Review of Paranormal Activity

I read a little blurb about Paranormal Activity before I saw it.  Shown on college campuses, the viewers were asked to respond online to whether the film should be released more widely.  More than 200,000 people said yes.  That's impressive.  Of course, I'd have never read that blurb if not for one of Ward's Facebook updates.  So, thank you, Ward.
The thing I like best about Paranormal Activity is that it was made for roughly $15,000 over something like 10 days.  That's really inspiring to me.
But the movie is really impressive in its own right.  The acting is exactly what it needs to be - convincing.  I never doubted that the couple in the film were the real deal, and not just actors.  That takes some talent.
I also liked the minimalism of the story.  It's so simple.  Katie's being haunted by what she discovers is some sort of demon.  Micah starts recording their everday lives on camera to try and catch some of that paranormal activity unfolding.  We witness the results.
What holds it all together are the static, overnight shots recording the pair sleeping... mostly.  They get ever-creepier as the movie unfolds.  And they're so elemental - just sounds and light and shadow.
And it's scary!  A lot of people say they didn't think it was frightening at all.  I have to disagree.  This is one of the only movies in a long time that I found truly scary.  It doesn't rely on gore either, which I think is what some people think a horror movie should always be.  Rather, it ratchets up the suspense, making you dread what's coming next.
Two masterful scenes... Micah sets up a Ouija Board, against Katie's wishes.  She gets mad and they fight, but leave to go out for the night.  The shot stays on the living room, in keeping with the self-made docu-style.  Suddenly, the Ouija Board starts on fire.  Later, we watch as Katie and Micah sleep.  A shadow passes over the door, and Katie is dragged out of bed and down the hall.  I was riveted.  This is the kind of horror film I wish was made more often.
The ending was slightly lacking, in my opinion.  It didn't quite live up to some of the previous scares, but it works, I think, for the most part.  It certainly doesn't detract much from the rest of the movie.
Apparently, the director, Oren Peli, is already making his next movie, about Area 51.  He's using the same pseudo-documentary approach.  I look forward to it, but I hope he doesn't just stick to this type of film.  It's an interesting style, but I'd like to see what else Peli is capable of, too.
Paranormal Activity takes the most elemental of stories and filmmaking techniques and makes it magic.  It's a good one.  3.5 stars.

Number rating: 90