Annette Kellerman survives PARANORMAL ACTIVITY at Fantastic Fest!!

Annette Kellerman here with my take on a much talked about film here at Fantastic Fest... PARANORMAL ACTIVITY. Now, it's been a long time since I read Moriarty's review of this film a year or so back, and I have seen all of the recent blurbs proclaiming this film as one of the scariest in a long time. Despite all the hype, however, I was somehow able to go into this movie knowing very little other than its premise of a haunting told with found footage. As not only a geek for film but also for the craft itself, I've always been fascinated by the found footage idea for independent film makers. Since the found footage angle explains the lower budget medium from the get-go, clever storytelling paired with some good performances and decent cinematography is really all a director needs to deliver a great movie. LIke you're probably wondering right now, I too feared that the film might just be another BLAIR WITCH PROJECT in a different setting, but fortunately it seems that the filmmakers behind PARANORMAL ACTIVITY took a lesson from BWP and improved upon the basic idea by leaps and bounds. Though the film begins with the obligatory text-on-screen explanation of the footage and foreshadows by letting us know that the families have allowed the studio to edit said footage into "the film you are about to see", for me this cliche of the genre is still very effective and propelled me into the vibe of the story, squelching any further comparisons to its predecessors. In case you're not familiar with the plot, the story picks up at a point when the boyfriend of a young couple has purchased a new, fancy camera on which he hopes to document some of the weirdness that has been going on at night while the pair sleeps. Through surprisingly natural yet explanatory dialogue we learn about some of the creepy albeit harmless events such as water faucets and lights turning on by themselves in addition to the sounds of footsteps and scratching coming from different areas of the house. While MIcah, our camera boy, seems to be more curious and unconcerned with the situation, his girlfriend Katie is obviously taking matters a bit more seriously- even initially employing the services of a haunting specialist who further helps set up the story by explaining to them (and cleverly, the audience) more about the phenomena. Through Katie's interview with the specialist, we also learn that she has had similar experiences in the past which indicates that the situation isn't tied to their location, but to Katie herself. Building the creepiness quotient, Katie also learns that the characteristics of the activities do not resemble those of a ghost, but a demon. In an attempt to get to the bottom of the situation himself, Micah sets up the camera in their bedroom to capture what goes on while they sleep in hopes of ultimately ridding the couple of the disturbances. For some reason, just the sight of the sleeping couple with the running time ticking away is eerie, but soon enough the the fun really begins. Of course, I don't want to give away any more of this film because the simplicity and fear of the unknown is what really sells it- and ultimately that is what I really love about the movie. Oh, and it completely scared the shit out of me. With seemingly little effort employing tried and true tricks of the genre, director Oren Peli aptly brings on the spooky by building and building the tension until even the most benign occurrences send shivers down your spine. PARANORMAL ACTIVITY perfectly illustrates that an age old formula presented in a fresh and innovative way still works whether you have a studio-sized budget or an HD camera, a few friends, and some clever, but simple effects. If you want to truly get into the Halloween spirit this year, skip the slashers and check out this film instead. Well, I'm off to see more movies, but I hope to check in again later with more from this year's Fantastic Film Festival. Until then, Annette Kellerman