ComplainerMan

I’ll begin this review of Paranormal Activity 3 (and some of the two before it) by stating that during the course of the movie, I was not given any opportunity to eat any of my Sour Patch Kids or drink any of my Sprite. I also got a whopping great cramp in my arm from being so tense. I’m a hardened veteran when it comes to scary movies, and anyone who knows me even in the slightest can confirm that. I’m desensitized, what can I say? Despite that, Paranormal Activity 3 scared the holy hell out of me. It was a perfect ending to an amazing trilogy.

I’ve heard three major complaints about the movie so far, none of which have to do with the quality of the trilogy itself. One, why are there always cameras everywhere? Well, you see, we wouldn’t be able to watch the movie if they didn’t put cameras everywhere because they couldn’t think of a satisfactory reason. I mean, come on. It’s like telling The Shining to leave out all ghosts because they don’t make sense. Two, most of the stuff in the Paranormal Activities are taken from The Exorcist, Blaire Witch, and/or Poltergeist. Not a terribly astute observation, seeing as poltergeist shockumentaries often have to do with poltergeists and cameras. But if it satisfies you, it’s not even a ghost that assails the protagonists. It’s a demon. How fascinating! Enough of that, though. Let’s get on to the good stuff.

This is drastically important. If you’re skeptical of this movie before you watch it, don’t watch it. If you’re going in there with a he-man “nothing can scare me” attitude, why the hell are you even watching scary movies? To prove something? In order to fully appreciate this movie and immerse yourself in its plot, you need to want to be terrified. Outlook is everything here, and this actually applies to most movies. Also, consider viewing the first two movies prior to viewing the third. If you view only one movie of the Paranormal Activity trilogy, it will cease to be part of the trilogy and become “just another horror movie.” That’s no fun.

The first movie is meant to be vague, mysterious. It makes you ask, why are these people being haunted? What caused it? Is there even any reason? After it’s over, it will likely leave you feeling a little let down. The second movie fills that gap, along with cranking up the scare level. It provides loose answers to the questions previously asked, and will personally see to it that you jump at least ten times before the end. I won’t spoil anything, but it really starts to pull the two movies together, and even has the timelines of both converge, resulting the conclusion of the second. Quentin Tarantino style, am I right? No? Then watch the third. That’s what this is all about.

Paranormal Activity 3 takes you back before the first two movies, answering every single question that they might have roused. It also serves to scare the living crap out of you, because, if you’ve watched the first two, you understand just how the scare factor works in the trilogy. It gets you looking over every detail present, making sure nothing has moved, nothing has changed. If you let it, Paranormal Activity 3 will have you glued to your seat all throughout, making you jump a foot with every startle, making you sweat with every buildup. Even the false scares will illicit a little shout. So get some friends together, wait until midnight, turn off all the lights, and get ready to freak out, because Paranormal Activity 3 will take you on one hell of a trip.