12:00 a.m. - 2009-11-16
thoughts on Paranormal Activity (2009)
If you haven't watched the movie and you plan to, and you don't want any spoilers, don't read on.
If you are brave or foolhardy, (and there's a difference) continue.
What's the premise?
A girl feels that she has been followed or watched upon by a spirit ever since she was young and her boyfriend decides to use a camera to record any strange things while they are sleeping or in their daily activities.
Do you really know what's happening while you are asleep?
The couple engage a psychic and he advises them to seek help from a recommended demonologist because from what he has heard from the girl, the psychic feels that this spirit is not human, probably a demon, and he himself is not knowledgable about the subject.
He advises them not to try to engage the demon because it may think that they are trying to interact with it and it may increase its presence or harm them.
What's the design principle?
Handheld or restricted point of view from the camera, whenever it is recording.
Each night as the couple go to sleep, the camera records what's going on in the room... tension fills the moment as the audience wait intently for something, anything, even a slow creaking of the wooden floorboards, to confirm the Presence. (hey The Presence sounds like a cool title for a supernatural movie.)
As the days and nights continue, suspense is built up as the audience have no idea what's going to happen and what's the motive of the demon.
The blurry nightscenes of the bedroom enhances the scare factor, because sometimes less is more, what you can't see (and can't explain) will scare you more.
The inevitablity of the ending is set up by the powerlessness of the psychic, by the immense supernatural power that is demonstrated incidentally, by the historical case of a young girl who was similarly plagued by a demon and how she suffered the same signs and eventually died.
What's the theme?
There are some forces which are beyond explanation and if meddled with, they might be beyond our power of control.
There's a certain pre-destiny hinted, because there was no reason given why this girl (and not any other girl) was "chosen" by the demon. Most supernatural movies have a cause and effect, and you can even call it moral design, like for example, someone has offended or done wrong to the spirit and is hence cursed. In Paranormal Activity, no cause was given.
Religion was never brought up in the movie; the couple never tried a priest for help, or even suggested it at all. This absence seems a bit strange... There's a scene of the girl grasping a wooden cross so tightly that her hands bled, but that's a very subtle scene. They could have filmed themselves going to a church and bathed themselves in holy water or something, but fortunately they didn't. I wonder if that would have become a comment on the power of religion or its relevance.
If the holy water helped the girl, it would have also changed the theme of the movie to something bland like, "Good vs Evil, Good triumphs. Always. Now go to church."
But what if the couple did go to a church and it still didn't help? It seems that the theme of "Don't mess with what you can't control" will still be the same.
The couple also did not seek help from the police. Or any representative of the state, the government, the country.
Another nitpicky question � It seems like the whole world only had one demonologist, and they couldn't find another one on the internet to help them.
What annoys me?
The boyfriend is annoyingly oblivious to the danger he is stirring. This thing is so far out of his league, beyond his depth and way above his head. The girlfriend kept telling him they should seek help but he kept postponing it...
How is this movie similar or different from others, i.e. Blair Witch Project?
I'm not very sure because I haven't watched BWP.
But i think the premise of Paranormal Activity is more attractive, the handheld visuals are less shaky, and the special effects are great and nicely done; not in your face too much.
There's a certain powerlessness in handheld-style movies, like Cloverfield, BWP; the protagonists do not triumph. I wonder if this story trend will continue in other handheld-style movies.
Alright, that's about all i have... I'm still thinking about the theme... can it be expressed as a question? Because, usually when themes are expressed as questions, the movie is more interesting.
For example, about forgiveness and/or family: Can a man forgive his brother for sleeping with his wife? How far will a mother go to protect her son? Will she kill someone for him?
Expressed as a statement, the theme here is:
Unexplained forces. Don't mess. Seek higher supervision. Ha you should have listened. Now you're beyond the point of no return.
How about this:
What is this demon? Why does it want the girl so much? What if the boyfriend had listened? Could the demonologist or a priest have saved them?
These questions make you think of the movie like it actually happened to someone in real life, long after you've left the theatre.
