Paranormal Activity

Basq

jaykhunter wrote: »

Unique....Arguably, REC and Let the Right One In...although not really original (what is original these days) they're very well done films.

But I said:

basquille wrote:

can you name one horror film out of Hollywood in the past 2 - 3 years that was as unique and innovative?

'REC' and 'Let The Right One In' were both superb, but are Spanish and Swedish respectively.

jaykhunter

Oh right! Hollywood? No. No I cant :rolleyes::p:p I can recommend you some average horrors from Hollywood if you like

Basq

jaykhunter wrote: »

I can recommend you some average horrors from Hollywood if you like

I can recommend even more "below average" and "fecking woeful" horrors from Hollywood!

Wenlock

Horror films are subjective. People are scared of different things. I've always been afraid of the paranormal and Poltergeist scared the life out of me. I saw Paranormal Activity and was terrified afterwards. Nightmares all night after it. Rec left me bored...zombies are two a penny. Let the right one in, a great film but not very scary. Everyone knows zombies and vampires don't exist...but demons and the devil. They could exist and that's what makes them so scary!! It's the unknown...

jaykhunter

Wenlock wrote: »

Everyone knows zombies and vampires don't exist...but demons and the devil. They could exist and that's what makes them so scary!! It's the unknown...

LOL I suppose it's more "28 Days Later infected Zombies" that could exist, it's basically human rabies/blind rage virus rather than brain-eating lurchers. Vamps...well it was treated quite carefully, as in a certain substance needed to keep living (blood) but yeah it is a bit of suspension of disbelief.... Yep definitely horror is tremendously subjective.

I think "implied horror" kinda goes out the window if you've been watching horror for a while but to each their own

Raekwon

Does anyone know if it definitely being released in Ireland? It genuinely looks scary and disturbing.............which has me intrigued I'm surprised it wasn't part of the IFI Horrorton.

Galvasean

Next person to recommend torrents gets banned.

Suspiria79

We had torrents of high winds all day. I recommend staying inside.

jaykhunter

It's definitely coming out sometime in November.



27th November. I looked it up for u!
http://www.cineworld.ie/films/2804?fallback=false&isMobileAgent=false

Decuc500

basquille wrote: »

I can recommend even more "below average" and "fecking woeful" horrors from Hollywood!

To be fair, there have been a few good original American made horror films from recent years. All The Boys Love Mandy Lane, Joshua, Diary of the Dead and Stuck are some that stand out for me.

EJLL

Watched the movie twice over the weekend (the original version). Second time on a projector with decent sound quality (it helps to get the drone of the demon). I actually preferred the ending to the one that is shown in the States at the moment (thank you YouTube!). There is not much gore in the movie which is great since horror movies lately have been atrocious with the reliance on gore (The Last house on the Left, etc).

The build up of tension over a number of periods throughout the movie keeps it moving along nicely. It's very effective if you get into it.

I don't see the need for a sequel. Blair Witch Project 2 was a disaster.

jaykhunter

I haven't seen Joshua and Stuck, but I thought "All The Boys Love Mandy Lane" was just really awful. Like give out angry! "Diary of the Dead" I quite enjoyed but that's because I'm a big zombie fan. I realise it's not a good movie but I enjoy all zombie movies! I'll have a look at the trailers for those first two films, see if they're any good.

EJLL wrote: »

The build up of tension over a number of periods throughout the movie keeps it moving along nicely. It's very effective if you get into it.

I did think it was building up towards the end but by then I knew there wasn't going to be scares since we haven't had a snifter of an actual one by that time. It's all implied. If they started the type of scares later in the film, and had another 2-3 nights of huge scares (would need a bigger budget to do so) it would've been great. In it's current form I couldn't get scared. I just got annoyed that there were so many "walk up the stairs" bits but no payoff. (Or what I'd consider a payoff lol :pac::pac::pac:)

Raekwon wrote: »

Does anyone know if it definitely being released in Ireland? It genuinely looks scary and disturbing.............which has me intrigued I'm surprised it wasn't part of the IFI Horrorton.

It was part of horrorthon, as the surprise film. It's coming out the end of November.

Quigs Snr

I think you completely missed the point of the movie, its no technical masterpiece but it drips atmosphere and tension. I watched it right after I watched the dreadful Drag me to Hell. No contest, Paranormal Activity has an exercise in how a horror movie should be done. The other half was scared witless and none of the recent horror movies out there have done that - including the terribly overhyped Blair Witch Project which I didn't care for at all.

jaykhunter

Quigs Snr wrote: »

I think you completely missed the point of the movie, its no technical masterpiece but it drips atmosphere and tension. I watched it right after I watched the dreadful Drag me to Hell. No contest, Paranormal Activity has an exercise in how a horror movie should be done. The other half was scared witless and none of the recent horror movies out there have done that - including the terribly overhyped Blair Witch Project which I didn't care for at all.

I could swear you said Blair Witch Project was recent! :pac: (1999) Although Blair Witch and Paranormal Activity do have some similiarities, I wonder how many horrors films you've seen that have been made over the last 10 years, to say that this is "how a horror movie should be done" and that none have had your gf/wife "scared witless" before. I'm sure I mentioned if you don't watch horrors often, this one will be much more effective. Scaring girls is like shooting fish in a barrel.

My main gripe with the film is that the tension built didn't come with a payoff. I said it would benefit from having a bigger budget so you could put some scares in; instead of the mindset of "what you don't see is scarier". A film had better be written to an oscar-winning standard if it were to pull off that feat. Something extremely rare, and not evident in this film.

If something just (for example) knocks on the stairs, and that's it, then that's it. It's not a scare. It builds a scare and doesn't do anything with it. Perhaps it would've been an awful CGI job...or an amazing animatronic...who knows.

I realise that the film was made for peanuts, and definitely - well done for that - but I'm judging it in terms of all horror films. It doesn't get a "pass" just because it was cheap; just like Drag Me To Hell doesn't get a pass just because it was made by Sam Raimi of Evil Dead fame. I'm judging it as a clean-slate horror film.

Another example of this anticipation-without-scare is The Grudge (2004); which built up the tension to a scare really, really well, but failed to deliver (it was usually a child painted white's face, saying "ahhh!" ) and after a few of these failed attempts at scares, the film really lost wind.

I'm glad you enjoyed it but I guess atmosphere and tension are tremendously subjective. I thought it didn't deliver on scares. The problem is that halfway through the film, you (meaning I) realise that there won't be a scare...and they just re-use the "stomping up the stairs" gimmick a few times. I need the actual scare. Tension without payoff is useless in my book.

As I said, this film is quite polarizing, and I'm glad you enjoyed the film. I didn't.

Quigs Snr

Well I agree the payoff was less than I was hoping for. Funny you mention the grudge because thats one of the only other ones I have seen in recent years which had any kind of tension, but again it just went nowhere as you say. The ring remakes and all the other half baked Jap remakes, the various slasher movies, Saw, Hostel, Turistas, they all had some sort of quality, but very few of them generated any real scares or atmosphere and for the most part left me cold.

Recommend me a scary horror movie then !

jaykhunter

stevejazzx; I agree. I think I would've been satisfied with even a "Predator" invisibility-cloak outline. I suppose it really does beggar belief when she/they refuse to leave the house! (I imagine they didn't want to splash out on the $50 for a hotel room & film a scene there :rolleyes::)) I realise they say "it'll keep coming after her" but the guy really just says "OK we'll stay"....

Quigs Snr : You know right well that real horror fans can't be scared! The best I can do is suggest good horror movies :pac::pac::pac:

[REC] (Spanish, 2007) (actually had me scared at the final scene; dripping with anticipation/realization/scare)
Let The Right One In (Swedish, 2008) (which is more of a drama with horror elements),
The Orphanage (Spanish, 2008),
Stephen King's The Mist (2007).
I quite enjoyed Zombieland (2009) although it's a comedy more than a horror. (a "Zom-com")
Hard Candy (2005)
30 Days of Night [2008]

You've probably seen most of 'em but thought I'd mention them anyway.

I've heard good things about Martyrs (2008; French), Invasion of the Bodysnatchers (1978), but I haven't seen them yet. Basket Case (1982) looks really funny/sick, The Giant Claw (1957) might be the most unintentionally funny "horror" ever....The Monster Squad (1987) looks pretty great but not scary at all.

Quigs Snr

Thanks Jay, I had heard some good stuff about REC, The Mist surprises me, It came out in the middle of a glut of bad remakes and I guess I just completely overlooked it.

Invasion of the Bodysnatchers was ok back in the day. Not sure how it would hold up these days. Considerably better than the recent remake I would expect. I have Don't Look Now at home plus the jap version of Ring 2 and zero so must check those out too.

Skinfull

basquille wrote: »

It's worth mentioning the copy circulating the Net right now does not contain the ending you'll see the cinemas.. it has the original ending (before Spielberg suggested a new one.. which they then added).

Anyways.. just finished watching. I'd say it was good but not great. The

mental deterioration of Katie was very well done, as was some of the night scenes as just when I was getting bored of the "** loud noises ** - what's that?" - they pulled out that excellent and quite creepy dragging of Katie out of her bed.

I had a number of problems with the film (one which springs to mind is

the demonologist arriving and leaving.. yes, I know it was meant to appear that he wasn't welcome and that's why he left.. but everything there just felt so rushed. As a scene, it was pointless. Even a couple more lines of dialogue on the phone / on the lawn would have been welcome but it was just daft and annoyed me.

. The rest of the problems I had I'll get into after a good night's sleep (with my EVP and night-vision set up).

Don't think it'll get a re-watch and won't be buying the DVD or Blu-ray.. but I was impressed, even with the hype surrounding it.

This is the version I've seen and to be frank I didn't think much of it. And I think you're bang on there. I'm a directors dream when it comes to horror movies! I jump and scream in all the right places and generally sleep bad afterwards but not for this. The daytime stretched out for me and the night time wasn't disturbing enough save for that one you mentioned!
Plus I was constantly in awe of the gorgeous house they had even though they never seems to go to work!
Though saying that I quite like this ending and it did leave me a little cold.

jaykhunter

Skinfull wrote: »

I was constantly in awe of the gorgeous house they had

:pac::pac::pac: That's hilarious. One of my friends kept giving out about the house decor in Drag Me To Hell... Had to ssshhh her

Basq

jaykhunter wrote: »

:pac::pac::pac: That's hilarious. One of my friends kept giving out about the house decor in Drag Me To Hell... Had to ssshhh her

"You see that lamp that was smashed over her head? I want that for the small table in the hall/"

tommyboy2222

Plus I was constantly in awe of the gorgeous house they had even though they never seems to go to work!

Yeah I was impressed with the swimming pool, the number of laptops and the big screen tv. Did you see the size of it ?!!

D-Generate

tommyboy2222 wrote: »

Yeah I was impressed with the swimming pool, the number of laptops and the big screen tv. Did you see the size of it ?!!

The girl was a student but the fella was a trader so money wouldn't have been a big issue.... of course San Diego isn't exactly the hotspot for trading and any traders that do work on the West Coast would have to pretty much get up at 5 a.m or earlier to make the morning bell for the markets in New York so he would probably be having breakfast with the demon.

briany

Well I liked Paranormal Activity myself. I also liked Cloverfield, Blair Witch and Alien Abduction: The McPherson Tape and REC. There's something alot scarier about this type of horror when it's done in the documentary type style in my opinion. Very few can create that creeping sense of dread that this one did, certainly no big budget Hollywood movies that I've seen that's been made in the last twenty years anyway. You know Jaws, The Exorcist, The Omen, TCSM, those movies could do something but somewhere throughout the 80's the American movie studios seemed to lose the ability to really scare audiences with maybe a handful of honourable mentions from the last quarter of a century. A big musical score and lots of special effects takes a lot away from a movie's fear factor in my opinion, a CGI monster for example, I don't know when that's ever been scary and although I know Cloverfield had one, it was the least scary thing about that movie.

I think, at the end of the day, why some liked Paranormal Activity and some didn't is the same as Blair Witch.... those movies leave your imagination some things to fill in and the things that live in the dark recesses of your imagination are so much blacker and morbidly frightening than anyone could EVER put on screen or at least they are for me. I don't care who you are, if you are trying to sleep at night and it's pitch black and you start hearing strange noises that shouldn't be there your butt is gonna clench a little and these movies, bless 'em, feed off of that. I love it though.

Raekwon

I watched this movie lastnight, I have to say that I wasn't blown away by it but it does hold its own as decent little shocker and I can see where people might be slightly disturbed by it.

The ending I saw was the original one where

she stabs Micah then the cops shoot her

but I downloaded the ending that is being shown in the cinema where

Katie throws the pillow at the camera then creeps up to in on her hands and knees before suddenly diving for it

, and I have to say that the second ending is way more effective. (Btw don't look for it on YouTube as you will just get loads of weird Americans doing their own versions of the ending and it's quite frankly nauseating going through them all trying to find the real version).

Overall I'd give it 5/10, which is kind of sitting on the fence as it's not really that entertaining, but it certainly has it's moments and would be a great movie to watch with your girlfriend just to see her reactions

fergisimo

This is ****ing stupid. This movie is showing in 3 Cork cinemas on Friday the 13th...for ONE ****ING NIGHT ONLY.

I know 4 people that want to see it desperately in theaters, but can't now, because it's on for one night only. Whose ****ing idea was this???

6th

It gets general release on the 25th. I know because I've had meetings with the distributors about it.

tunguska

Scary stuff indeed........Saw it thursday night and it scared the life out of me. Although if you didnt find Blair witch scary you probably wont find this scary.

Handsome Bob

Thought it became unitentionally comical at times. I mean c'mon, how could anyone not find funny

some invisible entity lifting the sheets of the bed up and down, or for the fact that this demon would seemingly just walk into the bedroom every night and just stand there staring at Katie. Stalker demon! :pAlso, lol at the moment when they are asleep when the demon actually turns on the LIGHT walking up the stairs! Seriously peeps I got more laughs than scares from the film.

PirateShampoo

I just want to point out in the original ending

When she is sat there in the trance, a couple of seconds when before the police come up the stairs, you notice the spar bedroom light turn on then off in the back ground. She then comes out of the Trance and gets shot. This is to show the she was possessed and the demon has left her body.

One thing that annoyed the frack out of me was, who the hell leaves every door in the house open?

Alicat

I saw the original ending one last week and I was kinda freaked out, but I'm easily affected by mindf*ck movies....can't watch Blair Witch by myself :rolleyes:

Think I would have preferred the new ending though, because that would have really freaked me out.