Paranormal Activity 3

First off, I should say that I LOVED parts one and two. The first two relied more heavily on very slow-building tension. These predecessors basically "taught" viewers how to watch these movies in the first 20-30 minutes by offering numerous subtle, relatively unimportant objects moving as if a spectral breeze had shifted them. This way when such production devices became important, the viewer had a trained eye--not unlike what was done with White Noise. These movies convey a style that is very unusual. So it came as no surprise to me that there was little middle ground in people's opinions of them; they loved'em or hated'em. I love'em. Why? Because my senses are all on full power; I'm all in; I'm practically concentrating on the screen and listening to every creak trying to sleuth out the next clue that something fishy is going on in that house. Some people may call this "work". I call it cool. [But people chatting during the movie are a much greater distraction than normal under the circumstances.]

This third installment was my least favorite, but I can totally understand why it may be others' favorite. While it still employed subtle moving objects, it did it less, instead relying on more mainstream devices to provoke scared jumps from the audience. It also borrowed more heavily from the Poltergeist movies than the first two--not that I minded. The characters' investigation into the strange goings-on was more methodical and plot-driven. The first two were more event-driven and investigated more out of fear and curiosity. The differences between 3 and 1 & 2 were subtle, but numerous, chief amongst them being that "the paranormal" functions as a character in this movie, rather than a mysterious "force" in the first two. As such, the actions of "the paranormal" were more blatant and felt more like "it" was doing something "to someone" whereas in 1 & 2 it was more like "something was happening" to someone in a haunted house.

The plot is simple. A family lives in a house. Weird things start happening. Step-dad starts putting cameras around the house. Things get weirder. And from there anything more would give too much away. But while the first two movies' endings left us largely to wild speculation, I will say that this one ends with something of an explanation of the paranormal activity.

It doesn't really matter in which order you watch these movies. However, each sequel (or in this case prequel) was designed to mold over the events of the previous installment. So watch them in order if it's convenient. I also demand you watch these with the lights off. It makes it easier to avoid distractions while you're concentrating on the screen.

i saw this film on its premiere in the theaters and honestly, i was very disappointed, but exhilarated at the same time. for one thing, keep in mind that if you have seen the first two films and are from a generation of movie goers who have 'seen it all' that, unless there is perverse graphic violence and gratuitous amounts of flesh with a twisted sense of humor thrown in, you will laugh this one off. for one, it's all been done before. two, there was so much hype surrounding this film that unless it went from 0 - 60 in 4 seconds, it didn't live up to its expectations. as a film, in regards to the story line and acting, yeah, it's weak. the whole 'found footage' element is getting rediculous. and because this franchise is trying to mill out as much product as it can to capitalize on the name, the entire project feels rushed and contrived. as for the film as a whole....

for one, the single most annoying thing about this flick is the fact that so many scenes, scenes depicted in the trailer, did not even make the final cut. there is controversy surrounding these decisions, but as a movie goer expecting to see what was advertised, it is gravely disappointing to wait to see what seems like a scarey part in the previews to not even take place in the actual film. lame, inexcusable, and downright false advertising, if you ask me. two, i didn't exactly have a stop watch going but i swear, in the theater, this felt like the shortest major motion picture of all time. if it lasted 1 hour and 10 mins that is a generous estimate. is there any merit to this film?? you betcha...

although they keep repeating a lot of the same scares, at least this time they do it with a little twist. instead of the stationary video camera from the other two offerings, they rig it up to an oscilating fan that pans side to side which was a cool effect. also, there absolutely are some good creeps and scares in this and without a doubt, the ending is a major shock and scare (getting goosebumps even thinking about it). trust me, there are definitely some good frights in this film but as i said, if you think good horror is seeing someone disembowled and than fileted on a grill, you won't like it. (knowing that kids today think they are above anything remotely supernatural and that it could never be contrived as frightening is the real horror in this society to me)

if you enjoyed the first two films, i'm sure you will like it...just don't expect to see exactly what you saw in the previews because it's not here. i haven't yet gotten this on dvd so there may be some 'deleted scenes' bonus but, those scenes still were not in the true film and as i said, it is majorly annoying. if you haven't seen any of these films and especially if you didn't like them, i don't see how this film will change your mind on paranormal activity. as i said, there are definitely some cool and genuine scares but as a whole, it falls short.

Let me preface this review by saying I thought all three Paranormal Activity movies were decent. If you didn't like the first two, you won't like this one and that's all there is to it, but fans of the first two movies shouldn't be turned off by the continuation of this franchise.

Paranormal Activity 3 makes a half-hearted effort, in the beginning, to tie the story to the first two movies, but that effort ends quickly and the movie becomes tied to the first two in style alone after that. Although I thought the story of the first two movies was OK, I wouldn't exactly call it their strength. What made the first two films so good was the anticipation of something scary. When that clock on the camera slowed down, you knew you should be on the look out for something, but half of you was afraid of what you would see.

Paranormal Activity 3 plays off of this element, but adds a whole new level. With a panning camera in one room and different camera views throughout the house, you were never sure which camera would show something when. The scares are a bit more deliberate and less suggestive than the first two movies, but the added visual makes for some incredibly intense moments. Involving two young girls who both do a stellar job acting just adds to the suspense. You'll find yourself questioning why the man in the movie chooses to take a camera with him during some of the more frightening scenes, but if you're able to suspend your questioning of logic, it's very entertaining.

This isn't the scariest movie ever made, but it does a good job keeping the viewer on the edge of their seat and these days, there aren't too many horror films that even accomplish that.

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