Paranormal Activity: A new form of scary

By: Rebecca Smyth

Over the years, scary movies have evolved into more than just the typical ghost story; these days, we see trailers for movies like the “Saw” series, which emphasizes blood and gore in its attempt to frighten audiences, or movies similar to “Orphan”, which utilizes realistic scenarios to terrorize peoples’ innermost fears.

While the recently released “Paranormal Activity” may appear to be a ghost story of sorts, viewers might be surprised at how much this movie preys on the weaknesses and nightmares of its audiences.


Starring two unknown actors Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat, the film was directed by Indie-film director Oren Peli. Styled cleverly as a convincing documentary, “Paranormal Activity” presents what appears to be a normal situation: after moving into a new home, couple Katie and Micah come to the conclusion that they are being haunted by some sort of ghost or demon after videotaping odd disturbances that seem to only occur at night, while they are asleep. As more and more details are revealed about Katie’s troubled past with experiencing “paranormal activity” while growing up, Micah  and Katie seem to be fighting a losing battle as the terrifying phantom continues to terrorize their home.

What this ghost story uses that not many others take advantage of is its style of filming; recording in a fashion mimicking a the act of looking through a handheld camera (identical to that of “The Blair Witch Project” and “Cloverfield”), the shaky camera angle gives the audience a more personal contact with the horrified couple. Viewers not only watch the movie, they seem to share the experience with the couple; the used, odd method of filming adds to the movie’s scariness through forcing the audience to actually “live” with Micah and Katie in their haunted home. 

Originally created in 2007 with a different ending than the released version, the 2009 ghost thriller has received mixed reviews from both movie critics and students. “I thought it was really scary, especially because of the way it was recorded,” said sophomore Alaina Gaines. Another student, who chose to remain anonymous, claimed that the camera angle did not allow her to enjoy the movie. Said Olivia Minick, a sophomore, “I thought it was scarier than the average ghost story, because of how they made it similar to a documentary.” Other students agreed: “Until the end, I thought it was a true story,” said another junior, who chose to remain anonymous. “The whole style of how the movie was filmed and directed made the plotline a lot scarier than other ghost movies.”

While critics and movie-goers have given “Paranormal Activity” many different reviews, one cannot deny that the film is receiving a great deal of national attention, and has definitely made a dent in the movie industry. Whether the style of filming employed by Peli will set the standard for future horror films is unknown, there is no doubt that “Paranormal Activity” has explored a new realm of what will scare viewers. back to The Grizzly Online