Keepin' it Reel: Paranormal Activity Published Nov. 4, 2009 39th Air Base Wing Public Affairs INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey -- Synopsis: After a young, middle class couple moves into a suburban 'starter' tract house, they become increasingly disturbed by a presence that may or may not be somehow demonic but is certainly most active in the middle of the night. Especially when they sleep. Or try to. Narghile Nightingale Paranormal Activity: residual fright for active imaginations *Spoiler Alert* Let me just say that I have a strict policy about "horror" flicks: I don't watch them. After a so-called friend forced me to watch "The hand that rocks the cradle" at the tender age of 10 and I straight-up left the sleepover only to crawl into my new-kids on the block sleeping bag, with the lights on, and "Little Mermaid" playing in the VCR; It's not even up for discussion. Not much has changed in the past 15 years, whenever I'd even catch part of a scary movie on TV I'd have to sleep with a lamp on and fall asleep to a funny movie. So, I completely expected to be freaked out by this movie, despite its $11,000 budget. Even though it had all the characteristics of a movie that would send my heart racing, the creepiness was overshadowed by one character: Micah. Micah, the boyfriend, was a complete idiot ... so stupid that it made the whole thing seem fake to me. I kept wondering why this poor girl, Katie, puts up with his crap?! So, when the boogeyman would harass them in their bed, late at night, I was fixated on how this was all "his fault." Between nervous giggles and peeking through my intertwined fingers, I saw the movie end in carnage and was surprised that I didn't feel jittery. I just watched almost two hours of 20-somethings proving demons exist... I just watched this demon drag a full-grown woman out of her bed, whisper her name, shake her sheets, slam doors, magically produce pictures of her as a little girl and then kill her boyfriend. I think this movie's simplicity proved to be the perfect ingredient for success. This movie's homemade video feel provides a personal touch that makes you think, "Crap! This could be MY video!" and, unlike most ghost stories, doesn't over-play the creepiness with high-speed graphics and crazy camera angles. It was just enough to make me turn my bedside-lamp on before going to sleep. Chaz Paranormal Activity = Scurry I'm a quiet person. If I wasn't, I would be that guy in the movie theater yelling, "Don't go in there," "Why are you running up the stairs you idiot," or, "You see - that's what you get!" I can honestly say no horror movies will ever be made about my life because I wouldn't give movie writers the material to keep it going longer than the point where I'm jumping in my car and driving far, far away. I'm pointing out these self qualities after watching "Paranormal Activity." Although terrifying and a new take on horror, I couldn't help but shake my head and smile every time the main characters did something that I would absolutely not do. I mean, have they ever seen a horror movie? I suppose if they were as smart as me (long shot), there would have been no movie to watch, so ignorance is bliss in this case. Now let's pretend that I'm not a complete judging psycho for a second and allow me to tell you about the movie. I watched it two nights ago, and I have yet to fall asleep with the TV off, as if the TV on would save me in any way from anything. The cover of the movie clearly states that you should not watch it alone, and it's right, because if I would have, I would have missed the good parts because my hands would have been over my eyes. What makes this movie so scary is the lack of control the people have in the situation. You never see the "entity," but what is amazing is how much character it has. And the fact that the "entity" can care less about whether they, young couple main characters, are alone or not, is terrifying. The movie takes away the comfort of your bed. And the part where the female main character stands above her husband and stares at him, for hours, is some messed up stuff. All I have to say is I've been talking about this movie for two days straight and it still gives me goose bumps. If you're fan of horror, see it, if you so dare. The Dexter I think my imagination overrules any other account of common sense in my being Sure, I listened to the hype of this cinematic movie and imagined how freaked out I may become. When grown men are agreeing with their female counterparts that they had trouble sleeping after this movie- I had to question my ability to hold back fear and my goosebumpy tendencies. As I sat through the movie, different emotions flooded through me. I thought the boyfriend was a jerk and felt that karma kind of kicked him in the ... well, behind. I chuckled a few times at some of the screaming and didn't expect it to have the ending that it did. But the scenes the movie had with low voices, slamming doors and mysterious events were all too real. People, including myself, let creaking floor boards and odd noises spook them- so I was happy to see a film feed off a common fear of the unknown rather than just monsters, serial killers and all the scary music interludes. I've got to say that yes, I have used a Ouija board countless times and have had stories passed through my family about spirits and such, so imagining these things happening to me is what made me stare at the shower curtain this morning to make sure it was moving just because of the stream of water rather than a relentless spirit to make me go crazy. All in all, I think it would have been a lot better if more money was spent on it- but it was a simple script, and one that raked in more than $85 million. I'd recommend to rent the movie only if you're easily spooked, have an imagination to run with and/or believe in hauntings. Lambchop Paranormal Activity: I hate nighttime So I'm not exactly the biggest scary movie fan (especially when my boyfriends a thousand miles away), but for some reason my curiosity gets the best of me sometimes and I get this crazy notion that scaring myself half to death would be a good idea. This homemade thriller invites the audience into this average, young couple's home, but they have just one wee little problem; a demon. Hey it's only a demon, so videotaping it and taunting it sounds like a pretty good idea, right? WRONG!!! During the day scenes of this movie, it wasn't so bad, but as soon as they turned those lights down low and curled up for a good night sleep, breathing was no longer an option. The anticipation alone made my stomach flip and the thought of this happening in my own bed altered my sleeping schedule, to say the least. I strongly suggest not watching this movie by yourself! The movie itself isn't what's going to get you, it's the mental images it leaves lingering in your head. It will make you second guess what that noise down the hall really was and what is really going on when you close your eyes at night. Benton Fritz (Guest Critic) Paranormal Activity: A Movie Worth Dying to See First off, I am a self-admitted Scary movie junkie. Not the Tim Burton idolizing, Hot Topic shopping, spike wearing type, but I do enjoy a good scare from time to time. For this reason, I believe that the movie "Paranormal Activity" is a successful addition to the movie lineup for this 2009 fall season. Across the board, both main characters Katie and Micah seemed to follow what one would expect of a low budget film; not believable. Katie is a 25 year old student studying to become a Spanish teacher. However, in one clip, Katie is shown attempting/failing to simply put together the phrase "I want to be a teacher" in Spanish. Micah, who is presumably around the same age as his girlfriend, is a day trader who apparently hasn't been hit by the stock market slump that most of us have felt. At 25, Micah owns a two-story, 3-bedroom house, with a built-in pool in San Diego, CA with no other obvious source of income. With this being said, the acting is actually pretty good considering both actors are no-names in the entertainment industry. Especially during the night-time engagements between them and their squatter from the afterlife, both people are extremely believable. The movie admittedly starts off a little slow with both characters engulfed in relationship nuances that normally come with moving in with one another. While it does have a "Blair Witch Project" feel to it, (the entire movie is filmed using a hand held camera) it far surpasses its predecessor in the scare factor. As the movie progresses, Katie continually is haunted by a demon that hasn't left her since she was 8 years old. Micah does what any guy with a little testosterone would do in this situation and repeatedly taunts the being, prompting an escalated response. These nighttime occurrences are too creepy and believable to give away so one will have to watch the movie to get the full effect! The incidents progressively get worse and worse as the days go by culminating in a final scene that will shock even the most avid horror movie watchers. My initial feeling after viewing "Paranormal Activity" was that it was a quality scary movie, but that it didn't leave me with any lasting impressions. However, in the hours that passed the movie had a way of crawling back under my skin and resonating there for longer than expected. In the end, most people (whether they will admit or not) can attest that once your head hits the pillow for the first time after watching, you find yourself nervously wondering "What really does happen when I'm asleep?" Agree or disagree? Click "add a comment" below to give us your opinion. Click here for an introduction from the critics.