Review #6 - Paranormal Activity 3

One of the most important conventions of the horror film is the unexpected, so this review is definitely difficult to write. If we tell you all about our favourite shots and scenes you will see them coming and the effect won’t be the same, so this review is a bit different. If you haven’t seen ‘Paranormal Activity 3’ yet then read part one of the review which includes our general views on the film overall, however if you have seen it (or would simply prefer to know what is coming) then feel free to read part 2 which will be a more detailed account and will contain spoilers. You’ll know when you hit part 2 because it will be in blue, and that’s all you need to know! So read and enjoy!

                  When ‘Paranormal Activity 1’ came out it was definitely something different than what had come before. Yes, handheld filming had been done before but never quite in this way, firstly because Oren Peli (director and writer) has gone to great lengths to make sure that it seems as realistic as possible. In all three films there is at least a minute of complete darkness before the credits appear as if they are reluctant to reveal that it is a fictional film. Watching ‘Paranormal Activity 2’ on DVD I also discovered that the DVD menu is about as simple as you can make it and there is a lack of extras or behind the scenes footage. The more realistic it seems the more haunting it is. 

        The realism of the settings is also an important aspect towards making a film that gets under your skin. The way characters run back to their beds for safety, for example, relates to the moments of fear we all experience in our lives that leave us running for the safety of our duvets and because we experience that in reality, we relate to it in the movie and it has the terrifying effect the director was aiming for. Joey and I both agreed that this feeling, of relating to the character’s fear, is particularly prominent in the final climactic scene.

     In fact compared to the previous films, ‘Paranormal Activity 3’ was by far the scariest. I felt that the first was tense and creepy but had less “jumpy” moments than the third had. As for the second film I actually found it quite boring; many of the CCTV camera shots didn’t actually show anything happening so the tension didn’t build in the same way. Paranormal Activity 3 however, got it just right. There were some very memorable scenes (look out for bathroom scene – that’s all I’m saying), fear was built up over the course of the movie as weirder things keep happening and Joey even went as far to say that “’Paranormal Activity 3’ was in fact the best handheld version film I have seen all together”.
     The paranormal activity trilogy have seen many comments thrown at it before,during and after. I know that during the film people tend to believe that speaking during the showing is not acceptable. Take a step back a moment and think about real life situations which scare or shock you; you need to talk about "oh my god did you just see that?", "it was the scariest thing ever" ...you get the idea. During the Paranormal Activity 3 showing there were certainly moments where people couldn't help but talk after they were scared. In a normal film I would of hated them for it but its all part of the atmosphere to get that genuine feel scared moment which is perfectly added alongside the various filming techniques. 

     My favourite technique used in the three films though, relates to something I’ve always been curious about: Is a horror film more or less scary without music? No music at all could mean that the audience sees the scene in a completely different light and is therefore unafraid, however sometimes music can be overstated and becomes a cue for the ‘scary moment’ therefore making it less effective. Paranormal Activity 3 has got it just right. The only kind of music used is a background ambiance mostly during the night scenes which I feel is much more effective than music; music reminds us we are in the cinema watching a screen but the ambiance is a background noise almost as chilling as the events we are watching.

      I’ll be surprised if you can watch this film without jumping out of your seat at least once! There are several unexpected moments interspersed with those drawn out apprehensive moments and the combination is very effective. It didn’t keep me up at night, or give me nightmares (I am yet to find a horror movie that can do this) but the images did really stick in my mind and I’ll admit I ran for the cover of my bed the second the light was off The cinema-addicts agree that this was definitely four-star film!

      If you have seen ‘Paranormal Activity 1’ and 2 (which I recommend doing so in order for this one to make more sense) you will recognise some similar effects. For example the footprints in the dust that sent shivers down our spines in PA1 was reinterpreted for the third film. This time during an earthquake dust falls from the ceiling onto something standing in the parent’s room. I thought it was good how we got a tiny bit of an idea as to what the demon look like but without actually seeing it (which would have ruined the film).  Joey thought that the dust falling should have been a little more subtle so that not everyone picked up on it the first time round but would be able to see when the characters watched back the clip. I thought that perhaps it should have come later because at that point in the movie they had only heard a couple of weird noises in the night, it might have had a greater impact if it had come after we hear about Kristi’s imaginary friend “Toby” (the demon).

     Other effects that really put the audience on edge include the sound of the creaky door, which signalled when the demon was in the room. You knew he was there but didn’t know where or what he might do. Joey particularly liked that the door was set off screen so that the actors had to walk right up to the camera to speak to the demon, this had the effect of making you feel as if you are the view the camera sees and feel like the demon is right next to you but you can’t see it. Later this feeling of being in the room with something you can’t see is repeated when Katie is innocently playing with her little sister when she appears to run into something invisible. As she slowly turns her face upwards as if she can almost see what is in front of her I was definitely squirming in my seat at the idea of being in such close proximity to this invisible creature. However I was unsure about the demon pulling the girls hair and holding her up by it; although it had the effect of showing the power of the demon and the insignificance of the girl it did also look a bit comical. I was also disappointed that we do not witness the demon releasing her, perhaps that would have made it more effective.

       The most memorable and terrifying scene is without a doubt, the bathroom scene. This is not the same as advertised because Katie plays ‘bloody Mary’ with an older family friend and work colleague of her dad’s, rather than with her little sister. Joey really liked this way of enticing the audience into the film “I really enjoyed the idea of them showing you one thing which makes you want to see the movie but in place having a similar scene that was amplified and so much better”. The acting of both Chloe Csengery (Katie) and Dustin Ingram (Randy Rosen) in this scene was outstanding! The way the Chloe Csengery immediately apologised exactly like a child would do in that situation and burst into tears gave a real sense of fear, and the shaking hands and talking to himself ,“come on randy, come on randy, you can do this”, portrayed by Dustin Ingram were very realistic. There was a sense of being trapped in this scene, and not knowing whether you are trapped with the demon on the outside or on the inside with you. Apart from perhaps the climactic ending, this was probably the most terrifying scene of the movie.

      You might be hoping that ‘Paranormal Activity 3’ will finally explain the happenings of the first two films, and I can tell you that it does go some way towards explaining the events. In a way this is a good thing because it satisfies our curiosity but they kept it realistic by not completely explaining everything, for example, we never find out for definite why the ritual is performed. I didn’t actually like the coven and use of symbols because it took something away from the mysterious hauntings and made the movie come across as a cheap – cult based film like ‘The Last Exorcism’. However they had to explain it somehow and they did so the best they could.

     There is so much more I could say about this film! Some of the techniques and effects used were impressive, the plot, acting and filming was fantastic and most importantly of all, it pretty scary! Don’t miss out on this film, it will make for a perfect Halloween fright fest!