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Nothing Normal About 'Paranormal Activity'

 

By Germain Lussier
September 25, 2009

Manolith

We waited four hours to hopefully have the crap scared out of us.

At 12:01 a.m. Friday, Paramount Pictures screened their new horror film “Paranormal Activity” to audiences across the country, for free. They did this because they have a tiny little movie, made for $11,000, with the potential to be a huge hit if it generates the kind of buzz people who see movies at midnight on a school night create. That’s right, internet buzz. Chatter. And “Paranormal Activity” had been generating that chatter for several weeks before this early morning screening, mostly on movie Web sites and Twitter. It was that buzz that put me among the reported 4,500 people who lined up for hours in Hollywood to see the movie some critics have called “one of the scariest movies of all-time.”

The less you know about this film the better. Don’t watch the trailer, though it’s all over the Web and don’t read any reviews, though we linked to one above. All you need to know is this: A girl and a guy buy a video camera to hopefully catch some of the weird things going on in their house. And, go.

Ten years after “The Blair Witch Project” came out and scared some while disappointing others, “Paranormal Activity” is another evolution in that type of horror. Its got that shaky camera, reality TV feel just like “Blair Witch” but where “Blair Witch” failed – with its payoffs – “Paranormal Activity” thrives. The scares ramp up exponentially until the viewer is totally petrified by the serene image of a loving couple sleeping soundly in bed.

The film opened Friday in several college towns like State College, PA and Austin, TX. A complete list can be found HERE. And if you want to see “Paranormal Activity” in your town – and if you like being terrified, you do – go to Eventful and request your city.

 

 

 

 

 

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