When it comes to horror films, what might keep one person clutching their covers in fear, might be boring or predictable to another.  Paranormal Activity exemplifies that fact; while some may not find this movie the least bit frightening, I think most will find they'll have a hard time sleeping once it's over.

Paranormal Activity uses techniques made famous some years ago with the Blair Witch Project.  In this so-called "actual event" we follow a young couple, Micah (Micah Sloat) and Katie (Katie Featherston), as they try to capture odd nightly household occurrences. When the couple brings in a psychic to get a better idea of what's going on, they find things are much worse than they believed.  As the nights go on, Katie, who has experienced paranormal activity throughout her life, is followed by a demon that gets a lot more hostile than ever before.

The plot is easily the weakest part of Paranormal Activity; it quickly gets predictable and dull.  The first half is slow moving, with character introductions and background information and even after the nighttime scares start to increase, the daytime parts remain weak in comparison. 

The characters also suffer from the mediocre plot, as they make dumb decisions and occasionally become annoying to watch; Micah especially, who refuses to accept help for their situation, has the potential to become a frequent frustration for the audience.

We experience all of the supernatural occurrences during the night time shots which are all shot from the same perspective - a camera stand next to the couple's bed pointing down the hallway.  While it seems bland, it's actually what makes it so frightening. These night scenes are why people will come see this movie.

Never has a horror movie done such a good job of making us believe we are watching something real. Perhaps if this had come out before the Blair Witch Project, more people may actually have been fooled by it.

The movie makes us experience something most us fear - what goes on while we turn off the lights and rest comfortably in our bed.  It's the subtle noises, a light turning on or bodiless footsteps that make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. Paranormal Activity doesn't feel like a movie, it feels like it's happening in someone's house - - someone who could just as easily be you.

The creepiness and unsettling atmosphere is escaladed by the fact that you never see the demon that haunts the couple.  You hear it, you can see its actions, but even when it sounds like its right in front of the camera, all you see is an empty room.  It's this unknown entity that makes your imagination run wild and makes you question the source of every creek and moan your house makes while you're trying to fall asleep.

Very few movies have actually managed to frighten me, but Paranormal Activity succeeded at getting on that short list; but with all the hype surrounding this movie, most will expect to see one of the scariest movies of all time when in reality, it's just another horror film. 

Everyone's fears are different and while this one does an excellent job playing off a fear that most people have, it still won't be unanimously scary to each and every person that sees it.   If you're looking for a good fright though, Paranormal Activity is worth checking out.

You never know, even you might find yourself questioning what goes bump in the night.

Grade: B-

By Nick Baker