Monday, February 20, 2012

Paranormal Activities

If I know that 80% of you HATE scary movies, why do I persist?  In the last four weeks, I've posted on three different films designed to keep you awake at night.  I don't have a good answer for you, except that we here at the Nawrot household seem to be in the middle of a horror binge.  


We have always enjoyed the Paranormal Activity movies.  Actually let me rephrase that.  My daughter and I enjoy them, but my husband finds them dull.  Emma and I just recently watched the third installment on Pay Per View, so I thought I would do a little PA Roundup.


   
 For those of you who don't know, this is the premise.  Home videos and security camera videos capturing various members of the same family being terrorized by a demonic spirit.  We're not talking about just slamming doors and such, but this invisible presence drags people, invades and steals souls.  People die.  


Each PA installment goes back in time, exploring the genesis of the demonic spirit, why it is here, and to whom it is attached.  All three movies however revolve around sisters Katie and Kristi and their troubled background.   


 All the movies start out slow, the various home footage sometimes running for days without any strange occurrences.  That, by itself, builds incredible tension.  When is something going to happen?  When things DO happen, sometimes it is subtle.  It is like reading an "I Spy" book, your eyes watching for the tiniest movement or the smallest thing out of place.  (Alas, the beauty of NOT seeing this in the theater is that you can rewind and scrutinize.)  With each movie, however, I will warn you that the demonic interference is more and more alarming.  Unlike most films with sequels, these keep getting better.  


Certainly the folks that birthed this lucrative franchise didn't invent the genre.  That honor goes to the Blair Witch kids.  Still, it only cost $15,000 to make the first movie, and it grossed $9.1 million.  Yes you read that right.  An unknown cast, no big special effects, and a handheld camera filming everything inside some dude's house with dirty carpets.  After that little hat trick, the budget did go up to $3 million for the second film, but made $178 million worldwide, and the third movie is well on its way to something similar.  Not a bad investment, and I don't blame these people one bit if they just keep making more until the audience decides they've had enough. (FYI, they have announced that there WILL be a fourth.)


As a student of the horror film, I believe that less is more in this situation.  I find these movies scary and intense.  My stomach hurts by the end, my heart palpitates, but I have a big old grin on my face and I keep coming back for more.  It is my corny, guilty pleasure.



14 comments:

bermudaonion said...

You have nerves of steel!

rhapsodyinbooks said...

Let's amend Kathy's comment: your WHOLE FAMILy has nerves of steel! :--)

Brooke said...

I enjoy these movies! Haven't seen the third installment yet, but these movies scare me in such a fun, suspenseful way.

Anonymous said...

I'll add to kathy and OJ's comments by saying you're TWISTED and have nerves of steel. :-D

Zibilee said...

My daughter wants to see these movies, but I won't see them with her, so she hasn't watched them yet. It does sound like an interesting premise and one that could probably be very scary and enervating! This was a great recap of the three movies. Now if I do see them, I will know what I am getting myself into!

Amy said...

lol I really like these movies, too! I thought the third PA was the best yet, sooo creepy! I wonder what the fourth one will be about though.

Ti said...

My family is very much like yours. We enjoy a good horror flick every now and then.

I want you to know that after talking to my husband about The Human Centipede, he watched it, and laughed his ass off.

I didn't laugh, but seeing parts of it a second time, I do admit that it just seemed silly the second time around. Not nearly as disturbing as when I saw it for the first time.

Melody said...

I love a good horror movie now and then. Can you believe I haven't watched any of this instalments yet?? Yep, gotta check them out!!

Kate @Midnight Book Girl said...

I really thought this was the best one so far! I love horror movies, despite the fact that every time I curse myself for putting my nerves through it. :) Bring on Paranormal Activity 4!

Heidenkind said...

My brother went to see this with his girlfriend and said it was boring. I don't really like scary movies, so... :)

Jenners said...

Is it somehow October down there in Florida? What is up with you guys and all this scary stuff? I've always been curious what happend in these films but I don't need to watch myself because I'm a big scaredy cat. I'm still trying to recover from watching The Ring years ago.

Darlene said...

I love horror movies! They are my absolute favorite and while I've seen these on iTunes I haven't watched them but I'm going to now. I usually sit there with my stomach doing somersaults and my heart racing while watching but I always go back for more. Lol.

Julie P. said...

Do you ever get nightmares?

Kathleen said...

I love scary movies but have shied away from this one because just the commercials for them scare me half to death!