Paranormal Activity 2 (2010) R
Well, a sequel was inevitable, and it didn't take long. A third chapter will undoubtedly be made next year. I'm going to set the record straight here and say that this is NOT a sequel, it's a prequel. It's directed by Tod Williams (The Door in the Floor), and I think it was a big mistake to replace Oren Peli. Peli took hours of sleep from us with a $11,000 budget. Williams steals our $6.50, and 1 1/2 hours of our lives with a $3 million budget.The film starts in the middle of a conversation between Kristi (Sprague Grayden) and her housekeeper/nanny Martine. I'd like to mention that no trailers were shown beforehand, which was odd. It was confusing for most of the audience. We weren't sure if we were watching a trailer or the film. Anyway, right off the bat we know that this film will have the same feel, and the same look as the first film. We are introduced to Dan (Brian Boland) and Kristi, and Dan's daughter (from a previous marriage) Ali (Molly Ephraim). And of course, their infant son, Hunter.
What we soon find out is that Kristi is Katie's sister. If you haven't seen the first film or just can't remember, Katie was the main character in Paranormal Activity. Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat are alive and well, because it's August 6th, 2006 (60 days before the murder of Micah Sloat). They're one big happy and rich family. That is until there is a "break-in" one afternoon. There doesn't seem to be anything missing, but the house is a wreck. So, Dan and Kristi install six hidden cameras all over the house for protection. And here...we...go...again.
They taping begins the night of August 7th, 2006. For the first few days and nights, there isn't a whole lot happening inside the house. Their son Hunter often cries in the middle of night (we assume he sees the demon), and the dog barks and cowers. Soon strange things begin to happen. Pots begin to fall from hangers, the pool cleaner mysteriously gets taken out of the pool every night, birds fly into windows, Ali hears voices, doors slam, noises are heard at all times of the day...you get the picture.
Their trusted housekeeper Martine (who barely speaks English and is probably an illegal alien) is very religious and tries to rid the house of "evil" spirits. However, Dan isn't having none of that. He's an atheist or a nihilist or apathetic, or whatever you want to call him. So, he fires Martine. Even after seeing video evidence of things being moved and doors slammed, Dan doesn't believe it's a ghost or demon.
Ali and Kristi are extremely scared, but there doesn't seem to be anything to do but ignore it. Which is what Katie advises Kristi to do. But one day while reading a magazine in the kitchen, Kristi has the scare of her life when the entire kitchen nearly explodes. All the doors and counters open, pictures fly off the wall and things fall from shelves. This would be a good time to leave, but no.
Hunter has been dragged and carried by this entity, but they haven't seen that on film. Things heat up when Abby (the house dog) gets injured by the demon. Dan and Ali take her to the vet, and leave Kristi alone with Hunter. Bad idea, folks. While putting Hunter to bed, Kristi gets dragged down the stairs. She momentarily gets away but is knocked down and gets dragged into the creepy basement. Hours later she emerges and is now a walking zombie. She has scratches and bite marks on her. Dan realizes something is wrong with her when he gets back home and she is basically in a coma. She's unresponsive, she doesn't blink and she doesn't speak. So Dan calls Martine to help rid her of the demon.
From that point on, things get a little more intense. The two films finally intertwine. Without giving anything away, I will say that we momentarily jump to September 18th (the first day Katie and Micah start documenting) and then October 8th (the night of Micah's death). This sounds all well and fine, but the last 10 minutes are just not scary. It's sloppy and most definitely not creative.
The buildup is okay, but the payoff is extremely unsatisfying. The creepiest/scariest moments are the ones where nothing happens. The acting isn't bad, the special effects are decent, the dialogue is fine, but unlike the first film, the last 20-30 minutes are actually quite boring and laughable. While this film sure is creepy, it lacks the bite-your-lip moments. In all honestly, this film is a disappointment and you should wait for the DVD release.
C-
I agree with the majority of your reviews, but I feel as if you slipped on this one. Most sequels are a bunch of crap and should of never been made, but this one made the first film look like Disney World. It gave the audience a much better understanding of why they were picked and deal with the demon, etc. I found myself with a lot more on the edge of my seat and freaked out than I did with the first. At least a C+ or B- for this film.
ReplyDeleteI knew I was going to be in the minority on this one. What made the original so good was that it was cheap, fresh, creepy and it had a fantastic ending. This time around it had a much bigger budget so I expected more special effects, but nope. Show us something! The ending was cheesy and laughable. Really? A neck break? There were one of two parts that made me jump but not at one point was I scared. I honestly expected to see more blood and more activity. Most of the paranormal activity was a fricken pool cleaner, white noise, door slams, and stovepot drops. And yes, the original was the same way, but it was the original. Give us something new! Bottom line, I watch these type of films to get freaked, and it just didnt do that. The audience at the theater told the story...people were laughing throughout and booed at the end.
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