The third installment of the Paranormal Activity films was released Oct. 21 with the biggest opening ever for the month of October, garnering a total of $54 million dollars at the
box office.
Those familiar with the films had high expectations as the last two left viewers rocking back and forth in fear at the edge of their reclining theater seats. Instead, the 89-minute R-Rated film began at a slow pace and remained that way for longer than usual. In the past, audiences experienced hair-raising moments all throughout the film but the third installment left its few thrilling moments for the last 30 minutes.
The first of the films surfaced in 2007 and became a phenomenon among those that have a liking for demonic films. The first film followed a young couple, Katie and Micah, as they moved into a new home in the suburbs and have nightly encounters with a demonic presence. The second introduced Katie’s sister Kristi, who also experiences the demons in her own home.
The third movie takes us back in time to the 1980s and follows the two sisters’ first connection with the supernatural. The film follows its usual formula of self-recorded footage, and Katie’s and Kristi’s step father, who does weddings videos for a living, is in charge in this film. After spending time alone in the house and hearing unusual noises, he sets up video cameras around his house and captures the out of ordinary events.
The footage is time and date stamped and it keeps a day-to-day log on the bone chilling demon/ghost activity. The youngest girl is seen speaking to herself or to what she says is her friend Toby, whom no one else can see. What the rest of the family does not know, is that this spirit belongs to a member of satanic cult looking to abduct young, virgin girls.
A scene was removed from the final cut of the movie that was featured on the movie’s trailers. The scene showed the children playing the game “Bloody Mary,” in which one says the name three times in front of a mirror in a dark room and once the lights are on, the reflection of Bloody Mary is said to appear.
The scene is replaced by a less graphic, less frightening version, leaving fans disappointed. As the days roll by, the girls’ mother refuses to give in to the demons’ advances and does not leave until she has her own frightening experience which causes the family to flee the home.
It is then that the movie takes a turn and the real suspense begins. There were very few moments that provoked any reaction from the crowd from the start until then. The movie climaxes and concludes within the last ten minutes, with a blood-chilling climax that happens far too fast.
Moviegoers could take a 60-minute nap and wake up to catch the part of the film that is worthy of watching without missing a beat. The film was strategically released just a week shy of Halloween, and because of high expectations built from the previous films, millions of moviegoers rushed to ticket booths awaiting a nail-biting hour and twenty minutes.
Although the movie is the number one film in the country, the found footage featured in Paranormal Activity 3 may just not provide enough horror to satisfy the craving for blood-curdling experiences that many search for during the Halloween season.