Movie Review: "Paranormal Activity 2"

Seen on: October 21, 2010

The players: Director: Tod Williams, Writer: Michael R. Perry, Cast: Katie Featherston, Micah Sloat, Brian Boland, Molly Ephraim, Sprague Grayden

Facts of interest: Budget estimated at around $2.8 million.

The plot: Weird stuff is happening in a family home in California.

Our thoughts: It only took one year for a sequel to Oren Peli’s excellent hit horror flick “Paranormal Activity” to arrive in theaters, and now “Paranormal Activity 2” is already en route to box office glory. Sure, this second installment boasts a decent level of suspense and a series of unexpected loud noises, but at the end of the day, it’s by far not as captivating or surprising as its scary predecessor.

The main problem I have with this sequel is that its producers insisted on making it much bigger than the first one. The location is a lot bigger, the family is larger and in addition to the traditional camcorder carried around by the characters, we’re now also dealing with a bunch of security cameras placed all over the house. Great idea, but it definitely eliminates the claustrophobic feeling of the original.

On top of that, it also doesn’t build up as much curiosity. The first “Paranormal Activity” worked so well because we could only see what was going on through the lens of one single hand-held camera, but that aspect is no longer available. It’s not that the constant cutting from one camera to the next kills every chance for intensity in the sequel, but it does reduce the amount of thrilling, creepy moments.

Of course, the general element of surprise has vanished as well, and we all kind of already know what we’re in for here. That said, “Paranormal Activity 2” is not a terrible follow-up at all. It’s a fast-paced and very entertaining flick boasting an overall uncomfortable atmosphere throughout, and it certainly comes loaded with about a handful of shock moments that even made this reviewer jump.

I can’t say it scared me as much as the first film, but some bits and pieces here and there had me alert for sure. Plus, the sequel features a bunch of moments ruled by complete silence, which proves to be quite an efficient technique to generate an awkward mood. The cast does a fine job as well, and the addition of a dog and a baby definitely help the movie’s so-so level of suspense.

Freaky quote: "Aaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!" - Molly Ephraim

The final word: I will stop here because this is the kind of movie you don’t want to know much about anyway before you see it. “Paranormal Activity 2” may not be as intense or surprising as part one, but all in all, I had a fine time watching this thing. Fans of the first will certainly enjoy it, and others won’t. It will make a lot of money at the b.o., and that’s just how it is. Go have fun with the demons. I recommend it.

Article by Franck Tabouring