Paranormal Activity 2

The things that go bump in the night are back with a yawn-inducing vengeance in the highly-anticipated Paranormal Activity 2.

The sequel to Paranormal Activity hit theatres on October 22^nd to much critical acclaim. It gained a surge in popularity after releasing several clips on YouTube (although many of the clips shown were not in the actual film).

The movie focuses on a woman named Kristi, the sister of the woman from the first film, and her family, especially her newborn son Hunter. After a mysterious break-in, the family installs cameras to make them feel safer. From that point on, the family is subjected to several episodes of paranormal activity that drive the family to extreme limits.

If you have seen the first movie, you will be pleased to find that the sequel adds some back story to the original. However, seeing the first one isn't really necessary. The filmmakers were smart enough to make the film accessible to first time viewers.

The unfortunate soul that I dragged to see this movie with me described Paranormal Activity 2 as a giant internet screamer video and, honestly, that couldn't be truer. The scares that come from this film usually involve an unexpected loud noise or sudden movement. The atmosphere did have a slightly creepy feeling to it, but if it wasn't for the surprises, this film would not be scary at all.

While Paranormal Activity 2 is not scary, it is certainly unintentionally hilarious. The scenes where people get dragged around are so ridiculous that the audience couldn't help but laugh. The fact that the film focuses on a one-year-old should be unnerving, but that kid was just so gosh darn cute that the audience kept giggling at his antics, even during the most inappropriate scenes.

Admittedly, the film isn't totally silly. There are a couple scenes that are legitimately creepy. However, it is debatable as to whether sitting through all the boring dialogue is really worth the two scenes that will only sort of disturb you.

The mundane conversations and the dragging montage in the beginning are enough to put any movie-goer to sleep. I had expected for there to be non-stop horror but unfortunately the scary scenes, even the ones that were only jump scares, were few and far in between. If the filmmakers were going to make this film dialogue driven, the conversations should have been provocative and interesting.

The only reason to see this film in theatres is that you may end up being part of a great audience, filled with people who make fun of the film the whole way through or at least scream at every little thing. Since opening weekend has passed, that is probably a crapshoot.

More than likely, you'll just end up stuck in a theatre for 90 minutes, feeling moderately annoyed that you spent 10 bucks on a ticket. My recommendation is that if you want see Paranormal Activity 2 but aren't a hardcore fan of the first, rent it through Redbox when it comes out on DVD.

2 out of 5 stars