Paranormal Activity 2: a Review

I have to be honest here; the first Paranormal Activity scared the hell out of me. To this day I get the jeebies if I think of the girl swaying back and forth for hours next to the bed in sped-up time. I really do shudder to think of it. Did the second film deliver like that? No. There were some creepy parts and some very scary parts, but it didn't have the same effect on me as the first one. Would I recommend Paranormal Activity 2 to viewers who like a good scare? Absolutely.

While the first Paranormal Activity, in my opinion, went for the sheer creepiness factor of having a demon living in the house, the second edition relied heavily on actual loud noises that made the audience jump in their seats. While both are technically going to scare you, the latter isn't going to be responsible for a lot of nightmares. It's just scary.

One thing I did find tasty about Paranormal Activity 2 is that they tied in with the first one, making it one big story. They even had the attractive girl from the first one play the sister of the star of the second one. Whew. Confused yet? It gets better. Paranormal Activity 2 actually takes place just before or concurrently with Paranormal Activity, the original version. That's good writing, folks.

They threw a toddler and a doggie in the second edition for all you folks who love to peek out between your fingers when the going gets rough. While there is little to no actual blood and gore, the viewer gets the jist of what's going on just fine. Folks on the screen get scared, they get hurt, they die. The audience jumps and laughs and holds their breath; it's what a horror movie should do!

So, this author gives Paranormal Activity 2 a thumbs up, although for whatever reason I am still more impressed with the first one. Maybe because I had already seen the format. Maybe because I thought the girl in the first one was hotter. Maybe it was the swaying by the bed. Yea, it was. However, Paranormal Activity 2 is worth the go-see.