I know I said before that I would not waste my money on the new movie “Paranormal Activity”. I think I said something to the lines of me waiting for it to come out on video and put it at the bottom of my Netflix queue. Well like I previously stated, I have to eat my words.

I finally got a chance to watch “Paranormal Activity” at a midnight screening in Hollywood, CA. I have to be honest, it was one of the most terrifying movies that I’ve seen in a long, long time. My god….

The show started at around 12:01 am. In which at exactly 12:01 am my girlfriend leans over and kisses me and whispers the “Happy Birthday” song. I couldn’t think of a better way to bring in my new birthday year.

OK, back to the movie.

I think the overall expectations of it being like the “Blair Witch Project” were not met. In a good way. The movie focuses on the paranormal activity that a young couple from San Diego, CA experience. They take it upon themselves to “handle” the situation. The husband catalogs every moment of it with a hi-def camera.

I don’t really want to give too much details about the movie, but I can describe what I felt and the reactions of those strangers around me.

I’ve only really been honestly terrified of one movie in my entire life. I think everyone has had a bad experience with “The Exorcist”. Not only was this movie a major controversial piece when it came out in the states, but it was also banned from several countries back in the 70s. Something so horrific had never been seen on screen before. The whole issue of demonic possession was introduced to a lot of the American audience through the silver screen and masterfully tailored to play on everyone’s fears. It was and still is a very controversial, but most importantly, scary movie. The last time I saw this I was 22 at the time and alone in my apartment in Culver City, CA. For some bizarre and unknown reason to me, I figured that I wanted to watch “The Exorcist” from start to finish alone in my place. I went to BlockBuster video and rented the movie and grabbed some snacks. When I came back home, my roommates were away so I had the place to myself. I turned off all the lights and put in the DVD. I don’t know what I was thinking.
I got to the part where Linda Blair’s character (Regan) starts to moan and contort her body, clawing up in the air and the image of a demon/Devil appears behind her. Shit. I turned that TV off so quick and turned on all the lights to my place. Left my snacks there and opted to leave my pad and go get a coffee or something. Anything to get out of my place.

That was fear. Something no other movie has done to me and millions of other people. At least for me, most horror movies are not scary. They seem all like slasher films with excess blood, serial killers and booty. Which I don’t really mind, but you know…

It’s been a long time since a movie has reached that level of terrifying effect that “The Exorcist” had on me. the “Blair Witch project” was close. But only because I knew nothing about this movie. My cousin just told me it was a true story of a film that was found. That’s all. I came out of the theater mortified.

“Paranormal Activity” re-introduces that fear that “The Exorcist” first brought to movie goers.

If this movie does well, I think most major Hollywood producers will have a new set height to match or beat. Most modern horror films are so saturated with cheap “loud noises” through out the movie that it makes it difficult to watch. If it’s not loud , obnoxious noises, then it’s filled with so much computer graphics that real horror fans like myself quickly become disengaged.

Most modern horror films like the latest “Friday the 13th” or “Halloween” or any of the “Saw” movies are geared towards attracting the young crowd. Those of 14 to 21 years of age. So for the rest of us who grew up with movies like “The Exorcist”, “The Car”, “Duel” or the original “Halloween” these new movies are at best something to talk badly about with friends over coffee.

“Paranormal Activity” has introduced a new genre of horror. Well maybe not new, but very crafty.  It shows you that with imagination, and good acting, you can produce what the critical thinkers really crave. A good movie produced by talented directors, talented writers, talented actors with no need of large computer rendering farms crunching away all night just to generate blood exploding out of Michael Myers’ victims.

I must say that throughout this movie, I was really scared. I mean, I know that it’s just a movie and not real; but being that I read and write about this stuff almost daily I got a sense of what it is to be on the other end of a dangerous haunting. I think that is what scared me the most. The possibility of.

Scene from Paranormal Activity

Even the people around me were visibly uncomfortable. Some were fidgeting around, others making sullen jokes just to break the suspense of the movie. Many times I wanted to revert back to my childhood moments when I would cover my eyes when a scary part was happening. I don’t think I’ve ever heard so many gasps and screams at a movie before.

As far as the accuracy of the hauntings and the technicality of it, it was pretty much on the spot to my knowledge of the field. When you read reports of demonic hauntings you get a feeling that what ever is going on is not a walk in the park. I think “Paranormal Activity” does a great job at translating the horror a person could go through in such cases.

In the end of it, I heard many people say that it was one of the scariest movies that they have ever seen. As they stood there wide-eyed. Others would say that it was “stupid” and boring. Saying that it was too slow and didn’t show enough of the “ghost”.

I just looked at them and then turned to my girl and gave her that “what rubes” look. I think these are the people who would enjoy “Hostel 5” or whatever part they are up to now.

Like I told my girlfriend on the ride home, people don’t have imaginations anymore. You have to pretty much be as detailed and gruesome as you can without actually dumping a corpse out from the screen to actually stimulate the sensitized audience nowadays. These people expected more action and ghosts running about to hold down their attention. I’m guessing they know of only what Hollywood tells them. That hauntings consist of portals opening up and demons running out from them, or houses with toilets and sinks filling up with snakes and spiders or some outlandish thing like that.

Overall, I have to say that this movie was really scary. It was what horror movies should be, or aspire to be when they grow up. The age of big budget Hollywood props is over. There’s a new standard set on the horror genre, and I couldn’t be more happy to welcome it home.