i'm more likely to jump even if i know its coming. Yet at no point in this film did it make me just, everything was just a bit too cheesy and predictable. No worth the money really, but the blu-ray version looks immaculate because of the graphics… Expand
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1
carloorlacNov 15, 2010
This movie is simply ridiculous. Even though it is supposed to be scary, I just had a bunch of good laughs. The action is close to zero, and the characters are quite annoying, especially the girl... If I were the demon, I would escape fromThis movie is simply ridiculous. Even though it is supposed to be scary, I just had a bunch of good laughs. The action is close to zero, and the characters are quite annoying, especially the girl... If I were the demon, I would escape from her! Moreover, this idea of filming had already been used in The Blair Witch Project... an epic fail... presented like the scariest movie ever, it's been fun all the time!!!!!!!… Expand
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8
davenbettridgeOct 17, 2011
The paranormal activity movies are not for everyone but I have enjoyed them and have appreciated its simple but effective film making. The characters aren't the best but I had fun with its approach to the folk lore of haunting demons and itsThe paranormal activity movies are not for everyone but I have enjoyed them and have appreciated its simple but effective film making. The characters aren't the best but I had fun with its approach to the folk lore of haunting demons and its effective use of spooks and scares. Many scenes are intense and effective and its film makers have managed to turn its low budget weaknesses into strengths.… Expand
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10
IAmPhongNguyenOct 16, 2011
Paranormal Activity is smart, scary, suspenseful and surprisingly funny! It builds up the big finish but along the way to it, there's a bit of "Oh, what the f**k!" or "Did that just happened?" This films proves that there's no need for anyParanormal Activity is smart, scary, suspenseful and surprisingly funny! It builds up the big finish but along the way to it, there's a bit of "Oh, what the f**k!" or "Did that just happened?" This films proves that there's no need for any horrid creature to be generated on computers but a creative story and your imagination. So, think of this as a rollercoaster ride!… Expand
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3
skafastJan 6, 2012
I expect a horror film to be tense, terrifying, and have some climax moments; and from what I've heard this was exactly what I was going to find in Paranormal Activity, but all that I found is that it isn't a horror film at all: it tries toI expect a horror film to be tense, terrifying, and have some climax moments; and from what I've heard this was exactly what I was going to find in Paranormal Activity, but all that I found is that it isn't a horror film at all: it tries to scare you, tries to have any plot, but all you get is a boring experience; and when I discovered it, I began with some nonsense laughs because it was the only thing that could keep me awake during the session.… Expand
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2
imthenoobJan 19, 2023
I can understand why people may be drawn to this but it really isn't for me. First and foremost, It is incredibly overrated. So-so acting, Thin plot, and no real build-up or suspense. It relies heavily on music cues and jump scares, whichI can understand why people may be drawn to this but it really isn't for me. First and foremost, It is incredibly overrated. So-so acting, Thin plot, and no real build-up or suspense. It relies heavily on music cues and jump scares, which grow stale very quickly. Why anyone thinks this is a genuinely good movie is beyond me.… Expand
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1
csw12Oct 9, 2013
Paranormal Activity gets a 1 for one scare, a one for originality, and a 10 for being completely and utterly pointless. The movie goes no where and accomplishes nothing, while you watch two people complain and pretend to be scared onParanormal Activity gets a 1 for one scare, a one for originality, and a 10 for being completely and utterly pointless. The movie goes no where and accomplishes nothing, while you watch two people complain and pretend to be scared on everything little thing that sounds strange.… Expand
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7
chwApr 23, 2015
Paranormal Activity was pretty good. As for the users, they are cliche. The movie, ironically (since it's a found footage kind of film) isn't. It's a very creepy movie (not as creepy as The Shining, though) and eerie tale, and also a good tale.
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5
kyle20ellisMar 28, 2022
While not a fan of found footage films, there are exceptions out there. There are also examples of good horror films. After putting off watching 'Paranormal Activity' and its sequels due to the divisiveness being so extreme both ways, theWhile not a fan of found footage films, there are exceptions out there. There are also examples of good horror films. After putting off watching 'Paranormal Activity' and its sequels due to the divisiveness being so extreme both ways, the decision was made to watch them all to see what the fuss was about.

'Paranormal Activity' is one of those very divisive films where you can sort of see why it was hyped up positively, at the same time one can totally see why it wouldn't appeal to all. For me, 'Paranormal Activity' was nowhere near as good as the hype and wasn't really for me, but it did have its moments and redeeming merits so can't be as hard on it as most negative reviewers have been (not so much as to attack anybody who liked it).

There are times where there was a genuine sense of dread and tension, heightened by some creepy lighting and eerie if effectively low-key sound effects and noises. The ending may have been a little overblown somewhat, but was also gut-wrenching and the scariest the film got. Some of the occurrences are suitably ominous.

Katie Featherston is pretty good and brings some normality to the proceedings, while Mark Fredrichs provides the one memorable supporting contribution.

Micah Sloat however is disadvantaged by an underwritten and annoying character with zero development and acts blandly and obnoxiously. The rest of the supporting cast are forgettable.

While there are some good scares here, more so than given credit for by those who didn't care for it or disliked it, they didn't come consistently. Too many of them suffered from being far too predictable and veering on the ridiculous. The lack of music was a brave choice but while it was appreciated to not have anything overbearing what was going on parts did cry out for some scoring of subtle eeriness.

Unfortunately, too much of 'Paranormal Activity' drags badly, with downtime scenes that are ridiculously and dully written with lots of cheese and no substance, a big problem for a film with a good deal of that. Dialogue is poor and the storytelling relies on atmosphere to work but is paper thin to the point of non-existence elsewhere. Really didn't care for the excessively unfocused and gimmicky camera work either.

In conclusion, not as good as the positive hype and not worth losing sleep over, but while the less than positive reviews are understandable some of the extreme negativity is over the top to me. 5/10 Bethany Cox… Expand
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8
FilmMasterEdJan 5, 2016
When this dirt-cheap (that'd be $15,000) frightfest opened in late September for midnight showings in a dozen college towns, cynics laughed at its viral marketing campaign. Paramount Pictures asked interested parties to log on to a websiteWhen this dirt-cheap (that'd be $15,000) frightfest opened in late September for midnight showings in a dozen college towns, cynics laughed at its viral marketing campaign. Paramount Pictures asked interested parties to log on to a website and vote to get the flick into their towns. No one's laughing now. After a million-plus requests, Paranormal Activity is everywhere and raking it in ($34 million at last count). On a cost-profit basis, PA may be the year's most profitable.

What's all the excitement about? Oren Peli's movie from nowhere owes much to The Blair Witch Project, and, OK, suffers by comparison. But make no mistake, it will fry your nerves and creep you out big time without spending a dime on obvious special effects. The plot needs three sentences. Katie (Katie Featherston) and boyfriend Micah (Micah Sloat) are freaked out by noises in their San Diego home. To catch what's out there, he sets up a night-vision video camera while they sleep. We watch the found footage.

That's it. Over a period of about three weeks in the film, the tension builds and builds and builds until the dread ties your stomach in knots. No need to say more. If ghost stories have your number, this one will get you good, proving you don't need stars and computer mash-ups to make audiences shriek at things that go bump in the night.… Expand
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1
bartcbemAug 9, 2019
I really dont understand the phenomena of this movie, I really dont. It wasn't scary, or thrilling, or even interesting on the technical level. There is nothing to remember. If anything it shows how easy people are manipulated by hype culture.
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3
drone41Feb 20, 2018
It's probably one of the interesting horror plot, but in the end you see how poor movie it is.
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7
Sosmooth1982Jan 7, 2023
Decent movie but could have better. They took to long for everything to start happening. They could have made it happen faster and also could have added more things happening to them, then what they showed. Otherwise just an ok movie.
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0
AceFrahmJan 2, 2021
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I have just created a MetaCritic account entirely for the purpose of warning you away from this worthless movie!

Both the prime protagonist and the secondary protagonist are completely flat characters we have no reason to like at all. We hope that a monster is real and eats them quickly to get the movie over with, so that we never have to watch these boring, unimportant, empty vessel non-player characters ever again. The dialogue is boring and badly written. The character's behavior & responses to each other, and their motives at each point don't make much sense, even by the standards of an F- grade horror movie, in which the audience typically expects that somebody ( even several people ) needs to make a dumb error ( or many ) in order for the plot to be contrived, justified for the "fun" that comes later. Even that doesn't happen here. Micah tries to uncover the haunting mystery for her, but Katie doesn't help or appreciate this in any way. Their supposedly intimate relationship doesn't seem to have any credible reason for existing in the first place.

"Katie" has no characterization. She is supposedly is an english major who's about to graduate and become a teacher, but we see no trace of evidence of this in her behavior or dialogue, or in the house. Very very late in the movie, she has 1 book we can't see any page text or cover of, which appears to be an untouched brand new perfect-bound book with crisp, flawless page edges & corners, and claims to be "studying", but she's seated with her feet bent up under her legs on the couch cushion, a very "I'm not really studying at all" position. She does not seem to have a literate attitude or the sensible manner that a person who intends to be a teacher must have to potentially operate any kind of classroom. We see her at a table with a small amount of bead jewelry making materials, as though she has acquired a teeny-tiny all-in-one "do it yourself" bead-ery kit. We never see her successfully use any of these materials to do so much as thread even a single bead, and the character wears no bead jewelry. "Micah" also has no characterization. Instead of "My-Kah", his name is mispronounced throughout the movie as "Mee-Kah", which is not how any americans or canadians would ever pronounce that name, unless we are supposed to understand that Micah or his parents came from eastern europe, which is NOT established by the movie. Micah is announced to us by Katie as being "interested in electronics". This is the one and only feature his character supposedly has, but the film merely shows us that he has only just bought a camera to try to get proof of the suspected haunting at the very opening of the movie, and he hasn't even thrown out the cardboard box it came in. The movie shows us that he's only just barely learning to make it record. He appears to use an old cassette tape recorder, but for all the audience knows, he's probably only just dragged it out of storage to try to record a "ghost" for the benefit of Katie, and that he hasn't used the machine for anything else. While Micah has a computer, it is not notable. It seems to exist merely for showing the audience that they review what was on the camera & cassette recordings. He is not shown to be particularly adept in any way at the use of any of these items, or to be enamored with them. This reveals NOTHING about his character traits or place in the world.

When the haunting expert pays his 2nd visit to the house, he merely states that the other ( never seen ) demonology expert isn't available, and that he himself can't stay and must leave the house immediately. This is stupid, because even in 2006, ALL human adults would simply communicate this in a phone call. Even the monster's behavior and motives make no sense, even for an ill-defined "I can do anything, I'm a demon" monster. Apparently it wants to kill, but only does that after taking demonic possession of a human host, accomplished by biting them? Why wouldn't it bite Micah instead? At least then it would occupy a body with greater physical strength. Why would it care about boring nobody Katie in the first place? It appears that the monster can drag around anyone it likes, and bite them at any time, and humans are powerless to stop it, yet it waits 16+ days to do so, for no apparent reason.

This is a bad movie. Do not watch it. You will never recover that wasted ~80+ minutes back into your life.… Expand
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6
atabeyordekciAug 18, 2021
After moving into a suburban home, a couple becomes increasingly disturbed by a nightly demonic presence. (6)
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2
InjuredDriverJun 29, 2023
One of the worst "found footage" movies I've ever seen. And that's all I have to say about that.
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8
GiugiOct 3, 2022
First of the saga brought some innovation to the genre. Scary and very realistic given the mode of directing.
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8
ALAMLEDPJan 21, 2023
Paranormal Activity, a found footage horror film, is an eerie and thrilling story about the demonic haunting of two students in San Diego. Despite its low budget of $15,000, the film was a box office success and it's not hard to see why.Paranormal Activity, a found footage horror film, is an eerie and thrilling story about the demonic haunting of two students in San Diego. Despite its low budget of $15,000, the film was a box office success and it's not hard to see why. Using a home video camera and filming in the director's own house, the film creates a sense of realism and believability that adds to the fear factor. The technical and creative restraints used in the film, such as using a cinecam and improvised script, adds to the feeling of a real-life documentary. The performances of the lead actors, Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat, are convincing and their chemistry adds to the realism of the film. Their relationship also becomes more interesting as the film goes on and adds to the thematic backbone of the film, which is about the balance of control. Overall, while the film isn't perfect, it's a strong entry into the found footage sub-genre and is best viewed with a group of friends.
____________________________
Paranormal Activity, una película de terror de metraje encontrado, es una historia espeluznante y emocionante sobre la persecución demoníaca de dos estudiantes en San Diego. A pesar de su bajo presupuesto de $15,000, la película fue un éxito de taquilla y no es difícil ver por qué. Usando una cámara de video casera y filmando en la propia casa del director, la película crea una sensación de realismo y credibilidad que se suma al factor miedo. Las restricciones técnicas y creativas utilizadas en la película, como el uso de una cámara de cine y un guión improvisado, se suman a la sensación de un documental de la vida real. Las actuaciones de los actores principales, Katie Featherston y Micah Sloat, son convincentes y su química se suma al realismo de la película. Su relación también se vuelve más interesante a medida que avanza la película y se suma a la columna vertebral temática de la película, que trata sobre el equilibrio del control. En general, aunque la película no es perfecta, es una entrada fuerte en el subgénero de metraje encontrado y se ve mejor con un grupo de amigos.… Expand
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