Paranormal Activity *** (2007, Katie Featherston, Micah Sloat) – Classic Movie Review 13,405

Oren Peli’s 2007 American found-footage supernatural horror film Paranormal Activity stars Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat as a young couple haunted by a supernatural presence in their home, so they set up a camera to film what the hell is going on.

After Katie (Katie Featherston) drives up to Micah (Micah Sloat)’s house in San Diego, Southern California, she tells him that an evil presence has been haunting her since she was a child, so Micah sets up a camera in their bedroom to record any possible paranormal activity while they are sleeping. Well, if there’s a demon in your bedroom, you’ll need to get a good look at it, won’t you? or at least the audience will want to anyway. Oh, an audience in your bedroom, mmm, that’s interesting.

It is produced, written, directed, photographed, and edited by Israeli film-maker Oren Peli (born January 21, 1970).

There is plenty of eerie atmosphere, tension and suspense throughout, and a strong ‘it could happen to me’ kind of feeling as a supernatural home invasion item, actually bedroom invasion. That may be enough, but most of the time that’s all we have, as we desperately wait for the frights and the thrills, which do finally arrive, albeit very briefly.

Paranormal Activity is all build up and a hasty climax. Frankly, there is plenty of Paranormal but not nearly enough Activity. The low budget found-footage idea is a matter of taste. It’s a Marmite thing, you like it or you don’t. Look how many people were taken in by The Blair Witch Project. Paranormal Activity is so not a movie for folks who like production values or formal, traditional film-making.

It was shot for $15,000 as an independent feature and given film festival screenings in 2007. It was acquired by Paramount Pictures for $350,000, modified and given a smart new ending costing $200,000, so that something actually happens. The film earned a worldwide total of $194 million and is often cited as the most profitable film ever made, based on cost against return on investment.

The cast

The cast are Katie Featherston as Katie, Micah Sloat as Micah, Mark Fredrichs as Dr Fredrichs, Amber Armstrong as Amber, and Ashley Palmer as Diane.

Paranormal Activity 2 followed.

© Derek Winnert 2025 – Classic Movie Review 13,405

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