Paranormal Activity 3

Paranormal Activity 3 follows in the footsteps of its two predecessors.  At least it’s not a completely different film like some sequels are.  Even with entirely new characters, it still ties to the story of part 1 and 2 by being a prequel.  We now get to see each of the lead female characters from the first two movies as children, thanks to older video footage of when they were young.  If you’ve been following the franchise you know that the two girls are sisters.
The formula these movies use remains the same – we watch video footage from the family’s tapes that they used to record the ongoings inside the house once they begin to suspect some paranormal activity.  They have been very effective so far and this type of horror movie comes off feeling much more realistic than say watching a movie with Freddy Krueger or some monsters.  There are reports of paranormal activity in real life all the time, and watching a film that resembles watching an actual home videotape makes everything seem more genuine.  This is why The Blair Witch Project was a hit back when it came out.  But whereas you don’t actually see anything in that film, you do get to see scary things happen here.  It’s still low-budget but you can tell the filmmakers at least spent a little bit of money on some special effects.
Paranormal Activity 3 is certainly the scariest in the series so far.  So if you’re into these movies as many people seem to be, it’s definitely worth seeing.  The movie broke box office records when it came out, so it shows that people are certainly fascinated by this style of filmmaking.  The added bonus of installing a camera on an oscillating fan this time around just adds to the suspense.  We watch something creepy going on in one room just as the camera starts to pan its view towards another room.  Sometimes we catch something happening just as it’s cutting away.  That was a brilliant idea.  Of course this kind of film may not be so interesting once you’ve seen it and already know what happens, but it’s pretty thrilling the first time you watch.

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