Paranormal Activity

Paranormal Activity. A handheld camera movie on the most traumatic few weeks of one young couple's life in their suspected haunted house.
Admittedly, the summary sounds awful, and in all honesty, the entire premise of the film sounds ridiculous as well, no matter how many people may tell you 'oh no, it's really good! Honestly!' And whilst I sincerely doubt that hearing the same sentiment from me will make any exception to this...watch it. Really. Watch it.
The film begins, in a way, after the actual haunting has begun, with the camera being set up predominantly in the couple's bedroom at night, to record any further paranormal events or signs of demonic activity in their home, as well as being used to film brief daytime episodes in relation to the spirit as well. Whilst in most cases shaky low quality camera films aren't the favourite for late night horrors, 'Clover-field' being referenced here quite predictably, the camera is laid still for most of the film, and the few times it is moved, the quality does not decrease, making for increasingly tolerable viewing. Surprisingly, the two main characters actually fall into the same category.
Director, Oren Peli, had decided to make the characters and the film as naturalistic as possible, therefore letting the actors and cast members having virtually no characteristics at all, aside from their own. Katie, played by Katie Featherstone, and Micah, played by Micah Sloat were given no script at all, and practically all their reactions were their own, from the generic crying and screaming, to the heart-warming comfort and subconscious familiarity between them, were created from actors who had had no previous contact before shooting the film. However, they performed their roles so effortlessly, it was virtually impossible to tell.
The plot itself is a bit of a slow starter, with the first third of the film focused around Katie's background with the spirit, and the psychic she brings in to help them deal with this. The psychic, in the end, has a rather pointless role, aside from providing the audience with further lore on demons and ghosts, however for a movie buff like myself, it was hardly brand new information. But once it starts, it really starts.
From the first innocuous door slamming, my heart thudded, and it became increasingly tempting to cover my eyes as the green tinted nights progressed. Possibly one of the most brilliant elements of this film would be the simplistic invisibility of the demon. We never see it's face, and in fact, all it seems to do is startle the couple by performing the simplest, yet scariest of acts around their own home. Creaking stairs, jarring television signals, thumping noises, even open attic doors. Everything we've flinched at, home alone, of an evening.
In contrast to a lot of typical horror films, the SFX gore and fake blood are absent, as well as the juddering eerie music, and laughable special effects creatures, bringing the film a lot closer to home than most; making it almost uncomfortable relatable and intimidating. Another highlight of the film would've been the reactions themselves, with the overwhelming fear and complete lack of faux heroics making it that bit more realistic and believable for the audience, revealing to us the way that most of us would act if put in the same positions as the characters portrayed.
One of the very slight weaknesses of the film would've been it's slightly predictable ending, with the steady naturalistic feel breaking briefly into the stereotypical horror set up, and the plot edging a little too closely to that of 'The Exorcism of Emily Rose' to be classed as original. However, to conclude, I thoroughly enjoyed being terrified out of my wits by this film, and would recommend it to anyone who was looking for a genuine scare, and a breath of fresh air from the murky depths of the horror scene.