"Paranormal Activity" and "Orphan"

IN THEATERS

Out in a now nationwide release and just in time for Halloween is “Paranormal Activity.” It was first had a very limited released, only hitting a few big cities in late September as a kind of test drive to see how audiences liked it. From there people were encouraged to go online to the film’s Web site to “Demand It.” This allowed everyone living someplace in which the movie was not currently playing, to show that they were in favor of the movie coming to their city. It was said that once a million demands were counted on the site, the film would be released nationwide. It took only about three weeks for word to get out about this small, independent horror flick and the world jumped on board. It hit a million and is now everywhere.

For the few that aren’t aware of the movie, it basically tells the story through “Blair Witch Project”-type camera work about a young couple, Katie and Micah, who are being haunted by demons throughout the night. Doors move, sheets are ruffled, banging and thudding sounds are heard, etc. So Micah invests in a high-tech video camera to not only capture their daytime activities around the house, but more importantly in the evening when they sleep. Cleverly set up on a tripod and pointing right at their bed, the audience is forced to watch in terror as most of the activity happens in the very room that they sleep in, or at least try to. A clock is even displayed in the corner of the screen to alert you of the infamous hours that the hauntings take place; most of which are between 2 and 4 a.m. Creepy.

So in a nutshell, you’ll enjoy this one just about as much as you did or didn’t enjoy “The Blair Witch Project.” If you were affected in a disturbing way by three kids lost in the woods and the encounters they had, then consider this a pleasant sequel. Otherwise, steer clear. While the camera work isn’t as shaky as Blair Witch, it still very much gives off that same tone. It strikes a very “real” feel to it, and there are times when you might even question if it’s in fact real footage. (It’s not.)

Personally though, this movie struck a nerve. It’s able to do with such subtle work that the big Hollywood studios can’t even manage with a budget that would swallow this one whole. It’s amazing what a door slamming and invisible foot steps coming up the stairs is able to do to a person’s psyche. Just keep telling yourself it’s only a movie.

On more of an unfortunate note, but a positive one coming from this movie’s perspective, it beat out the beloved “Saw” movies’ latest installment over the weekend. Since 2004, people have been flocking to the theater each Halloween to invest an hour and half in Jigsaw’s latest string of traps designed to make people appreciate life. Well this past weekend, audiences didn’t show the love to their favorite horror series. Instead, people came to see “Paranormal,” which ended up making around 22 million. That’s about eight million more than “Saw 6” brought in. It was reported that it was the lowest box office number yet for the series. It looks like audiences can only stick with serialized horror flicks for so long before they begin to look elsewhere. I guess some people just get tired of being sawed.

ON DVD
Continuing on in true Halloween fashion and now on video is the equally scary, “Orphan.” John and Kate (Peter Sarsgaard and Vera Farmiga) have recently lost their unborn child and have decided to adopt. They come across the unusual Esther (Isabelle Fuhrman.) She’s a quiet girl with a Russian accent whom the couple fall in love with and decide to bring home. Also being the age of their other two kids at home, John and Kate feel they have found just what they need.

All is well at first, but then strange happenings begin to occur with the family, and it’s Kate who suspects their newly adopted daughter to be the problem. But due to Kate’s fragile state still being haunted by dreams from a rocky past, John isn’t convinced that his wife is of sound mind to make such an assumption.

So the struggle begins as a mother fights to protect her family as they all are thrown into a world of violence, deception and uncertainty as the string of unfortunate events continues to surround them and get worse and worse. Esther coincidentally seems to be at the scene of all the horror, and now Kate must go to no end to find out the truth about Esther.

So this was one of the more solid horror movies out there lately. And definitely one of the better ones that was released this past summer. It was entertaining, scary and had a good twist ending that reveals Esther’s infamous secret. Nothing beats a good “evil child” movie that is made well, and this one for sure rivals “The Omen.”

It’s a fun way to spend a couple of hours if you’re intrigued by a devil child running amok and causing chaos. And how frustrating it is to watch the little hellion at work and so many people around them are unable to see their evil ways. This little girl in particular knows how to play a sinister child. I’m not sure I would even want to run into her on the street late at night with no witnesses ...

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