Last years PARANORMAL ACTIVITY was the little film that could. A $15,000 home made movie racked up nearly $200 million dollars in a repeat of the BLAIR WITCH found footage trick. Quick off the mark the $3 million studio produced sequel is with us less than a year later.
Focusing on a family unit, Dad, Mom, Step-daughter, new baby hunter and dog Abby PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2 hinges on the believability of its actors. Naturalistic and not Hollywood pretty people the family, despite their affluent surroundings, ingratiate themselves quickly as a normal everyday unit doing things you and I may do. It is not long before strange unnatural occurrences begin to disturb the everyday lives of these people and the father installs six CCTV cameras adding a new angle to the found-footage format of the film. Initially the disturbances are similar in nature to the original film, rattling pots, opening doors and some rte worth a giggle. Once the attacks ramp up a notch in the latter half of the film it is clear that PA2 has more to offer and becomes a fun scare ride. With elements from POLTERGIEST, THE ENTITY and REC it appears that the supernatural presence genre is about to take the horror crown from the torture porn king that has worn it for the last decade.
Creepier, cooler and better made than the original this is a rare occasion where a sequel can build on the premise of the original, expand the story and have us re-evaluating what we think we know already. It is a clever exercise in playing with audience expectations and turning them at the last minute. With PARANORMAL ACTIVITY:
TOKYO NIGHTS being released in Japan in December and no doubt debuting in western climes sooner rather than later with PA2s inevitable box office haul it looks like a new franchise has been born. Does it have the staying power of the mammoth SAW juggernaut? We'll have to wait and see. To next Halloween then.
Semi-erect.
No comments:
Post a Comment