Good review, Chrono.

Sounds nice'n asian. Except for the hand held camera. That's shit..

Good write up, the only thing I could add was about when you ask; "If your situation is so horrible, WHY IS YOUR FIRST INSTINCT TO GRAB THE CAMERA?!?!?!"

If you remember, the husband does this one time and the wife gets PISSED for him grabbing the camera before responding to her scream. So at least the film makers were aware that it wasn't what most people would do.

I can't wait for the DVD and hope they include the other two ending that are rumored to be out there as both sound as if they give a different feel to the whole flick.

Warner Bros.' Spike Jonze-directed "Where the Wild Things Are" put up strong numbers at the nation's box office this weekend, easily taking the top spot with an estimated $32.5 million at 3,735 playdates.

Still, auds spread the wealth with healthy figures going to Overture's "Law Abiding Citizen" and Paramount's "Paranormal Activity."

"Citizen," starring Jamie Foxx and Gerard Butler, figured in at no. 2, earning an estimated $21.3 million at 2,890.

"Paranormal Activity" continued to play well with auds, scaring up $20.2 million at 760. Paramount's micro-budgeted pic has cumed an estimated $33.7 million with plans to expand to some 1,800 locations starting next weekend.

That's some fairytale. :)

movie
 

my niece took her daughter and the daughters boyfriend and his sister too that movie, my niece laughed all the way thru the movie the rest got freaked out:eek:

Oh, I know. I appreciated the self-referential humor a little bit, but still. I wanted to say, "Ok, Director, you're self conscious... BUT YOU'RE STILL DOING IT." :p

You found the scares predictable? Phew... I must have seen a different movie. Despite the whole mockumentary style, I found this movie to be very interesting and original. Something I appreciated about the film is that they often let it sit there with you staring into the dark hallway thinking for sure something is about to happen, but it never does. And in fact this ends up making you feel more disturbed because they can tease your fears in such a way.

However, and warning, this might be a bit of a spoiler for those who haven't seen it:

I REALLY wish they had a scene with the demonologist. I suppose they thought that would make the movie more cliche, but I think they could have created a pretty awesome scene with that.

All in all, I'd say the movie is a 8.5 or 9 / 10. However, everyone was right about the crowds. The kids were driving me insane constantly whispering and laughing. By yourself with the volume blasting it would be pretty intense.

Chrono, I think I agree with you on pretty much all of your points.

What few strengths it had were mostly rendered meaningless by a hokey, completely bullshit ending.

** WARNING SPOILER **

I agree that when her face turns into the demon's and she goes into the camera that was stupid and cliche and hollywoodish and hokey. However, before that when she stomps up the stairs and throws him into the camera, that was pretty awesome. I think it would have been better personally if she just stood as a dark silhouette in the doorway staring at the camera for ten seconds and then it hit to black. Would have been more unsettling in my opinion.

Little-horror-movie-that-could Paranormal Activity continues to defy all box office rules, leaping to the number one spot at the box office on Friday with an estimated $7.6 million — in its fifth weekend in theaters.

Okay, technically, it’s the ultra-low-budget flick’s first weekend opening in a true wide release (1,945 theaters), but it still managed to snag enough horror fans to force Saw VI into the second spot with $7 million, well below the opening-day take of every Saw film since the first one.

None of the other new releases this weekend are faring well, either:
Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant dug up $2.2 million for seventh place,
the animated sci-fi action film Astro Boy struggled mightily with just $1.8 million for eighth place, and
the biopic Amelia landed outside the top 10, with $1.3 million in 818 theaters.

1. Paranormal Activity – $7.6 million
2. Saw VI — $7 million
3. Where the Wild Things Are — $4.4 million
4. Law Abiding Citizen — $4.1 million
5. Couples Retreat — $3.7 million

For the first time since its September release, "Paranormal" debuted in the number one spot with a $7.6 million intake on Friday, heralding a potential $21 million weekend according to Deadline Hollywood Daily's best projections.

Executives at Paramount are thinking that "Paranormal" could well be the studio's most profitable film in modern history, which would certainly be the case if it rises past $100 million by the end of Halloween weekend.

"Paranormal Activity" seems to have frightened away the rest of the competition, as the weekend's other newcomers did considerably worse in comparison. "Saw VI," the sixth installment in the long-running horror franchise, opened in second place with a poor Friday showing of $7 million and a probable $18 million weekend. Should the results play out as expected, "Saw VI" will be a severe underperformer for Lionsgate, and could finally herald the end of the franchise.

The remainder of Friday's top five was filled with recurring players "Where The Wild Things Are," "Law Abiding Citizen" and "Couples Retreat." The Spike Jonze-directed "Wild Things" is no longer expected to recoup its budget in theaters, thanks largely due to the film's oft-mentioned post-production woes.

But the real troubles rest with the weekend's other high profile releases, such as "Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant." The vampire-centric film wound up in seventh place with a $2.2 million Friday finish, indicating that it won't capture the same success as "Twilight" despite the creature crush emphasis — but when you compare gothic head shots of Robert Pattinson and John C. Reilly, it's easy to see why the tween crowd isn't flocking to theaters in quite the same way.

"Astro Boy," meanwhile, underperformed severely at eighth place and $1.8 million by end of Friday. The Imagi Studios animated film could do better overseas considering "Astro's" Japan-based manga roots, but it looks like American audiences aren't exactly embracing the little robot boy with a machine gun for a butt.

http://www.hitfix.com/articles/2009-...x-office-grave

http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2009/10/24...office-report/

I'ma have to say Paranormal Activity was a decent little flick!
I had a band of noisy teenagers sitting right behind me and they were unable to ruin the film, which says a lot. The scares were a little formulaic, but they broke up the monotony of "daytime, safe; nighttime, scary" by alluding to a progressively more agitated entity spilling his malice into the day. I could have done with a different ending, but even that wasn't able to sully the films overall documentary-esque creepy feel....

...8/10. Twas worth the $5 matinée fee.

Most disappointed I've ever been with a movie, ever. I wasn't scared or creeped out for a single frame.

**SOME SPOILERS**

@ Massacre man


Glad to see i am not the only one who thought this was a dissapointment..


After all the reviews i read.. "terrifying" "scariest movie ever"...

I mean what was terrifying in that?

Weird sounds..?
Slamming doors?

Watching 2 people sleep?




I spent the whole movie waiting anxiously for something scary to happen, specially at night when i was waiting for something to happen in the hallway.. other then lights going on and off and seeing shadows..

When ever something "paranormal" is about to happen the damn camera is setup so you know sometihng is coming.. killing the suspense


Whoever voted this more then a 5/10 , Please send me some of what you're smoking.

With Lionsgate's Saw VI defeated by Paramount's Paranormal Activity at the U.S. box office this weekend, horror fans might want to celebrate the victory of the small independent against an established series.

But as it turns out, it may well be that an old Halloween franchise has simply been dethroned by a new one.

Filmed in 2007, Oren Peli's Paranormal Activity was bought by Paramount, whose initial intention was to remake it. Eventually, following positive test screenings, the studio decided to give Peli's $15,000 feature a small theatrical opening. Originally out on 12 screens, Paranormal Activity has progressively grown and has now beaten Halloween staple Saw VI at the box office, grossing $22m against a mere $14.8m.

To most observers, this is clearly a sign that U.S. audiences have voted with their feet and preferred to give their 10 bucks to an original product, rather than to the sixth instalment in a tired franchise.

Whatever you may think of the film - whether it scared you or not - Paranormal Activity was undeniably inventive and fresh. Indeed every aspiring filmmaker - and quite a few established ones - now wish they'd come up with the idea. You would think such success would send distributors a signal that viewers want to see original productions.

But now comes the news that a sequel is envisaged.

Ironically, the Saw series started out the same way. A clever, original, low-budget film created by two newcomers, James Wan and Leigh Whannell, and with no stars in its cast, Saw defied all expectations when it made a killing at the worldwide box office on Halloween 2004. Launching the torture porn sub-genre, it became a true phenomenon.

Quickly however, what had once been the underdog turned into a pure marketing product, following a tried and tested formula. Cleverly sold as a new Halloween tradition, the Saw series became the most reliable money-maker of the horror season.

Will Paranormal Activity follow the same path and replace it as the new low-budget franchise to beat? Or will it go the way of another low-budget found-footage winner - 1999's Blair Witch Project - whose follow-up Book of Shadows crashed and burned the following year?

Most of all, is this what audiences truly want? On the one hand, fans did flock to every Saw sequel for four years, and even though the fifth one is still profitable, given how low production costs were kept. On the other hand, wouldn't they show the same interest in good original features, were they given the same kind of clever marketing the Saw films benefited from?

In the end, the only thing that matters to investors is the money a product generates, and as long as we pay to watch endless sequels, all we deserve is to see more get made.

I would, but I don't think sending BC-bud through the post is such a good idea... ;)

The movie was made for a cool $15k and what it did (for the money spent), it did well. I'm sick to death of the crap horror that has been plopping outta Hollywood for the past decade (with budgets of millions of dollars); this film, Paranormal Activity, was a breath of fresh air and at a fraction of the cost.
As for the sequences being in fast-forward, then slowing to show the paranormal events; what you're seeing is the edited video file found by the police which was created by it's owner, Micah.

My beef is as follows: don't these people work? I kept thinking "does the entity bother Katie in the job place... spill her coffee over... staple files shut... etc.?"
I also was bothered by the end. I mean really!?!? It was a lame scare tactic... nothing more.

But all things considered... a great flick made extraordinary by it's frugal conception.

I'm getting tired of the handheld thing as well. I've said it before but I think it still remains true. Cloverfield has won in the genre of handheld camera films, closely followed by [REC].

I'm not going to agree with every one and say the the hand held cam is over used because you think you are saying something that no one else has thought of. And because I don't believe it is over used.

How many handy cam movies can you think of? How many of those suck? Diary of the dead was good. [rec] was good it remake Quarantine was good, Cloverfield was good. Blair witch is said to be good, Are there any of the "Over used technique movies" that are unwatchable?
If you want to sound like you are this film expert say you are tired of movies with asshole producers butchering a script to "sell" a movie. You know I wasted $1.09 to see Army of the Dead, rented from a redbox dvd rental machine. That is what I am tired of that movie was a cliche' the entire movie it sucked.
Paranormal activity was great it totally fucked hollywood and they still wanted to make it over into a full production and it would have flopped. Can you imagine if it was made into a huge film with Kevin Pollack running around trying to have chemistry with some caught in the head lights like Maggie Gyllenhaal. Or two idiots from Friday the 13th 2009 one showing off their new tits the other his new hair. Just an example I don't know who they would have cast in the flop.

You guys if you didn't like it fine but you should be glad and thankful it wasn't ruined by hollywood. And hope that hollywood would release more films weather indie or foreign instead of remaking them. But the question is with word of mouth (i haven"t seen a TV or internet ad in weeks but i live in NY so they might figure on us seeing theater posters and such) a movie has been a success it was made for $15,000 I think they sold it to paramount for $250,000 so Paramount is getting their cut of all those millions....I hope everyone involved with the making of the film gets something out of that. Not sure how that works after you sell to a studio...
I will say that paranormal activity will be declared the biggest horror movie of 2009 by what ever media company declares those things.
And Paramount wants to make a sequel with will suck because it will go so far from the original.

When i watched it i really got into the movie it just seemed real.. the chick had arm fat where do you see that in high budget movies? They didn't over act. You could imagine it happening to you in your own house. And it wasn't like that Ghost Hunters crap show where they scream at nothing and bump into the camera person. Don't think i have gotten through an entire episode of that.

Just imagine if you had seven free days....$15,000.... four actors... and an empty house.
What would you make? Would the world watch? Would hollywood scratch their heads?

That ending was definitely Hollywood and, in context, one of the absolute dumbest things I've ever seen on film. They spend the whole movie trying to make it realistic and not like every other horror movie then wreck EVERYTHING with that ending.

You need to get out more. If that's the "absolute dumbest" thing you've ever seen on film, then you're lucky. There's some real crap floating around out there (some of which gets advertised on this site) and viewing even 0.01% of horror movies in mainstream production should put Paranormal Activity way outta your "dumbest thing ever seen on film list".... that's for damn sure.

try watching anything by Lars Von Trier... :p (had to get that jab in there)

PS: When are you gonna break that 10k posting mark, you lazy bastard.;)

I said in the context of the seemingly realistic vibe the movie was trying to keep. It would be like if Michael Myers sprouted wings and flew back up to the balcony after Loomis shot him or if the truck Sally rode away in at the end of Texas Chain Saw Massacre turned around and brought her back and the driver just looked back and laughed like a billbilly at her. I could see dumb stuff in other movies coming and forgive it more easily because the accompanying scenes were also extremely dumb.

I'm not quite certain what point you're trying to make, but a winged Michael Myers would be pretty damn sweet!!!

http://img38.imagefra.me/img/img38/2...7m_ced90d5.jpg
(awesome)

------------------------------------------

So, if I understand your point correctly, you enjoyed Paranormal Activity up until the ending... So you think it was a good film, but the ending was bad. Me too... but I didn't let it kill the whole entire movie for me.

Ugly duckling... I have it with the original ending. And I have the theatrical one too if You like... I can bring it next time you invite me.

:D Say hi to Auntie :p

I didn't like the movie, I liked that it tried keeping a semi-realistic feel throughout but killed the vibe, raped it's corpse, tied it to the back of a dirtbike, dragged it down a gravel road, raped it again, and punched it in the face.

I loved it! Just watched it here at my house in the dark all alone, great film! Some of the scenes gave me the chills and had my whole body froze, def worth checking out!

Just saw it lately...**SPOILERS**at the end the cops show up & shoot the girl**SPOILER**...Which ending it was? original, fake or theatrical?

That's the original.

Thats the one I have.

The original ending sounds better than the theatrical one.

SPOILERS














It's clear with the "theatrical" version that they were trying to springboard off the popularity of the onryo in JA ghost flicks.











/SPOILERS

GHOSTHOUSE

http://www.horror.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12981


http://cdn3.ioffer.com/img/item/117/...8TnfzElyAb.jpg

...and punched in the face?!?! damn... so what you're trying to say is, you didn't like it. ;)

Well, you know what they say; "an opinion is like an asshole, we all have one and they all stink." (I'm not really sure who "they" are, but I f*cking hate em' for being right all the time!)

Paranormal Activity
 

i was pretty surprised when i found out that paranormal activity was a low budget movie. why cant other good independent movies out there wasnt as good as paranormal activity?

im pretty sure there are a few indie movies out there that are just as good or even better, and some people just wont know cus its an independent film

my list of good independent films i liked and would like to see:
The Blair Witch Project
In the Company of Men
The Evil Dead
Donnie Darko
Chain Letter

And don't forget... Dark Remains. ;)

...I just caught the non-theatrical ending for this movie and it was as mediocre as the one I saw in the cinemas. I just can't think of a good way to end this film...

Katie wakes up and finds a note on the bed.

"Sorry. Good luck.
Goodbye forever.
-Micah.
P.S. I did BUY the Ouija board."

Sounds feasible. I've dumped girls for more insignificant reasons than demon possession... but I have seen the dumping process bring out the devil in some women. If Micah wasn't so p*ssy-whipped, he'd have walked when Katie put on that 20lbs only six months after they started dating.

I think I would have ended it like this: Micah looks for Katie downstairs in the dark. His body is flung up and hits the camera, knocking it over. Katie lumbers in and drags Micah to a blind-spot in the hall (just outside the bedroom door) and slowly dismantles him. Camera switches to dash-cam of police cruiser with radio chatter about "domestic disturbance". Squad car stops in front of house, with front door in full view. Police enter, ruckus ensues and one officer crawls out crying and holding a bleeding face. Silence apart from gurgling cop. Katie comes ripping out the front door with officer in pursuit. He fires and hits her in the back of the head which sprawls her out over the cruiser's hood (face cracks windshield for effect). Her eyes roll up into her head and slowly a smile appears in the corner of her mouth. Auto dash cam loses focus and screen goes black. Case number and date pops up in plain white text... no credits.

PRESTO!!! A good ending!

I have read that some people love this film and some people hate it. I have seen the posters and all the quotes of opinions and i have to say that i am amped. I have not seen a preview to this and i will wait until it it is actually released to cinemas in early december here.....

Who needs Decepticons, CGI or motion-capture when you've got slamming doors, billowing sheets and a hand-held camera?

Paranormal Activity has passed the $100 million mark at the U.S. box office, making it, dollar for dollar, the biggest cinematic success story of 2009. It has also become the top grossing "R" thriller of the past decade.

Sure, it's no Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen-size $400 million, but Michael Bay's special-effects extravaganza required at least $200 million to make everything go boom.

Paranormal Activity, which features five unknowns and a demonic presence, cost $15,000 to make. That's T-H-O-U-S-A-N-D.

The goosebump-inducing (albeit a tad overhyped) horror flick spent its opening weekend playing in 12 theaters total, before hurling into wide release on Oct. 16.

The film-masquerading-as-found-footage is also the fifth-highest-grossing R-rated film of '09, trailing only The Hangover, Inglourious Basterds, District 9 and Watchmen—and only $19 million separates it from the No. 2 spot.

"What is truly amazing about Paranormal Activity is the depth of commitment from fans who demanded to see it," said Paramount Pictures chief executive Brad Grey. "All of us at Paramount are proud to have been involved with his revolutionary project."

brilliant movie.

should be used as a tool to teach fim school

a textbook example of effectiveness without excess.

Hahahhaa... Autistic memory?