It's Scream Time!!!

Well, it's a long time since I've been made to jump out of my skin at the cinema or watching something on TV but tonight was the night. Paranormal Activity 2 hit the silver screen and screams followed believe me - it's the first time I've ever experienced it.

First of all it's fair to say that the cinema was packed to capacity and surprisingly, the average age was around 20 - very young really. This was a '15' certificate affair and just as well. There were some really chatty people throughout the film which annoys me and there was a couple of young giggly women behind us - but the film soon shut them up and at one stage one of them seriously said that she wanted to leave... ha ha ha!

No spoilers here, but the film is about a family in small town America who have their house burgled. The family set up security cameras around their home and the story is then told through the medium of a family hand held video camera which the various characters use from time to time and the security cameras. This is like watching a home movie and it does take some getting used to, but it's beautifully directed and this becomes rather engaging method of telling a story.

The family start to experience some strange knocks and sounds in the house and they seem to centre around the one year old little boy in the house. Then stranger and odder things start to happen and then the full fury of the film hits you in the last twenty minutes.

I say the full fury, but this is in the best tradition of a psychological thriller/horror. There is no blood or gore, it just works on the mind; clever sound, clever editing of film, great acting which is not in any way hammed up and one or two very special, special effects.

There are some uncomfortable moments for the audience, but then why would you go and see a horror film where the first one in the series of films really worked hard on your senses.

There is a going-back really to the 1963 black and white UK classic The Haunting with Claire Bloom and Richard Johnson that relied purely on sound and low camera angles in an old creepy house.

Recommended but not for the faint of heart or the squeamish.

Sleep well...

Chat Soon

Ta-ra