Paranormal Activity Strikes Home: Horror Genre Gets Lift from the Typical

The Blair Witch Project demonstrated something interesting about human psyche. Generally speaking, horror movies up to that point have been overtly violent, which to many, isn't really terrifying. Alfred Hitchcock first explored the genre's ability to let the human mind write the script on its own, generating images of what might be happening (or what might be lurking around the corner). If nothing happens to meet the viewer's expectations, all the better; that creates the stimulus for the next sequence of events. Paranormal Activity deftly strikes the balance between the obvious and implied. Following the tradition of the jerky-cam scary movie, Paranormal Activity makes viewers unnerved at the prospect of seeing something, even if nothing actually happens for long stretches.

Set in suburban San Diego, a young couple finds themselves tormented by what, they don't know. What fiance Micah Sloat does, as a typical skeptic, is mount a camera on a tripod to investigate what might be happening to her, spurred by interesting marks and physical issues originating from a mysterious source. Micah is obviously invested in the investigatory process, but never takes the threat seriously. Katie however has been experiencing these types of things since a young girl, and although there are only a couple truly obviously frightening points (which won't be revealed here), the points in between can be alternatively tension-filled and frustrating. Much of what the viewer will see is parts of heads, hands, and feet (albeit still attached; yet another departure from the typical horror movie). That is simultaneously the charm and the annoyance of films like this, so viewers simply have to go into it with an open mind.

Truly, the format of using a store-bought camera to film "actual" events has its pluses. The only problem can be is when the viewer is all to aware that the movie is not a documentary. The Blair Witch Project actually had many viewers hoodwinked initially, partly due to the fact that the internet was not the tattle-tale force it is today. Paranormal Activity however is never bland, and tends to make viewers believe what they're seeing is plausible, such that every creak, groan, and bump in their own homes just might not be what they think it is. That is the true effect of this sub-genre of horror movie; the injection of possibility into the viewers psyche.

Often, the thought of something happening, whether positive or negative, is more impactful than the actual event. This is why moviegoers will (for better or for worse) probably see an influx of movies like this. Better, because hack-and-slash is tired, and worse, because the suspension of disbelief only has so long of a shelf life. To be more specific, most of what the viewer experiences are sounds - bumps, keys falling, etc - which allows the imagination even more to work with. We hear the thumps, hear them getting closer; the anticipation for what we might see works its magic.

Director Oren Peli has done a masterful job with this movie, given the sub-genre's inherent limitations. Those are that, again, the viewer must really think what they're viewing might really be happening - or might really happen to them. Many reviews on Paranormal Activity have said that, although not groundbreaking like Blair Witch, the movie expands on the sub-genre in the only way it could, without overtly lying to the viewing public and calling it a documentary. That is the next logical step, and although there might be benefits to creating a scenario where the "actors" are actually playing characters that are purported to be real people (much like many say Whitley Streiber of Communion fame has committed to in the context of alien abduction), there may be drawbacks to further blurring the line between fantasy and reality. What we do know for sure is that the movie is effective, scary, and burrows itself inextricably into viewers' minds. Those living in older homes especially might have a few more sleepless nights after watching Paranormal Activity.