"Paranormal Activity"
Directed by: Oren Peli
Starring: Katie Featherston, Micah Sloat
Rated: R
Movie studios make a half-hearted effort to keep their film budgets secret, but industry insiders always have a pretty good idea of ballpark figures.
It's not an exaggeration to say that at any given time, there's more than $15,000 in the petty-cash drawer of most blockbuster productions.
So to think that someone could make a movie for $15,000 and get more than 1 million interested fans to sign an online petition asking that Paramount put said film in wide release is nearly unfathomable.
The film is Oren Peli's scarefest "Paranormal Activity." The director shot the film on location at his own home with a crew of three, including himself.
Lead actor Micah Sloat not only acted as cameraman for half of the shots (an ingenious move for Peli), he also composed the sparse amount of music used in the film. Peli then edited the footage on his home PC with Sony's editing software, Vegas, which has a street price of less than $500.
Sloat plays (conveniently) Micah, a day trader who works out of his home in suburban San Diego. His girlfriend Katie (Katie Featherston) moves in with him, and as the film opens we get the idea that there's been some mischief afoot. Micah thinks the noises the couple has been hearing at night are from some of the local kids who think Katie is pretty hot and are sneaking in the house in the wee hours.
Katie knows differently. On and off throughout her life, since age 8, something has been haunting her. She and her sister saw a shadowy figure at the foot of Katie's bed many times in childhood, and things went bump in the night in whatever house they moved into. Katie tells Micah that there have been periods of inactivity, but since moving in with him, it seems things are getting spooky again.
Micah is an industrious, headstrong guy, and he has a plan. He buys a video rig that can capture footage to his laptop, a digital audio recording device and other gear. The fact that the main character is shooting video makes it easy for Peli to get the camera in tight places and not have to worry about reflections, shadows or other things directors usually consider a nuisance.
In the early scenes Micah, who thinks the whole "ghost" thing is a load of bull, playfully "tests" the camera, following Katie everywhere. He even suggests they make a little home movie of their own.
Katie is not amused.
Micah does set up the recording rig in the bedroom, but it is merely to document what goes on while the couple sleeps. If there's a ghost - or some neighbor kids - around, the camera and audio recorder will capture the proceedings.
The first night, nothing much happens. There's an audio anomaly but it could be anything. Each night thereafter things escalate until finally Micah agrees to let Katie call in a psychic.
The psychic says he feels a very strong presence in the house. But his specialty is ghosts - and this entity, he assures the couple, is a demon. Micah is still not convinced and continues the nightly filming. Each night things get weirder, louder and more violent.
To give much more away would be unfair to the potential viewer, but I will say there are several seemingly simple special effects in the film that, to me, are every bit as impressive as big budget computer generated razzle-dazzle. Watch the Ouija board scene closely and keep your eyes on all parts of the room.
There will be many comparisons to another low budget horror film whose characters are an amateur film crew out to document a local legend. I personally think "Paranormal Activity" is a better, scarier and more intense movie than 1999's "The Blair Witch Project," but it's not quite as scary as the ads for the film would have you believe.
Those who like their horror bloody, gory and gross, and their special effects fast and furious, may not understand what the hubbub is about. To be honest, there are technical difficulties with the film: The sound is pretty bad throughout and "jump cuts" occur in nearly every scene. But the premise is great. Peli based it on his own experience when he and his girlfriend moved into a house that was still "settling" - and the acting is completely natural. Outside of the aforementioned creepy effects, I could easily believe this was a home video shot by the couple.
At any rate, it's a great choice for Halloween time. And it's sure to set a record for the profit-to-production cost ratio.
Jim Wunderle owns Wunderle Sound Services and is a Springfield freelance writer and musician. He can be reached at info@wunderlesound.com.
