Paranormal Activity 3

Photo Credit

Directed by: Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost

Cast: Katie Featherston (as Katie), Jessica Tyler Brown (as young Katie), Sprague Grayden (as Kristi), Christopher Nicolas Smith (as Dennis) and Hallie Foote (as Grandma Lois)

In the run up to Halloween I have been excitedly watching some of my favourite horror movies. I love to be scared in a film; it gives you an adrenaline rush that you just don’t get in other genres of film. Horror is by far my favourite type of film as it takes a lot of elements to make a good horror film. You need a good plot, good character development, a hero element, suspense and of course, JUMPS!

I made my way to see Paranormal Activity 3 this week.  I saw the first instalment of the film and thought it was pretty good. Many people laughed and didn’t take it seriously but if you are a horror film buff like me, you look beyond what the normal population see and think and acknowledge the work that was put into this type of film and appreciate it.

I unfortunately never got to see the second film but I actually have it on record now so this week will be a sum up of all the films for me.

The third film was much better than the first purely because of budget. The effects were better and the setting was a bit more varied. The first film obviously had a lower budget and was set purely in the home of the couple. As the first and second film grossed so much with lower budgets, the third film had the luxury of more money and therefore had a better quality to it.

I love documentary style films when they are done right. This film did not have that shaky, hand-held video camera style that makes you feel a bit sick watching it. The cameras are mainly stand-alone ones which was better viewing for me. The characters were really well developed as more time was spent learning about them. The film started in present day and back tracked to the past when the sisters (the women from the first and second films) were young.

The film revolves around why the girls are haunted in their present lives. I love how the third film explains much more about the women and how they are personally susceptible to haunting, not the homes. I won’t give away the ending to the film but all I can say is it is quite creepy!

I am personally scared when children are involved in horror films. It is a common theme in films to choose children as the ones who have the link to the ghost realm as it is a well known phenomenon that children are more susceptible to these things. Take ‘Sixth Sense’, ‘Amityville’, and ‘The Shining’ to name a few films that incorporate children who see ghosts or demons.

There are some genuinely scary bits in this film. There are some good quality jump moments and suspense that builds up to the main events and this is what makes a good horror film. There are moments that are slow going but it all adds to the suspense and if you are a lover of horror films similar to this; you understand that it is all about patience.

I like the characters in this film. Dennis is definitely a leading man and you really root for him in this film, he is very likeable. There are comedy elements, especially thanks to the character of Dennis and his sidekick who helps him track down the ghost in his home. I like it when there is comedy cleverly thrown into horror films as it takes a lot of talent and timing to make a film funny and scary at the same time.

They have cleverly released this film close to Halloween to no doubt have another big grossing film. The release of a film is almost as important as the film itself as this determines the amount of people who will actually go to the cinema rather than doing the dreaded download! The cinema was packed when I went and I know many other showings have been. This will hopefully be another success!

My view: I do recommend this film to horror lovers. There are some really intense, goose bumps on the back of your neck, type of scares. It is the best of the three films so get yourself down to the cinema this Halloween!

Note: This review is going to be featured on @Sliderbee's blog > IMT Movies Reviews