It may not be particularly original in terms of content or style, but Oren Peli's decisively no-budget horror creates a surprisingly effective sense of dread.
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11/20/09
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Paranormal Activity (2009)
83
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:134
Fresh:111
Rotten:23
Average Rating:7.1/10
Consensus: Using its low-budget effects and mockumentary method to great result, Paranormal Activity turns a simple haunted house story into 90 minutes of relentless suspense.
Rated: 15 [See Full Rating]
Genre: Horror/Suspense
Theatrical Release:25-11-2009
Synopsis: A haunted house makes no secret of the fact it is not pleased with its new tenants in this independent tale of supernatural horror. Katie (Katie Featherson) and Micah (Micah Sloat) are a... [More]
Reviews for Paranormal Activity
Paranormal Activity taps into our primal fears of the unknown to provide a procession of increasingly nervewracking and frenzied moments of terror. Cut off any distractions, glue your eyes and ears to the screen and prepare to be scared silly.
11/13/09
Click to read the article
11/06/09
It's a bit of The Exorcist, a bit of Poltergeist, a bit of The Blair Witch Project and a bit of Lost Highway - and it all adds up to a whole lot of scary.
11/03/09
Top Critic"Overrated, overhyped and so not scary." Paul Chambers, CNN.
11/20/09
The titular and sometimes distressing activity in Paranormal Activity serves as a mostly banal metaphor for the couples relationship.
11/19/09
It has a few good scares, but one has to sit through nearly 80 minutes of mind-numbing tedium before the payoff ...
11/18/09
Expect less and you will appreciate it more. The film isn't unique or even very well made. Peli only seems able to come up with HALF of a good idea throughout the film.
11/14/09
... creates a prison without bars that lets the audience experience the walls closing in along with the victims.
11/10/09
The same old thing dressed up in very slightly different clothes.
11/09/09
effectively scary
11/08/09
The skeptics in us go to these things to see if we can really be scared --- and yikes, does "Paranormal Activity" deliver!
11/05/09
As the days progress we begin to notice a growing sense of terror, one that builds until the film's end.
11/05/09
A campfire story for the cyber generation, a bogey tale wrapped in time codes and misplaced faith in the power of technology to banish ghosties, ghoulies and long-leggedy beasties.
11/03/09
...the filmmaker's inability to draw the viewer into the unabashedly spare storyline is exacerbated by an almost egregiously uneventful opening half hour...
11/03/09
A great addition to the Things That Go Bump In the Night movie canon.
11/03/09
Fun, creepy, unpretentious little haunted house rides like these are so hard to come by these days that slight overpraise is understandable.
11/02/09
Works better than it has any right to.
10/31/09
Though it never poses a question more abstract than "Where's that scratching sound coming from?" Paranormal Activity is all about spiritual and ethical debts coming due.
10/30/09
Proves that in a horror movie, often the less you see, the more intense the story.
10/29/09
Latest News for Paranormal Activity
November 04, 2009:
Peli exhibits paranormal skill at escalating tension, so that even the most banal visual elements... quickly become associated with unbearable menace and foreboding. 
More...
October 30, 2009:
Weekly Ketchup: A Paranormal Sequel, Hopkins Joins Thor
This week's Ketchup includes news of sequels for Paranormal Activity, Mad Max, and Men in Black franchises, as well as casting news for Sir Anthony Hopkins, Matt Damon, Keira... More...
October 28, 2009:
Watch the Original Paranormal Activity Ending
So, now that you've had the popcorn scared out of your lap by "Paranormal Activity," how about watching the original ending? Thanks, YouTube! More...
October 27, 2009:
Bidding Begins for Paranormal Director's Next Film
"Paranormal Activity" is already one of the most profitable films of all time -- so what will studios be willing to pay for director Oren Peli's next effort, "Area 51"? More...
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