Halloween Movie Countdown #7: Paranormal Activity

Are you surprised to see something so modern on this list? I suppose we've set a rather classic precedent thus far with Rosemary's Baby, Psycho, and The Omen. That being said, it's positively silly to think that all the good horror movies were made in previous decades. It's an easy mistake to make, though, in this barren wasteland of crappy horror films released anymore. Since M. Night Shyamalan fell off the map, in the early 2000s, Horror needed a new innovator to shape the genre for years to come. That innovator showed up in 2007 and rose to prominence in 2009. That man's name is Oren Peli and he wrote/directed Paranormal Activity.

Paranormal Activity was one of those independent gems that movie geeks like me hear about and follow even when the general audiences have no clue what it is. I remember reading about it for months, hearing how terrifying it was even though I'd never seen a trailer or anything. I believe it was late September or early October 2009 when it came to my local area. At the time, I was sitting at home with a minor back injury that left me uncomfortable, but capable of doing simple things, so I went to a movie. It was this. The general public's idea of the film is so different now that it's been sequelized and turned into a large mythology. There was none of that in 2009. There was simply the most effective use of found footage in a horror film and some genuinely great scares.

Is it possible that you don't know what this series is basically about? Well, if it is, let me explain it to you. Paranormal Activity is the tale of Micah and Katie, a relatively normal co-habitating couple. When Katie complains about strange sounds in the house, Micah takes the opportunity to go purchase expensive cameras and software because he's also a tech geek. (God, reading how dated this sounds already makes me feel really old). Since the only time the two aren't fully able to notice these sounds or weird happenings is when they aren't conscious, Micah sets up the camera to record them sleep, just in case they catch anything. It turns out they do catch quite a lot, and the scares begin.

As with any horror movie, you really should only know enough to get you hooked, then stay as far away from spoilers as possible. If there's one genre that's ruined by spoilers, it's the horror genre. As far as the pop culture obsession over this series goes, I'm not sure someone could watch this for the first time and not have some idea what kind of spoilers are in store, but that was really the beauty of the first one. It had such a creepy atmosphere that was presented in a way that was so fresh at the time. Now, found footage horror is more of a "Meh," reaction than anything. Can you believe that a film with its first wide release in 2009 is now vintage? I really can't.

This is far and away the scariest of the Paranormal Activity series and currently stands as a modern classic for the way it captured audiences and continues to years later. If you ask me, this is the movie Poltergeist dreamt of being. If you want to be afraid of your house, afraid of going to sleep, this is certainly that movie. Even more than that, while it becomes absolutely terrifying if you let it really sink into your brain, it's fun as hell. This film, and the subsequent sequels, found a perfect balance between scares and fun. Its characters are lose enough that they feel real nearly every time, and, though you know bad things are coming, you're excited for the activity to begin. The film becomes incredibly atmospheric as the nights progress and we slowly watch the activity wear on Katie and Micah's sanity and ultimately their relationship.

The really sad thing to take away here is how dated some of this is. I don't rewatch these movies, but upon reflecting on what a big deal it was that these characters decided to film themselves, it makes the way modern culture had adopted that process seem like it took way longer than it did. In this film, Micah is a weirdo for filming everything with his big clunky camera. By the time we get to the fourth film, it's not strange at all that a teenager would constantly be talking through a webcam or using her phone to see what the eyes don't let you see in the. It's an evolving series, but it all began here with the creepiest and best of the bunch. This is definitely a great Halloween movie, especially for those who turn the lights off and the sound off.

Sinister: The Scariest Movie of the Year

Can you believe it? Horror is back! It's been years since a movie this downright well done, emotionally gripping, and ultimately terrifying hit the cinemas. It's no secret that I really enjoy the Paranormal Activity series because they provide fun scares, but, let's face it, none of those really left you bothered after the first one. They're gimmicky but fun enough that you get over it. That's been what I look forward to in October since it seems the real scares don't exist anymore in the sea of mediocre horror remakes and retreads of the greats. You know what, though? Rest assured, Sinister brings back clever horror with a heart - and a bite.

Director/Co-Writer Scott Derrickson with C. Robert Cargill created the kind of original and spooky horror film that will (ideally) scar a generation of young teenagers for life. It's so well done not because there's a big scary bad guy or lots of gore. No, this is a well done movie for a very simple reason: intelligence. I credit a lot of the intelligence of the script to co-writer C. Robert Cargill, who was a critic for years over at Aint It Cool News. This guy has seen crappy horror and knows what mistakes to avoid. It's so refreshing to see a film that could so easily fall into every cliche in the book even given its own story which seems to lend itself to the same plot directions that have been used and reused for decades.

The plot follows Ellison Oswalt (played perfectly by Ethan Hawke), a true crime novelist far past his prime. It's been ten years since his last big hit and he's quickly falling into obscurity, but he has a plan to change this. In his last attempt to reach at that fame he used to achieve, Ellison has moved his family into a small town house of a murdered family where one of the children went missing. Most presumed the missing girl was long dead, but Ellison decides to do some further investigation and make a difference by solving the case and reaching old glory. As he investigates the murders, he is drawn further and further away from his wife and two children as he finds a box of old Super 8 footage reels in the attic that depict the murders of multiple families. Has he stumbled upon a serial murder that the police missed? Even more concerning, there are strange symbols and a shadowy figure in the images that cannot be overlooked, nor should they be.

Ultimately, this is a film that proves how unfortunate trailers are. It's a paradoxical predicament; seeing some of the movie makes you want to see more, but seeing more spoils things and make you wish you were seeing it completely fresh. It's best to forget the trailers as best as you can and simply let this film take you on its wild ride. Oh, and wild it is. Something especially clever about the film is how, in a year of so many found footage films that they no longer really make much of an impact, here we have the story of a man who manages to find terrifying footage. We get the same shock of seeing something that could be real, filmed by someone who is not a trained cinematographer, and it impacts the real story. There's no need for characters to film themselves because it becomes part of the plot itself.

Mark my words, there will not be a scarier movie released this year. With a film like this that hits all the right notes and leaves you disturbed and upset, I can't see another movie being more effective. We've got our latest installment of Paranormal Activity but that simply cannot capture the fresh fear Sinister harnessed so masterfully. Of course, a very significant difference between the two types of films is the character work. Both work because they actually craft characters, not cardboard cutouts or hot teens. Paranormal doesn't tend to strive to make you really care or root for its protagonists, however. It works well enough that you are scared silly when the action starts, but the deaths really aren't anything too depressing. (I'm looking at you, Micah). Sinister takes the opposite and ultimately more disturbing approach of crafting a cast of believable and innocent characters that you really don't want to die.

Ethan Hawke leads the family in a flawed but human performance that is very, very good. If the casting was off, this film could easily have turned silly instead of scary. He sees the deaths of all these old families and it's terribly disturbing. This film, while not overtly gory or ever going anywhere near the torture porn heights of the Saw franchise, is not for the faint of heart. You see a lot of innocent families get murdered and it's really not pleasant, but it serves the story and adds such a fantastically creepy atmosphere that you cannot help but see these and get sucked into the mystery just as much as the main character. When the stakes get raised, you're upset not simply because there is a weird noise, but because you cannot accept that harm could happen to this family. It's not okay, but it seems so likely.

This is a great horror movie. Plain and simple, this is horror done right. It's horrifying but not gratuitous. It treats the audience with intelligence and realizes how far it can take itself in any direction. There are real scares here, not simply jump scares. If you're looking for a great scary movie this October, you really don't need to look any further than Sinister. As for Paranormal Activity 4 coming out next week, well, I've had my serving of terror. Now, I'm ready for the icing on the cake.

8/10