MELANIE ANZIDEI
Staff Writer

“Paranormal Activity” is said to be one of the scariest films of all time, which was probably only true for a week. The worked up piece was no different than any other home video on YouTube, filled with witty, sarcastic comments. The Blair-Witch-Project-like-phenomena was a disappointment for anyone expecting a scare so high that going to bed with a nightlight would definitely not have been out of the question.
The film begins with a young couple, Katie Featherson and Micah Sloat, just settling into their new home. Soon after their arrival, they start to feel the presence of what seems to be a demonic spirit that is out to get Katie. Strange things keep happening to the couple, so Micah invests in a camera and sets it up at the foot of their bed. Each night, they record every paranormal action that occurs throughout the night. After reviewing the tapes each morning, to their surprise, the demon is caught, at first moving objects but eventually possessing Katie.
Day by day, the couple becomes weary. Terrified, they call specialists and purchase a Ouija board. Each attempt towards safety, however, angers the demon more. Soon, the demon becomes restless and begins to smash photos of Micah and even drag Katie into the guest room, where it claws her back. The activity within the house was becoming far too active and the couple was no longer safe.
The film’s realistic home video factor convinces the audience that everything that is occurring is real. The actions are no different than what you see on shows like “Ghost Hunters” or “Scariest Places on Earth.” And whether or not you believe in ghosts or demonic possessions, the chills that run down your back as the demon drags Katie out of bed are impossible to deny. When Micah places powder on the entrance of their bedroom floor and claws slowly appear in the form of footsteps, everyone, no matter how brave, was closing their eyes or thinking “that totally did not just happen!”
This fear unfortunately was short lived for the audience. The abrupt end to the production was poor. At the closing scene, the demon is in complete control of Katie. In the middle of the night, Katie exits the bedroom and lures Micah downstairs with an agonizing scream. Loud thuds of footsteps start up the stairs towards the bedroom entrance, then Micah is flung at the camera. The camera fixes on Katie’s blood-stained shirt. Slowly she creepily approaches the screen and her face disfigures.
Immediately, the scene cuts. Apparently, the police find Micah’s body days later, and Katie is yet to be found. The entire production was based around a seemingly realistic police report, but the film failed to produce fear outside the theater’s walls. The film would have been better off without an ending altogether or if the scene cut with Katie’s agonizing scream.
Not only was the fear in “Paranormal Activity” short-lived, but so was its hype. Inevitably, other films like “The Fourth Kind” will surely take its spotlight. The film was half decent, but just as fulfilling as going down Weird New Jersey’s Clinton Road: scary until you make it through alive and realize it’s all a hoax.