Like every Halloween for the past six years, another grisly installment of the Saw series was released, only this time it didn't reach the number one spot. Maybe it had a lot to do with the fact that the creativity of series died out after the second film and now it's just a gorefest. Or it could be that people were tired of the same old premise and wanted something different. That's exactly what Paranormal Activity did and word of mouth got it a nationwide release and a jump to the number one spot of the box office.
I only learned of the movie a week prior to its limited release and although I still haven't seen the movie, I'm fascinated by the claims of this being the scariest movies despite the lack of violence. I've read up on the film and I don't know if it was done intentionally, but the director sort of makes a possible metaphor to our own lives and I think that's where the horror is coming from. The film follows a young couple, Micah and Katie, who move into a suburban home and we learn that Katie is followed her whole life by a demon. I've refused to know the ending and therefore you don't have to worry about me revealing it to you, but a great deal of the movie takes place in the bedroom where Micah has set up a video camera so he could record what happens as they sleep. A lot of people claim they freak out during these scenes. In a way this reminds me of some of Andy Warhol's films. The psychological aspects of the film seems to be some homage to Alfred Hitchcock, which is ironic since Psycho was a film that was long remembered after audience stepped out of the theater.
The demon although it could be seen as something supernatural, can also be viewed in metaphorical terms. Demons can also be interpreted to mean our own internal struggles through lives and sometime when those demons take over they can have horrific consequences on certain parts of our lives including our familes, our friends, and our jobs. Although this message of dealing with our own demons is probably not the message at the forefront, but I get the feeling that it does appear subconsciously and I think it's the reason why we so many are calling this the scariest movie of all time. Movies like Halloween, Friday the 13th, Nightmare having that sense of fake present in them and we know they could not happen. Even in the Saw movies, you must suspend all aspects of reality. However, a film like Paranormal Activity, which exposes its audience to potentially realistic, psychological experiences reminds us of the scariest, most fearful horror villain of all time; the mind.
All Work And No Play, This has been Ian Feldman speaking words of wisdom.
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