Paranormal Activity 3 Review

• 22nd Feb 2012

Here we are again. Paranormal Activity 2 acted as both prequel and sequel to the original, running before, alongside and after it. Aside from a small detour to the present at the beginning, 3 is pure prequel. Directed by Catfish helmers Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost, it’s set in 1988 and we’re with the younger versions of Katie (Chloe Csengery – less annoying than she is when she’s older) and Kristi (the maddeningly cute Jessica Tyler Brown). They live with their mum Julie (Lauren Bittner) and stepdad Dennis (Chris Smith). Oh, and Kristi’s imaginary friend Toby. As we know from the previous two films, the girls spent their childhood being haunted by some kind of nasty demony type thing. This film’s going to fill in that backstory.

Two films in and we’re all quite used to the handheld camera/home video ‘nothing happens, nothing happens, nothing happens, loud bang, nothing happens, nothing happens etc’, formula. PA3 picks up the pace considerably with much less ‘nothing happens’ and much more in the way of proper scary moments. And there are some really creepy bits – there’s a particularly memorable twist on the old someone-hiding-under-a-sheet cliché as well as some very special hair pulling. The fact that we’ve seen it all before in some ways makes it worse – I was so tense with waiting for things to happen that I got hiccups. In this case, familiarity breeds fear.

One of the innovations in this film is the use of an electric fan base with a camera balanced on it. This means we now have a moving camera providing even more opportunities for scares as it slowly pans around the kitchen and living room. This inventiveness makes it feel much less repetitive than the previous outings. And Dennis is a videographer so the constant filming and editing doesn’t seem out of place.

But let’s not forget that this is supposed to be an origin story. And that’s where it falls down. The story sucks. There’s a coven. And some old photos. And some symbols scratched on the wall. Not to mention some faintly ridiculous plotholes – if I saw some of the things they see on a video camera in my house, I’d be freaking-the-hell-out. Not to mention getting-the-hell-out (which they do. It doesn’t help). Thankfully though, the mythology isn’t why we watch these films. It’s to have the pants scared off us. And this one does exactly what it says on the tin – you’ll be sleeping with the light on for a couple of days.

DVD extras are quite thin on the ground with only an unrated version of the film to play with. The Blu-ray adds some ‘Lost Tapes’ (more scary footage) but that’s your lot.

Emma Wilkin