Sympathy for the devil
Poor lights, shaky camera standard fare
This barrel appears to have no bottom. Five films later and the Paranormal Activity bucket is still splashing as fishy occurrences continue to haunt ordinary human beings, who capture all the shrieking magic on consumer camera equipment.
This is the whole gimmick behind Oren Peli’s $350-million dollar franchise: All the spectral hijinks are supposed to feel “real” because the camera is shaky, the lighting is poor and the dialogue is sporadic, random and frequently vulgar — just like in real life.
Moreover, these movies thrive on the false sense of security a camcorder can afford as it lends a sense of safe distance by placing a piece of machinery, between ourselves and the action.
It’s the reason Russians have dashboard cameras, and in this bout of inexplicable activity, it’s the reason Jesse (Andrew Jacobs) and Hector (Jorge Diaz) walk into a maw of satanic mischief.
The opening sequence shows us footage of their high school graduation, captured via phone, with all the goofy asides we expect.
They keep the cameras rolling when they get home and start the party, but something strange is happening in the downstairs apartment.
They hear howling noises and loud thumps, and in a moment of creative inspiration they decide to send the camera down the vent on a rope.
Of course, what they see changes their lives forever. It also provides the momentum for the rest of the movie as Hector and Jesse realize the downstairs neighbour is performing some kind of ritual on buxom women.
The only thing that saves it from complete ennui is the new Latin angle. The movie can only hit a few notes over and over.
The sequence changes, but most audience members will be bored by the predictable pattern.