West Springfield High School Newspaper

The Oracle

West Springfield High School Newspaper

The Oracle

West Springfield High School Newspaper

The Oracle

‘Paranormal 2’ has no sequel slump

Demons, demons, everywhere.

With the recent release of “Paranormal Activity 2,” people are lying awake in their beds through all hours of the night afraid of one thing: becoming possessed.

The sleeper hit of 2007, “Paranormal Activity” created such a buzz that the sequel was highly anticipated. It reached the number one spot at the box office in its opening weekend.

The sequel starts off a few months previous to the events that unfolded in the first film. The movie introduces Kristi, the sister of the victim, Katie, from the original. Kristi and her husband are the heads of an average suburban family in California.

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With the addition of newborn baby, Hunter, teenage daughter, Ali, and German Shepherd, Abby, the audience is no longer just worried for an adult; the lives of more innocent creatures are jeopardized.

What could easily have been extremely repetitive provided just as many, if not more, scares than the 2007 original. Audience members find themselves wrapped up in the story, filled with anxiety over the baby, who is identified as what the evil demon-being wants.

As the trailers and TV spots show, the basic setup of the film is changed. Instead of a hand-held video camera familiar from the first film and other mockumentaries such as “The Blair Witch Project” and “Cloverfield,” the family installs security camera throughout their home. The cameras are installed after what is assumed to be a break-in occurs.

For the remainder of the story, moviegoers watch as the views switch around between the various rooms and stationary camera angles that are now in the house. This effect adds to the thrill, mostly because the camera doesn’t react along with the characters, so there’s no warning from the cameraman when a paranormal event is about to occur. When something jumps out or causes a stir with audiences, there is no movement from the camera, just the jump and reaction in the theater.

As a whole, “Paranormal 2” provides moments of fear that leave you covering your eyes. The virtually nameless actors contribute to the fear in the back of your mind; causing fans to question the reality of what they’re watching in front of them.

For a scary movie style that dates back through the early years of chilling fright tactics, “Paranormal Activity 2” manages to do what every horror director wants to achieve: instill new, fresh and exciting fear in watchers.

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