The deceptiveness of “Paranormal Activity 2” can be found in the title.
While it was created after the first 2007 box office hit, you’ll find that “PA2” is actually a prequel to the first movie.
If you left “Paranormal Activity” questioning why an unknown demon would want to terrorize the lives of a young married couple, Katie (Katie Featherston) and Micha (Micha Sloat), your questions will be answered.
The film is shot through the lenses of Katie’s older sister Kristi, her husband Dan, step-daughter Ali and infant son Hunter.
After the birth of their first child together, the family attempts to get all of Hunter’s first steps on tape. But the peaceful days of Hunter’s infancy are soon behind them when they realize there is more than just the four of them being caught on camera.
The movie uses the same night-by-night experiences as the first one, along with a black and white security camera approach.
In each new shot the camera rolls from the front porch to the pool, and then to the entryway, which makes the movie drawn out.
The cameras were installed following a break-in to Kristi and Dan’s home—an unoriginal plot line used by the screenwriters.
But, the security cameras’ angles allow for a wide view of the rooms leaving your eyes darting with expectations that something will be popping out from every corner.
The gap from the first movie is soon bridged when the screen writers reintroduce the original film’s characters—Katie and Micha.
Kristi confides in Katie about the demonic happenings, taking them back to moments of their childhood.
Choosing to ignore her sister, Katie puts those days of unrest behind her while Kristi and her family continue to be followed by the demon.
Dan plays the insensitive, comic relief of a husband and refuses to believe in these “paranormal activities.”
Ali does research of her own and unearths an intensely abnormal connection between the birth of her baby brother Hunter and the demon. This explanation is where both movies come together.
Audience members yelled as the cast made every stereotypical scary movie choice in the book: answering doors without checking to see who’s there and running towards rooms where they heard noises.
I knew what to expect after seeing the first “Paranormal Activity,” so I wasn’t surprised by any of the acting or visual effects. The main difference in the overall feeling of this movie and its predecessor is that you’ll spend less time on the edge of your seat and more time jumping out of it.
The ending of Paranormal Activity 2 leaves you wanting more.
Almost a cliff-hanger, the film tricks you into thinking something is coming by showing a black screen for a few minutes before finally rolling the credits.
While the question of the demon’s existence may be answered in this film, I feel that, sadly, this will not be the end of the “ Paranormal Activity” franchise and producers will continue to reap all of its benefits, giving it the potential to become the next “Friday the 13th.”
