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Movies / Upcoming / Paranormal Activity
Paranormal Activity

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Paranormal Activity (2009)

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Reviews Counted:134

Fresh:111

Rotten:23

Average Rating:7.1/10

Consensus: Using its low-budget effects and mockumentary method to great result, Paranormal Activity turns a simple haunted house story into 90 minutes of relentless suspense.

Rated: R [See Full Rating] for language

Genre: Horror/Suspense

Theatrical Release:Sep 25, 2009 Limited

Box Office: $103,690,184

Synopsis: A haunted house makes no secret of the fact it is not pleased with its new tenants in this independent tale of supernatural horror. Katie (Katie Featherson) and Micah (Micah Sloat) are a... A haunted house makes no secret of the fact it is not pleased with its new tenants in this independent tale of supernatural horror. Katie (Katie Featherson) and Micah (Micah Sloat) are a twentysomething couple who've just moved into a new home in San Diego, California. Katie has an interest in the paranormal and believes that malevolent spirits have been following her since childhood, though Micah is not so easily convinced. However, after several nights of loud noises and strange happenings, Micah starts to agree with Katie that some sort of ghost may have followed them to the new home. After a paranormal researcher tells the couple he can't help them, Micah decides to take control of the situation and sets up a battery of video cameras so that if a spirit manifests itself, he can capture its behavior on tape. Once the surveillance cameras are in place, Katie and Micah bring in a Ouija board in an effort to talk to the spirits, a move that deeply offends the ghosts. PARANORMAL ACTIVITY was the first feature film from writer-director Oren Peli. [More]

Starring: Katie Featherston, Micah Sloat

Starring: Katie Featherston, Micah Sloat

Director: Oren Peli

Director: Oren Peli
Screenwriter: Oren Peli
Studio: Paramount Pictures

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Reviews for Paranormal Activity

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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"Overrated, overhyped and so not scary." Paul Chambers, CNN.

Full Review Source: CNNRadio | comment 2 Comments
11/20/09
Paul Chambers
Paul Chambers
CNNRadio

It may not be particularly original in terms of content or style, but Oren Peli's decisively no-budget horror creates a surprisingly effective sense of dread.

Full Review Source: Radio Times | comment Comment
11/20/09
Alan Jones
Alan Jones
Radio Times

The titular and sometimes distressing activity in Paranormal Activity serves as a mostly banal metaphor for the couples relationship.

Full Review Source: Nitrate Online | comment Comment
11/19/09
Cynthia Fuchs
Cynthia Fuchs
Nitrate Online

It has a few good scares, but one has to sit through nearly 80 minutes of mind-numbing tedium before the payoff ...

Full Review Source: Atlantic City Weekly | comment Comment
11/18/09
Lori Hoffman
Lori Hoffman
Atlantic City Weekly

Expect less and you will appreciate it more. The film isn't unique or even very well made. Peli only seems able to come up with HALF of a good idea throughout the film.

Full Review Source: Kinetofilm | comment Comment
11/14/09
Brian Holcomb
Brian Holcomb
Kinetofilm

Paranormal Activity taps into our primal fears of the unknown to provide a procession of increasingly nervewracking and frenzied moments of terror. Cut off any distractions, glue your eyes and ears to the screen and prepare to be scared silly.

Full Review Source: Digital Spy | comment 1 Comment
11/13/09
Ben Rawson-Jones
Ben Rawson-Jones
Digital Spy

... creates a prison without bars that lets the audience experience the walls closing in along with the victims.

Full Review Source: MovieCrypt.com | comment Comment
11/10/09
Kevin A. Ranson
Kevin A. Ranson
MovieCrypt.com

The same old thing dressed up in very slightly different clothes.

Full Review Source: Lessons of Darkness | comment 2 Comments
11/09/09
Nick Schager
Nick Schager
Lessons of Darkness

effectively scary

Full Review Source: Cinema Writer | comment Comment
11/08/09
Jay Antani
Jay Antani
Cinema Writer
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Screen International | comment 1 Comment
11/06/09
Brent Simon
Brent Simon
Screen International

The skeptics in us go to these things to see if we can really be scared --- and yikes, does "Paranormal Activity" deliver!

Full Review Source: Kaplan vs. Kaplan | comment 10 Comments
11/05/09
David Kaplan
David Kaplan
Kaplan vs. Kaplan

As the days progress we begin to notice a growing sense of terror, one that builds until the film's end.

Full Review Source: Nolan's Pop Culture Review | comment 2 Comments
11/05/09
Michael A. Smith
Michael A. Smith
Nolan's Pop Culture Review

A campfire story for the cyber generation, a bogey tale wrapped in time codes and misplaced faith in the power of technology to banish ghosties, ghoulies and long-leggedy beasties.

Full Review Source: Miss FlickChick | comment 1 Comment
11/03/09
Maitland McDonagh
Maitland McDonagh
Miss FlickChick

...the filmmaker's inability to draw the viewer into the unabashedly spare storyline is exacerbated by an almost egregiously uneventful opening half hour...

Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | comment 8 Comments
11/03/09
David Nusair
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews

It's a bit of The Exorcist, a bit of Poltergeist, a bit of The Blair Witch Project and a bit of Lost Highway - and it all adds up to a whole lot of scary.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment 5 Comments
11/03/09
Anton Bitel
Anton Bitel
Channel 4 Film

A great addition to the Things That Go Bump In the Night movie canon.

Full Review Source: Windy City Times | comment Comment
11/03/09
Richard Knight
Richard Knight
Windy City Times

Fun, creepy, unpretentious little haunted house rides like these are so hard to come by these days that slight overpraise is understandable.

Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com | comment 1 Comment
11/02/09
Michael Dequina
Michael Dequina
TheMovieReport.com

Works better than it has any right to.

Full Review Source: Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) | comment 4 Comments
10/31/09
Ken Hanke
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

Though it never poses a question more abstract than "Where's that scratching sound coming from?" Paranormal Activity is all about spiritual and ethical debts coming due.

Full Review Source: Slate | comment 2 Comments
10/30/09
Dana Stevens
Dana Stevens
Slate

Proves that in a horror movie, often the less you see, the more intense the story.

Full Review Source: Bangor Daily News (Maine) | comment 10 Comments
10/29/09
Christopher Smith
Christopher Smith
Bangor Daily News (Maine)
 
 
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Latest News for Paranormal Activity

November 04, 2009: Peli exhibits paranormal skill at escalating tension, so that even the most banal visual elements... quickly become associated with unbearable menace and foreboding. Opens in new window
More...

October 30, 2009: Weekly Ketchup: A Paranormal Sequel, Hopkins Joins Thor
This week's Ketchup includes news of sequels for Paranormal Activity, Mad Max, and Men in Black franchises, as well as casting news for Sir Anthony Hopkins, Matt Damon, Keira... More...

October 28, 2009: Watch the Original Paranormal Activity Ending Opens in new window
So, now that you've had the popcorn scared out of your lap by "Paranormal Activity," how about watching the original ending? Thanks, YouTube! More...

October 27, 2009: Bidding Begins for Paranormal Director's Next Film Opens in new window
"Paranormal Activity" is already one of the most profitable films of all time -- so what will studios be willing to pay for director Oren Peli's next effort, "Area 51"? More...

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