Paranormal Activity

[Hector]

See how civil I can be?

[darklord1967]

See how civil I can be?

Sure. And do you see how brief I can be?

[Hector]

[megozilla13]

I wasn't "ranting". You see, to some degree this is what I am referring to: There are people who (not only) do NOT have the attention span to read a post that is longer than 3 or 4 lines, but who also cynically feel the need to POINT OUT how they don't have that patience... instead of just silently moving on.

We've become an abrreviated (dumbed-down) culture where people who are thorough, and take the time to explain their opinions or viewpoints are considered "long-winded".

In that same regard, I was saying that Paranornal Activity is a proverbial long-winded post that some people do not have the patience for.

And that's fine. I do not say that as an attack, nor and indictment. I disliked The Blair Witch Project for the exact same reason.



.

I believe that it is that same "dumbed-down" culture that is making this movie a hit. The marketing campaign from the get go painted this film as the scariest movie ever made. Even the trailer seemed to show more scenes of the audience's reaction than shots from the film. The marketing campaign told the audience how they should react to the film even before they saw it.

A movie who's merits rely on audience participation is not a good movie. Its a "fun" something else but not a good piece of film making. Apart from the extraordinary accomplishment of getting this thing made for 11k, there is nothing new, creative, or redeeming here. Its a long road to nowhere, with a cheap,gimmicky, silly ending. And the acting destroys any chance that this "real" footage could actually be real.


mikej

[kingdom warrior]

I feel quite the opposite.

I get a lot more scared watching a horror movie by myself...especially at night with the lights turned off.

I NEVER get scared...not one bit...when there's tons of people around me...the creepiness is gone completely. That's why I prefer watching horror flicks at home...they are more effective...at least for me.

Take a graveyard for example. Having a bunch of people, drinking beer and stuff, at a graveyard...equals fun. Do that all by yourself...not so much fun.

TRU dat......as a teen I saw the exorcist by myself at night with the lights off.......Holy....never will do that again.

[ctc]

>A movie who's merits rely on audience participation is not a good movie.

I think it depends on the people. Some folks are more passive about their entertainment, some PREFER a more active role. It's a different experience and is gonna resonate differently.

I wonder if some theaters plant shills; to stir the crowd. Kinda like they'd do in the 50's.

Don C.

[darklord1967]

Apart from the extraordinary accomplishment of getting this thing made for 11k, there is nothing new, creative, or redeeming here.

No credit for this accomplishment coming from a first-time filmmaker? I mean, Director Oren Peli does not even have formal film training! How's THAT for a kick in the gonads! There are people who've spend thousands of dollars to go to film school, and who maybe even have had access to better resources, equipment and money than Peli did. Yet MOST of these people do not have the tenacity and diligence for an accomplishment of this magnitude.

Don't forget: Loooooooooong before this film became the juggernaut of hype that it has become, it was a teeny tiny film that had a LOT of people buzzing at film festivals two years ago... including the folks at Dreamworks who saw the film and brought it to Steven Speilberg's attention.

Speaking of which, I suppose this film (by itself) deserves no credit for the deep impression that it (allegedly) left on Steven Speilberg when he viewed it (alone at home, I might add)?

Or how about the innovative "demand it" marketing campaign to get the film noticed, generate buzz, and give it a wide release. No credit there either, huh?

And the acting destroys any chance that this "real" footage could actually be real.

Well, I found the (improv-style) acting to be quite effective from everyone concerned... and not only from the two leads, but also from Mark Fredrichs with his compassionate earnestness as the psychic who initially visits our doomed couple in an attempt to help them with their plight.

But in either case, (unlike The Blair Witch Project) There should be no confusion as to wether or not this footage was a "real" event.

No one ever claimed this was "real" documentary footage. Not the filmmakers. Not the studio. Not the director. Not the ad campaigns to promote the film.

Furthermore, there is TONS of information online about the making of this (fictional feature) film (from its production cost, to its seven day shoot, to its various alternate endings, to its film festival history dating back two years).

And Last week's issue of Entertainment Weekly featured a cover story about the two stars of the film Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat. The article chronicles how they landed the roles after their unusual auditions with the director, and how their lives have now changed as a result of this film's success.

So really, anyone who believes this to be some sort of real documentary footage is really not paying attention to readily available information.

Now, having said that, I must tell you that I HAVE encountered some people (who I suppose do not spend much time online or reading magazines) who were shocked to find out that this was NOT a documentary. They were (initially) convinced that they were witnessing a real event captured on tape.

To those people, there is NO doubt about the effectiveness of the actors involved, nor of the film in general.

[darklord1967]

I wonder if some theaters plant shills; to stir the crowd. Kinda like they'd do in the 50's.

Don C.

"Shills"?? Sounds interesting, Don. Please educate us.

I mean, I think i know what they might be, but I've never heard of them before.

What's their story?

[ctc]

>"Shills"?? Sounds interesting, Don. Please educate us.

Back in the 50's and 60's they used all sorts of gimmicks to get people into theaters. For some movies they'd have staff in the audience who'd freak out at appropriate times, and inspire the audience to do the same. (I know "The Tingler" was run like this; with real people AND them electrodes in the seats.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tingler

And the master:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Castle

"Matinee" was kind of an homage/parody of Castle, and the gimmick films of yesteryear. Stuff like the Blair Witch, this film, the new one about aliens.... kinda reminds me of this kind of thing.

Don C.

[wolfie]

Darklord, thank you very much for the info on the Exorcist, i must watch this new version.

[z3zep]

Paranormal Activity was the single most boring movie I ever saw. What a waste of money and time! Not scary in the least and booooring!!!!!!

[darklord1967]

Let me guess: You either:


... saw the film for the first time, one afternoon this past weekend, in an empty movie theater with absolutely NO audience participation.

OR

You saw the film for the first time this weekend by downloading it off of your computer and watching it on your small computer monitor.

OR

You watched a crappy bootleg DVD this weekend, in your brightly-lit living room.


Am I right? Be honest.

[z3zep]

I saw it with a small audience in a movie theater but honestly there is nothing scary there... I was bored 10 mins in.

oooh the door opened and closed a bit. ooh she is standing there for 2 hours watching him. snnoooore. no action, bad dialogue. I am your boyfriend, I will fix this.

I hated it.

[kingdom warrior]

Paranormal Activity was the single most boring movie I ever saw. What a waste of money and time! Not scary in the least and booooring!!!!!!

YUP!!!!!! Saw it today WOW!!! Over hyped crud!! This movie if you can call it that was soooooooooooo boring!!!!! I never got into the Characters. I found the Characters a total bore and the boyfriend was an idiot. You never care for the characters so when things start to happen which take forever by the way...you never feel sorry for them maybe if this WAS real I might have gotten into it but fake Documentaries SUCK!!!..........I had to laugh when I hear people say this is the scariest movie ever...that's a load of bull......and both endings (alternate)are pathetically bad....gee I never saw that coming...

[hawkmike]

the movie blows chunks, but it and blair witch get a nod because they were little indy micro budgets movies that paid back the makers big time and gives others a chance.....