'Paranormal Activity 2'

Vincent Rahming
Contributor
What did you watch this Halloween?
For most movie-goers this time of year, scary movies are in high demand, and Paranormal Activity 2 had fans impatiently waiting for its release. The big question is: does it live up to the hype?
Writer Michael R. Perry delivers a promising follow-up — or prequel, if you will — to last year’s breakout hit. Anyone who watched, liked or disliked the first film knows its premise: big houses, flickering lights, thumping sounds, slamming doors and unsuspecting victims experiencing the wrath of the supernatural.
Paranormal Activity 2 introduces us to a couple, Kristi and Dan, who recently welcome their newborn son, Hunter, home. Hunter becomes the center of attention in the family, shown through quick montages of Dan’s daughter playfully warning him to stay out of her bedroom, being adored by the nanny-housekeeper and interacting with a familiar face, Katie, from the original film,  as well as Kristi’s sister.
Everything seems perfectly fine until there is a sudden “break-in” at their home. Of course, that’s what the characters assume when they find furniture damaged and items and clothing thrown everywhere. In the paranormal world, though, it’s just the beginning of madness.
The key players this time around aren’t as investment-worthy as the two characters in the first film, primarily because there’s a slightly larger cast in this new instalment.
While Paranormal Activity 2 may a bit inferior to the original, it sticks to its roots by using the same ‘found footage’ formula, including late-night episodic experiences and deathly quiet images. These elements do not go unnoticed as they repeat what made the first Paranormal Activity a box office and critical success.
Fear and suspense make their presence known throughout the film. It’s uneasy enough to witness this family’s terror being locked outside the house, observing eerie kitchen calamities or being pulled down the stairs by an unseen force. With a baby and a sensitive German Shepherd also being taunted and toyed with in the mix, it’s bound to make anyone shift in their seats at some point.
The ending may be a bit abrupt, but if you want to have a fun, tension-filled or chilling movie experience, Paranormal Activity 2’s 91 minutes will be quite the Halloween treat.
2 and 1/2 out of 4 stars