For those who don't know about "Paranormal" things itself, here's a brief definition before reading on:
Paranormal - Out of the ordinary.
Paranormal Activity - Things that happen that are not normal; Unrecognizable activities that confuse the mind and possibly scare the person psychologically; Events that cannot be explained (for example: moving doors, objects, sounds, things that go bump in the night)
I've seen paranormal videos on YouTube and on TV, stating about different things that happen to people in their homes, their families or even themselves. Some events were creepy to see, and some seemed pretty hokey, like it was all made up.
After watching this particular movie though, it was made well. More like a psychological thiller/horror (almost like The Ring but I strongly emphasize ALMOST). They took the usual traditions of paranormal events and put them in this film. I don't want to spoil it for you, so I won't tell much about the movie itself but my thoughts and critiques about it.
I was curious, and I knew that this movie would be scary and would make me think a bit. Being a Christian, I thought to myself how things like this can happen to people when they go too far without God's protective hand over them, making them vulnerable to sinful things, scary or horrifying events even leading to houses being haunted, etc.
When it comes to scary movies, I've had a taste of different thiller, horror or bloody, gory movies that try to scare the daylights out of me. I was more in the "I'm-expecting-this-to-happen-so-let's-see-where-this-movies-goes-and-review-it" status while also enjoying the movie at the same time.
In the end, I was satisfied with what came out. Everything went together; there were no plot holes (from what I could find anyway), and the acting was superb.
Here's the rundown:
Rating for movie: R for language (that's it)
- Language is a big factor in this film. Lots of F-words in the last half.
- They forgot to add "Frightening Scenes" to the rating, that's another big thing in this film.
Blood/Gore/Violence: I won't spoil it for you, but I can say this, there is a minimal amount of blood in this film and no gore. This isn't another SAW if any of you are wondering.
Violence though, there is an appropriate amount of it here, not over the top. What kind though? You'll have to see for yourself.
Sex/Intimate Moments: No sex, just a couple intimate moments that doesn't distract you.
Sexual Content: None. No worries here. I was relieved to finally watch a scary movie with no sexual scenes in it for once.
Language: I'd give language a strong rating, the first half of the film was okay, a few "heck" and "dang" and "shoot" (you know what I mean). The other half though has the F-word making an appearance several times.
Scary Content: Pretty much makes over 50% of the movie. We all know what the title is and what it's about so there's no surprises here, except for the film itself. I'm a tough guy when it comes to scary movies but the thing that gets me are two things:
1. Unknown entities or events that I just saw, or experienced, I CAN'T STAND THAT!
2. Normal, scary or horrifying objects that either come flying towards the camera or appear right in front of the camera. I HATE THAT!!!!
Bad Religion/Blasphemous Content: I can't tell much about this because it's involved with the movie and you'll know what the reason is as you watch it through.
Good Critique:
All in all, it was a great movie. I was creeped out in some parts, disturbed in some other parts. My heart was beating hard in several occasions. I jumped in one part and I think you'll know which one as soon as you watch it.
Bad Critique:
My only bad critique about this film without spoiling it is the length. It's only an hour and 20 minutes, 30 minutes if you count the trailers before the film.
Final Words:
As a Christian, I thank our Father, our deliverer that we don't have to experience things like this. If we are in need of His help, we are a simple prayer away. I am so thankful, that if I start having a nightmare while I'm asleep, I can even pray to my Lord, IN MY DREAM, to save me and He would.
We have to be witnesses and know what's out there, and this film is a good example of what could happen to just simple ordinary people.
My Overall Rating:
It's definitely rated R for a reason. Not for kiddies, they will be traumatized, unless you want to train them to pray in their nightmares.
4 to 4.5 out of 5 stars.
