Paranormal Activity (2007)★★★★☆

I liked this when it first came out. I still like it now, though my opinion is slightly less favorable this time around. Perhaps it’s because there are now so many similar movies it’s hard to keep track.

I mean, there are six films in this franchise alone! And I’ll be watching the other five of them starting tomorrow. But this isn’t a bad start. It’s definitely creepy despite the often-unrealistic dialogue between Katie and Micah.

I’ve always liked the idea of casting unknown actors in a questionably true story. Like The Blair Witch Project. Or Apollo 18. Or this movie. I can’t imagine it’s a good proposition for the actors, though. I haven’t seen many of them since.

Anyway, this movie feels a bit long at times and you’ll have to deal with frequent shaky camera moments, but that first night Katie is just standing and staring would give anyone the creeps.

Also, there’s a lot of swearing. Mostly unnecessary. And a lot of fighting that’s passed off as normal that, to me, doesn’t signal a healthy relationship. But not a whole lot of graphic violence!

Also, I prefer the alternate ending to the theatrical, if you’ve got the option.