Silently, white text on a black screen reads, “Paramount Pictures would like to thank the families of the deceased and the Carlsbad Police Department.” Viewers of “Paranormal Activity 2” are instantly reminded that the events in the “Paranormal” movie franchise are real.
Following that cryptic message, moviegoers are dropped into the lives of new parents Kristi (Sprague Grayden) and Dan (Tim Clemens) videotaping the homecoming of their baby. Much like the first film, the loose script and insignificant dialogue contribute to the believability of the film. The casual setting in the first few minutes are simple enough to distract viewers from their anticipated fears of what’s to come — until Katie appears.
Katie (Katie Featherston) the bride-turned-murderer from “Paranormal Activity,” comes to meet the newborn, Hunter, who eerily freezes at the sight of her and stares fixatedly. At this point, it becomes apparent that Katie is Kristi’s sister and shows horrific events from the first film.
The creepiness of the film begins with a ransacking of Kristi and Dan’s house they assume was a break in and promptly installs security cameras. The cameras, instead, capture unexplainable phenomena in the next few months, such as pots falling off kitchen hooks, the pool sweeper leaping out of the water and drawers inexplicably flying open all at once.
Following scenes showcase time-lapses of hair-raising moments of Hunter standing at the edge of his crib, staring presumably at an unseen demon that stalks him due to a family curse. Unexplained earth shaking booms, door slams and more keep the family terrified to live in their own home, and the audience too afraid to look directly at the movie screen.
The speed of the film is where it suffers. There are too many useless scenes showing nights where nothing more than a closing door is shown. This is certainly a suspense-building technique, but does not create an engaging plot throughout the one-and-a-half hour run time.
Viewer’s anticipation is finally acknowledged in a heart-racing finale. Kristi’s possessed body is ripped out of bed and dragged mid-air from the second story of the house to the first, and into the pitch-black basement denoted by her death screams.
The foolish characters in “Paranormal Activity 2” gravitate towards the most danger, always budding to investigate the obviously jeopardizing source of humongous noises. The film also addresses the classic battle of the female protagonist emotionally driven by fear and intuition. Meanwhile, the male figure’s logic never fails to show him justify the unexplained and ignores what clearly needs to be addressed to save their lives.
Clever use of Hunter’s intuitive awareness of evil presence without knowledge of the danger at hand gives an effect not achievable with any other character. The background information provided in “Paranormal Activity 2” contributes to the overall story in the “Paranormal” franchise. The more intense demonic antics will undoubtedly satisfy critical viewers who found the first film not scary enough.
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