If you’ve been reading my blog for awhile, it's likely you saw my slight displeasure for Paranormal Activity. I honestly enjoyed it, but I felt that it missed an opportunity in becoming a classic when it possessed a character I actually wanted to die. Obviously this can be a persistent problem if a film is trying to generate some ounce of fear based on the survival of its characters. Thankfully, at least for my own sake, Paranormal Activity 2 actually has a hoard of characters who are very likeable. The film, possibly knowing it needs to one up its predecessor simply because it’s a sequel, has a family battling the disembodied spirits now instead of a couple in over its head. Individual actors portraying the family don’t stick out enough to warrant a huge praise, but their ability to establish a legitimate family bond gives us a reason to fear for their safety. In addition to the increase of terrified people, Paranormal Activity 2 also attempts to liven up its approach to delivering scares. The first film unapologetically used a single camera as a means to capture the terror. Despite its limited perspective, it was a nice to touch to give the film a voyeuristic feel. Director Oren Peli’s intentions were to immerse the audience through the home movie approach, and it worked quite well. Yet, had this sequel gone the route of its predecessor, the film would’ve felt played out.
Thankfully the creative minds behind Paranormal Activity 2 went with another route. Instead of relying on their old bag of tricks, they adjusted the visual structure of the film through the use of home security cameras. I must admit that this offering of differing shots and perspectives allowed for the film to breathe, whereas the previous film’s visual palette became stale and stagnant. Even though Paranormal Activity 2 gives into the usual expectations of a sequel, it retains the intimate feel that’s present in the original film. Now, there is no real need for me to address the plot anymore than to say that it’s about a family being terrorized by the unexplainable. Certainly the story has more of a narrative than the previous endeavor, but the driving force of the film is all about generating scares. What I will say though is that the plot cleverly leads into the terrorizing that takes place in Paranormal Activity. Granted it’s not the most fluid lead in, but it certainly isn’t shoehorned into the slight mythology established in the first film.
In spite of a tight narrative, the most important aspect of the film is how it generates its scares. Much like in the first film, Paranormal Activity 2 creates tension via movements in the shadows and sounds that escape an empty room. Don’t get me wrong, there are certainly more jump scares in this film than the previous incarnation, but they’re well earned through a nerve shredding buildup. Said buildup is often done through the film’s dedication to creating its own pace. I find it to be quite admirable that director Tod Williams didn’t rush straight into the ghastly activities. Instead, many of the scares begin by rotating through all of the security cameras. Not much is happening in most of the shots of the varying interiors, but it makes us uneasy when we have no idea as to when the next attack will occur and where. With that being said, the film’s own sense of pace also hinders itself at times when some of the camera rotations become tedious, especially when the intensity has been amplified in prior moments. This disappointingly leads to what I’d describe as ‘stop and go’ moments, where adrenaline is induced and dampened within moments.
Being that this is indeed a horror film, of course there are some incredulous moments where the characters fall into the classic horror tropes. For example, characters continuously walking in the direction of a sound that initially incites fear. This is a tired aspect just to drum up intensity that happens in the film to the point that we should replace the adage “curiosity killed the cat” with “curiosity maimed the horror character”. Despite this continuing trend of horror idiocy, the film packs enough frights in it to warrant at least a viewing. Not to mention, the film’s ability to create an authentic family, one that actually seems to care for one another despite their differences of opinion in the paranormal, raises the stakes when the unknown is lurking around the corner.
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