Paranormal Activity 3



Well… one, me, who blasts movies for repetition, especially sequels, rather enjoys watching the paranormal activity movies. So far, all 3 movies have repeated the same formula, with just slightly different paranormal happenings. But they have crafted the movie experience by you closely watching the screen and the story. The viewer needs to stay engaged, otherwise the viewer will miss things. And those things are what build up to some super creepy moments. With sight and sound critical components, the director masterfully submerges you into unknown territory. And it’s the unknown that scares you.

But with that being said, the magic all happens in the first viewing. IMO, once you see the movie unravel with its twist and turns and dramatic reveal, it is no longer has impact and loses its creepy factor. In fact, it’s really quite boring. I tried re-watching once and I just felt I was wasting my time.

The makers have thoughtfully balanced out the shaky cam perspective. Yes, there are moments of the photographer carrying around the camera, but it’s rather smooth, but a great deal of it includes stationary observing cameras.

Paranormal Activity 3 has its share of jump scares. One actually had the hair on the back of my neck stand up with my skin tingling. Now that does happen very often at all.

On a side note, I think it’s interesting that the official trailer for the film did not include one single scene in the movie.