  
Paranormal ActivityMPAA Rating:
 for language.Reviewed by: Thaisha Geiger Offensive
Moviemaking Quality:
Primary Audience:
Adults
Genre:
Psychological Horror
Length:
1 hr. 39 min.
Year of Release:
2009
USA Release:
September 25, 2009 (limited—12 theaters)
October 2, 2009 (33 theaters) October 9, 2009 (expanded) October 16, 2009 (wide—760 theaters)   
Relevant Issues
FEAR, Anxiety and Worry… What does the Bible say? Answer Demons in the Bible Satan in the Bible DEMON POSSESSSION and Influence—Can Christians be demon possessed? In what ways can Satan and his demons influence believers? Answer What is the Occult? Answer THE OCCULT—What does the Bible say about it? Answer Ghosts in the Bible AFRAID OF THE DARK—How can I help my child to trust in God's care when she is afraid at night? Answer
“What happens when you sleep?” Made with a meager budget of $10,000, “Paranormal Activity” might possibly be another massive box-office hit as the “Blair Witch Project.” With no theatrical trailer or even beginning or end credits, the film has mostly been spread through the web and by word of mouth. And with it being labeled “the scariest movie of all time,” the movie has an excellent chance of succeeding. Micah and Katie are engaged and live together in a rather large house. Micah’s a day trader, and Katie’s a college student in hopes of becoming a teacher. It isn’t long before they begin to hear noises throughout their home. After consulting a psychic, he tells them that it isn’t a ghost, but rather a demon. Through his questioning, Katie reveals to have gone through paranormal experiences since her adolescent years. The psychic informs them that he is unable to help, but advises them to consult a demonologist. Because of Micah’s hotheadedness, they delay calling the demonologist, instead relying on their brand-new video camera to catch any paranormal activities. They record their everyday activities and place the camera in their bedroom to record any suspicious activities throughout the night while they sleep. While I won’t give away spoilers, let’s just say that the demon does make his presence known in subtle and not-so subtle ways. No doubt this is a mediocre movie. If marketing hadn’t so clever, this movie might have become a small cult hit. However, not using actual movie clips in previews requires viewers to enter the theatre blindly and with heightend senses of anticipation. The camera work is rather effective and realistic. Thankfully, the couple isn’t completely horrible with the filmmaking, so the camera remains pretty steady. Any potential viewers should take note that the film depicts an average couple who seemingly go about recording their normal lives. With that said, the first half or so requires extraordinary patience, since the film moves agonizingly slow. When things finally pick up, it helps to relieve some of the boredom. Perhaps I’m too desensitized, but I didn’t feel “Paranormal Activity” was even close to being the scariest movie ever. The latter half of the film does contain a good number of genuine scares, but the rest felt long and drawn-out. Offensive ContentWhile this is a horror story, the offensive content is mild, if compared to the modern gore that has dominated the horror genre. The film could have easily been rated PG-13 if not for the cursing. The “f” word is used over 35 times along with another 14 uses of profanity. The Lord’s name is profaned 11 times, including at least one GD. There’s very little violence to speak of, and this is to the filmmakers’ credit. I will not go into the specifics in order to not ruin anything for potential viewers. There are no sex scenes or nudity. The couple briefly discusses sex and turn off the camera before sleeping together. It is then turned back on, and Katie is shown under the sheet. Since the film deals with demons, an Ouija board is used in order to communicate, and a psychic is consulted. While these two things are abominations to God, they are accurately reflected with a reaping of horrible consequences. Micah was warned not to use an Ouija Board, since it would open a door and allow the demon to enter. This is wise, and there are plenty of verses that warn of completely avoiding evil. The Lord made it clear his stance of consorting with mediums and spiritualists. In Leviticus 20:6, God warned, “I will set my face against the person who turns to mediums and spiritists…” Scripture also clearly supports the existence of demons. While they are powerful, they tremble and are submissive to the name of Jesus Christ. In James 2:19, he wrote, “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that and shudder.” Aside from being a sin, consulting with mediums can be extremely dangerous for one’s walk with Christ since many mediums claim to believe in God. If a person claims to believe in God, yet also claims to speak with the dead, Christians should stay away. In Isaiah 8:19-20, it reads: “When men tell you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn.” I do not personally recommend the film. However, if you’re looking for a horror movie with very little amounts of sex and violence, then you might like “Paranormal Activity.” Please keep in mind that the film deals with true evil and demons. In addition, there is excessive cursing and profanity. On a positive note, this movie is accurate in its disapproval of trying to deal with demons by one’s self. For those of us who have the Holy Spirit living inside of us, demons cannot touch us, since the only thing that has the power to truly rebuke them is the name of Jesus Christ. Violence: Mild / Profanity: Heavy / Sex/Nudity: Minor Demons in the Bible DEMON POSSESSSION and Influence—Can Christians be demon possessed? In what ways can Satan and his demons influence believers? Answer Is Satan a real person that influences our world today? Is he affecting you? Answer See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.   Comments below:
Positive
Positive - “Paranormal Activity” is being touted by audiences and critics as one of the scariest movies they've ever seen. The claim immediately intrigued and made a skeptic of me. Could such a thing be true? I do not scare easily; I have watched many, many horror movies, and I can count on my hands the number of movies that have managed to scare me. But as the positive reviews kept pouring in, I decided I must see it. So I saw it. Positive - First, let me say that I do not believe in ghosts. I love horror movie and I've seen the majority of horror movies ever made. The majority of the suppose to be “scary” movies, I ended up laughing or thinking I wasted my money. You can tell that Paranormal Activity was a very low budget made movie. However, this is by far the best and scariest movie I'll seen. For all you believers in ghosts and those how claim to have had “things” happen to you, this is a must see. I was very freaked out and it's hard for you not to think about your own bedroom and the extracurricular activities that could go on without you knowing. The first part of the movie is a little slow but it explains a lot about the girl's past with this “thing.” It picks up toward the end and in a big way! All I have to say is, “Really? The producers ended the movie that way?? WOW!!” There is quite a bit of cussing in this movie and of course, ghost and demons. Not recommended for children. Positive - “Paranormal Activity,” from a Christian standpoint, is a truly disturbing and creepy movie. That said, it is also a well-acted horror movie. There is some foul language, yes, but considering the situation the couple find themselves in one can only expect expletives. Dark, demonic forces are not something one should play with and Micah all but begs the demon to interact with them. He taunts it, he calls it “worthless” and invites the presence to make contact through means of a Ouija board. The demon, which has been following Katie around since she was 8, kicks it up a notch after being heckled. Micha's character does get a little annoying and infuriating. Neutral
Neutral - If you wish to see “Paranormal Activity,” then by all means, please do. You may be disappointed or you may be tainting your britches. You'll never know ‘less you stumble out the door yourself. And if you convince yourself your 7 dollars won't be missed, you're making the right choice in seeing it on the big screen. There, hopefully, you'll have a large crowd, and by large, all I mean is the requisite ten or more heads. You and your best bud Joe Six Pack gathering around the flat screen don't exactly comprise a “large crowd.” Trust me, your hard-earned deniro don't just pay for a giant screen in your face - you're paying for the experience of side commentary, shrieks, and random laughs. That's something you can't get from your rental in the red box or heaven forbid, your nifty pirated bundle. Neutral - I saw this movie last night. It started out slow. But once it got going, the viewer gets really pulled into the movie. This is a very disturbing movie concerning the hyper dimension of the unseen world. If your a believer with any type of spiritual discernment, you ll come to realize quickly this isn't a normal scary movie. When I got home, I had a feeling of nervousness as if I was being watched. Neutral - I went to see this movie not quite sure what to expect. I felt the movie was very realistic in terms of how Micah and Katie interacted with each other. You could tell there was no real script, and emotions seemed pretty genuine. However, the real issue I have with this movie is not the ending, which seems to be gathering quite a bit of attention. No, I simply could not believe that despite everything that was happening to these two individuals in this house, NEVER once did they pray and cry out to the Lord. It's a pretty safe bet that neither one was a believer, but you would think that being in a situation dealing with dark, unknown demonic forces, you would cry out to God. The only reference made about God is Katie clutching a cross which Micah finds and burns. Well, regardless, the movie did NOT keep me up at night, in fact, to be quite honest, the ending was a bit cheesy, which is why I just could not take it seriously. I need to just stop watching these kinds of movies out of sheer curiousity and instead read my Bible more. Negative
Negative - My teenage daughter saw this movie with friends for her 18th birthday, it was not chosen by her. She has not been able to sleep in her room for two nights! We have continuously had to pray over her specifically about what she saw. She said it is very demonic and not a movie for anyone, including non-believers. I trust her opinion, she wishes she would have walked out! Negative - This film is ridiculous. It isn't scary. The “demon” seems to be portrayed as a bored child who has nothing better to do than annoy. What kind of demon needs to turn the lights on in the hallway to go upstairs then turns it off? If you know what a demon is and what they do, then this is really nothing. There are better ways to get a scary thrill. Negative - Bottom Line: not scary at all. Not a good movie at all. Do not waste your money. ALL HYPE!! Comments from young people
Positive - First off, if you decide to see this movie, I would encourage you to try and forget all the hype surrounding it, especially the whole “demand it!” thing. What a silly way to get people to think they are involved. The commercials were a load of garbage as well, they must have given the college kids at those private screenings a ton of caffeine before showing them the movie. Anyways, I found this movie to be genuinely creepy, which is absolutely shocking. I haven't been actually worried in a movie theater, ever, EVER, mainly due to the near scum-of-the-earth people (when it comes to being quiet in a theater) that attend movies in my town. I feel your pain, Mega Tron. However, even with half of the crowd yelling such ingenious phrases such as “aww **** nawwwww, (racial slur of some kind)..” every time 3:15 am rolled around, I was truly scared at a few points. Comments from non-viewers
I did not see this movie, but 2 of my adult children and their friends did. They are all born again Christians. They were very disturbed and had trouble sleeping, as seems to be the norm for this movie. I am concerned that this movie is being seen by people who are not saved and their fears are indeed relevant. It seems to me that seeing this movie is not all that different than playing with an Ouija board. They are still looking into things that should be left alone, and opening doors that should be left closed. I have not seen this film and one may wonder why I would choose to comment and even give a rating on the movie as Extremely Offensive and Opinion as Negative. Simple, before the LORD accepted me, I have had the experience of seeing, touching, speaking to demons. After becoming a Christian, I have had the experience of speaking against and casting out demons. You see, before I was a Christian, my family and even I took part in foolish activities that welcomed demons into our lives. There are so many other ways of welcoming demons and “the unwanted” into our lives that we take for granted. Watching movies being one of many. Music, books and games being other mediums. |
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