Paranormal Activity -- don't look now... but there's someone right behind you....

Last night I went and saw Paranormal Activity 2.

I watched the first one a few weeks ago, and found myself mildly freaked. Not scared, not... not scared. I was intrigued even. Why was this demon shadow following her?

Paranormal Activity 2 answered those questions. Kinda. Something having to do with her great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great (<--that's really fun to do) grandmother asking a demon for wealth or whatever. And the price was the soul of the next first born son. This movie centers around Katie's (from the first movie) sister and her family. Who have just happened to have a son. The first son born since the 1930s. They find themselves shrouded in mysterious noises and random happenstance. Much like the first movie. But it progresses (again, like the first movie). Starts with bangs and bugging the dog, moves onto whispering and making big, "scary" shadows, then on to actually lifting the baby out of his crib, forces all the cabinets open (I really did jump at that part, it came out of nowhere), then goes on to yanking the mom down the stairs -- twice.... in a row, hurts the dog (badly), and takes over the mom's body. I got lost after that part. I'm not sure what was happening, because the light was off most of the scene and it was all just screaming and clattering.

And then the shadow demon thing moves on to Katie and Micah (where the first movie picks up) and leaves her sister alone again. It then proceeds to take over Katie's body (as seen in the first movie), kills Micah. Then (what wasn't seen in the first) goes to her sister's house. Kills her sister's husband. Kills her sister. And takes the baby.

It ends after that.

This one was definitely better than the first. More suspenseful, more "jump" moments. And really, a better plot. Seeing it from more than one POV helped, too. But I still can't help but wonder just why these people had their cameras on most of the time. Aside from the security camera footage and the few home videos (the baby walking, etc.) it didn't make any sense why they'd have the camera going. Except maybe when Ali (the daughter) was "documenting" what was happening at night with the evil spirit thing. Why would you be making a home movie of you talking with your sister about the evil shadow? Doesn't make any sense. And is just all around too convenient.

It's obvious that this movie was made to fit around the first, but still, surprisingly, better than the original. (I guess that's not really the right word, because this wasn't a re-make. But I'm not feeling creative word-wise at the moment.)

So, if your into this kind of stuff, go see it, but don't expect the best movie ever. Don't expect to be scared stiff. Because it's not going to happen, unless you're a total wimp.

If you aren't into the horror genre, may I suggest Max Keeble's Big Move? With the evil ice cream man?

...Yeah.

Dom