Paranormal Activity 3
Review by Stefan Taylor
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Paranormal Activity 3
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Paranormal Activity 3 makes
the previous two films in the franchise, look like a weekend spent with
the Care Bares, picking wildflowers and eating lemon cakes in the sun.
Make no mistake about it people, this film is by far the scariest of the three and also, surprisingly, very funny.
Paranormal Activity 3
takes us back to 1988 where it all began. Sisters Katie and Kristi are
just little girls living happily with their mother Julie (Lauren
Bittner) and step-father Dennis (Christopher Nicholas Smith.)
Six-year-old
Kristi has an “imaginary” friend named Toby. At first it seems that
Toby is quite harmless, but it’s soon made clear that he’s anything but
harmless and definitely not imaginary. And so begins eighty minutes of
superbly crafted, heart attack inducing, horror movie brilliance.
The
new directing team of Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman prove that you
don't need excessive blood, gore and torture to be scary (*cough* Hostel, Saw, Human Centipede)
This
film is all about building suspense to an almost unbearable level. But
Joost and Schulman have also incorporated some brilliantly underplayed
humour. This really rounds out the characters and involves the audience
even more.
Particular note must be made of Chloe Csengery and
Jessica Tyler Brown, the girls who play young Katie and Kristy
respectively. Both these young actors deliver extremely strong and
believable performances.
Sometimes it's hard to tell if the kids are acting or genuinely terrified.
The
final sequence of the film is so pants wettingly scary, that I have no
shame in telling you there were a couple of moments when I couldn’t
watch the screen.
One thing that is clear though, is that PA3
only works if the audience is willing to go on the ride. I can see how
some people would find this film just a series of sudden shocks and
jumps.
I would also be very surprised if another Paranormal Activity is released using the same found footage convention.
As
well as this has worked so far; the fact that everyone keeps reaching
for the camera every time a demonic hell beast ghost attacks a member
of the family, does start to get a little unbelievable.
I mean
seriously, if I was thrown across the room by an unseen entity, I
wouldn’t be reaching for the camera, I’d be running to the nearest
church to jump in a bath of holy water. But that’s just me.
Still
Paranormal Activity 3 is one awesome ride and by far one of the
scariest films I’ve seen in a long time. The final fifteen minutes will
make you wish you’d brought along a change of underwear. 4 out
of 5
Paranormal Activity 3
Australian release: 20th October,
2011
Official
Site: Paranormal Activity 3
Cast: Katie Featherston, Sprague Grayden, Lauren Bittner, and Mark Fredrichs
Director: Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman
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