Film Review Paranormal Activity 2 (2010)

Film Review

Paranormal Activity two (2010)

Director: Todd Williams

Brief Plot Outline
A family suspect evil spirits are at work when they capture chilling occurrences on their home security cameras. After experiencing what they think are a series of break-ins, the family sets up security cameras around their home only to realize that the events unfolding before then are more sinister than they seem.
Which two scenes impressed you the most? Why?
The baby in mid-air lifted up showing tension and slow montaging and then collision cutting to the baby screaming and crying- then the loud bangs around the house of doors slamming, furthermore the front door shuts itself showing collision cutting again helps this-going very quick to sudden loud noises. Furthermore there are objects moving on their own for instance doors slamming. Plus the dog barking and the baby crying you know something is going to happen, the suspense of it is important in this type of genre horror. Another scene what impressed me was during the day on the CCTV camera in the kitchen with just Kristi in the shot, collision cutting of it being quiet then everything in the kitchen accessories all fall down.

How has watching this film helped you understand this genre of filmmaking? Which features on the genre checklist did you spot in the film? When? How?
The first feature of the horror genre checklist I spotted was cinematography using handheld throughout, the emotion from handheld cameras for the audience it creates the feeling your there. Secondly slow editing is shown to create tension which happens in the silent parts of the film leaving you on edge and thinking what is going to happen next, for example Hunter (baby) crying you know something is wrong. Themes in it are loneliness/being trapped in the house and fear of family being hurt. Collision cutting of handheld camera of family in conversation then cuts to the CCTV cameras from a high angle which was showing absolute silence which creates the emotions collision cutting emphasising from loud family conversation during the day to silence at night.

Which aspects of the film would you like to include in your own trailer? Why?
The two aspects I would include is loads of close-up shots and establishing (long shot) of the whole location for example in Paranormal Activity 2 (2010) the CCTV cameras in each room and outside (pool and front door). In this film and most I feel every scary suspense part is at night and during the day there are more normal conversations going on. What in impressed me was the ending was the best part, we hear scratching noises and no music plus Katie killing both Ali and Daniel.

Which aspects of the film would you like to avoid in your own trailer? Why?
I feel you either love or hate handheld camera based films like Paranormal Activity and Cloverfiled. In this film it works but having some angles of shots (CCTV) parts are throughout the time but the risk of it being slightly boring means that I will avoid over using it in my own film.

What were the best aspects/ more enjoyable moment in the film? Why? Can you recreate this in your own film? Why?
I believe the main good aspects about the film rely on editing and sound such as the heart stopping quiet parts on the CCTV cameras in the baby’s room, pool-side, front door inside and outside, leaves the viewers on edge, what’s going to happen next? It leaves you in suspense a lot of the time. Then it goes from silence around the house to then collision cutting to loud bangs- door slamming. The narrative is unhappy with Ali and Daniel dying and opening ending with Katie and baby Hunter not being found which was a good twist to the ending which leaves the viewer wondering what happened to them.