Paranormal Activity (R, 2009)

common sense media says

Indie scare fest doesn't need blood and gore to terrify.


parents & educators say
  • 47% say language is an issue

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that Paranormal Activity is a real chill-up-the-spine movie that's bound to induce nightmares in plenty of young moviegoers -- even though, as with The Blair Witch Project, the big buzz around the movie (and the prospect of testing their backbone) will likely prove irresistible to many teens. The movie takes its cues from many classic horror films in that it only suggests the scary stuff rather than actually showing explicit gore and violence -- but in leaving much to the viewer's imagination, the effect is much, much more psychologically terrifying than any regular blood-fest. Expect frequent strong language (including multiple uses of "f--k" and "s--t") and some sex talk.

Positive messages: The main characters' plight is unexplained -- they don't seem to have done anything to "deserve" what they go through. Unfortunately, they also can't agree on the methods or approaches to deal with it, and so most of their work is for naught. But they demonstrate some definite bravery in standing up to the beast.
Positive role models: Micah isn't much of a role model, despite his bravery in trying to face and fight the demon. He constantly disagrees and argues with Katie and often refuses to listen when she asks him for help. He tries to fight the demon in an aggressive, physical way, even though it's clear that it's not going to work. But on the plus side, Katie exhibits definite courage, strength, and good humor in the face of her harrowing problem.
Violence: A simmering violence constantly threatens but rarely cuts loose onscreen -- there's actually very little physical violence, with only the tiniest hint of blood or gore. Micah and Katie argue often.
Sex: A young adult couple that lives together talks and jokes about sex fairly often. They both walk around the house in sleeping clothes, consisting of boxer shorts, T-shirts, and tank tops. A female guest shows off her bare midriff. The camera sometimes emphasizes Katie's ample cleavage. The couple has sex one time, but it happens off camera.
Language: Very liberal use of "f--k" in all its variations, including name-calling (directed toward the invading demon). Other words include "s--t," "ass," "hell," "damn," and "Oh my God." Micah raises his middle finger, twice, in a joking manner.
Consumerism: Not applicable.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: The couple opens a bottle of wine at dinnertime in an early scene, but we don't really see them drinking it.

More on Paranormal Activity

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
  • Families can talk about the concept of random violence, as in the demon's seemingly meaningless attacks on Katie. What would cause someone or something to strike out without a reason? How would this make a person feel?
  • How scary was the movie? What scared you most, and why? How did you feel about being scared?
  • What would be the effect of constantly filming your life?

What's the story?

What's the story?
Micah (Micah Sloat) brings home a deluxe video camera and starts filming himself and his girlfriend Katie (Katie Featherston) in their large San Diego house. It seems that unseen forces have been terrifying them while they sleep, and Micah hopes to gather evidence. A psychic (Michael Bayouth) warns them that the trouble is probably caused by a demon -- one specifically targeting Katie -- and that they need professional help. But Micah wants to keep filming and work the problem out by themselves. Unfortunately, the disturbances begin to grow more and more alarming.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 

Made for a very low budget and with minimal actors and settings, PARANORMAL ACTIVITY is an effective horror movie that's more dependent on ideas than on spectacle or gore. Like horror classics ranging from Cat People (1942) to The Haunting (1963) to The Blair Witch Project, it suggests its terrors rather than explicitly showing them, which leaves far more to the imagination -- and sends more genuine chills up the spine.

The well-paced daytime scenes are comparatively relaxing as Micah and Katie try to figure out their dilemma, but the nighttime scenes offer something spookier. The couple sleeps in a static wide shot; the bed, the doorway, and part of a hallway are visible. The scary part can be a sound or an image, but it can originate from anywhere within the frame; the movie always keeps viewers off guard. Some of the characters' behavior can grate, but that's a minor quibble in an otherwise satisfying, terrifying experience.

Movie themes & details

Movie Details
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Director: Oren Peli
Cast: Katie Featherston, Micah Sloat, Michael Bayouth
Genre: Horror
Run time: 99 minutes
Theatrical release: September 25, 2009
DVD release: December 29, 2009
MPAA Rating: R
MPAA explanation: language
Watch our review

This review was written by Jeffrey M. Anderson
 
 

Review It

 

Review Paranormal Activity





Hang on! You need to be a member to post your review.
A safe community is important to us. Please observe our guidelines.
 

What parents & educators say

13
Based on 30 parent & educator reviews:
  • 47% say language is an issue

Most useful reviews by all members

nti757
adult
 
How this movie made it to the screen is unbelievable
This movie is waste of your time.....

MikaylaaMadisonn
teen, 16 years old
 
Such a great movie! Very creepy all the way through! And the final scene.....Woah.

tvgirl
adult
 
Traumatizingly Scary
Finished watching this movie like five minutes ago, which means I started it around 1:00 AM, and I will not sleep at all tonight. I am truly scared. Well made. Well written. Brillant acting. Almost too convincing. The scariest part is that this was based partially on true events.

gogreen
adult
 
Bad movie choice
VERY, VERY disappointed in this one. I kept thinking that something scary was going to happen. And I waited and waited until about the last 15 to 20 minutes of the movie before it finally had anything remotely scary to take place. That's what you see on the movie trailer when everyone jumps. It was so boring during the entire movie the teenage girl next to me kept saying are we going to watch them sleep again? Then she would start texting. So how scary is this movie? You might want to think twice before spending your money on this one because I wanted mine back!

JWilliams303
teen, 17 years old
 
One of the worst scary movies ever
No offense to anyone who did think this was scary, but i thought it was one of the most boring movies ever. It wasnt even scary at all. I thought it would be good since i heard from a lot of people that it was scary, but i thought it was just boring, but then again i am one of those people whose seen a lot of scary movies that they wouldnt really scare me as much anymore. I'd probably say skip this movie unless you are scared by paranormal things

IronZombie75
teen, 16 years old
 
Extremely Scary!
Okay this movie does not have any blood, gore, or violence (brief gory excorcism from afar off computer screen) no sex, no drugs, no consumerism, but what it does have, is EXTREME TERROR!! Warning parents: this movie is so scary, that even you won't be able to sleep for days! I saw it at night, and it is horrifying. Other than that and the language, its okay.

Synchronicity
teen, 18 years old
 
How can an insanely low budget and a few unknown actors make a scary horror movie? It worked for the Blair Witch Project. Ten years later, it works (though not as much) for Paranormal Activity. The basic plotline is simple. A woman named Kate and her boyfriend Micah are both haunted by a demon. Micah uses a video camera to tape the paranormal activity, as well as the couple searching frantically for ways to stop it. This film doesn't have a lot of physical scares (and very little gore), and when you walk out of the theater, you might not think it was scary, but the psychological terror will linger long after you've seen this film. If your city is showing this film, SEE IT. On the content side, Paranormal Activity is pretty tame for an R-rated horror film. There are a lot of f-bombs, but not as many as you'd expect. However, this is a very scary film. I've set the age for Paranormal Activity at 13+, but KNOW YOUR KID.

justareviewer
kid, 13 years old
 
Fine for Middle School and up
Not violent at all It attempts for a creepy feeling and somewhat succeeds. Plenty of language No on screen deaths

nUkeBomB
teen, 17 years old
 
HORRIABE BAD CRAPPY WORST MOVIE EVER
WORST MOVIE EVER MAN IF THEY MAKE ANOTHER ONE IT WILL BE EVEN WORSE DONT WATCH THIS MOVIE ITS NOT SCARY AND ITS CRAPPY

 
Lammmeeee... this movie was so boring up until the last 20 minutes, half the people in the theatre left before it was even half over. It was not scary at all. The only plus was the way it was filmed, sort of like clover field or the salem witch trial. It made it seem more real in a sense. The only thing inappropriate for children is the extent of the f word used by micah.

woodchuck
parent of 6 year old
 
boooo
this movie was so bad. it wasnt scary at all the last 20 minutes were ok but thats it. dont waste your time

rachel4missions
parent of 9 year old
 
almost wet my pants!
For the horror-loving teen, this movie is much better than almost any alternative I can think of. Very little gore or sexual content. The lack of any visible monster makes for an incredibly terrifying movie! Definitely not for people who hate scary movies, but I loved it.

Voodoodolllove
kid, 11 years old
 
Please, use your mind and save time... don't watch it.
It wasn't scary at all and was filmed by a regular camera which gives you a headache until they set it down. I didn't like it because I mean they swore all the time for no reason. And for some random reason the two decide to have sex in the middle of the movie. (they turned off the camera at this point but after that one of them mentions about how it was)

80s Rock Chick :)
teen, 17 years old
 
hmmmmm........
i watched it for the first time 4 months back... and while some of it may seem boring... there are some reallllllyyyyy creepy scenes... especially when shes standing over him while hes sleeping, (you know somethings goin to happen) and the end when all that crap is about to happen and the door opens and theres that shadow... and then BANG!!!!!!!! I liked it... the ending was especially insane... I screamed lol... :)

zachsmama
parent of 13 year old
 
I want my time back!
Dumbest movie ever. Can I have my money back? Can I have my time back? You can fool us once (Blair Witch) but as a society, please tell me you're not so stupid as to be fooled twice. I actually laughed at the end, it was so bad!

georgia.
teen, 14 years old
 
so bad.
I was expecting this film to be scary, it was the most lame thing in the world. i kept waiting for the scares and they just never came. soooo boring.

erraggarn98
kid, 13 years old
 
Disappointing
This movie was stupid. My dad and I went to see it and at the end we were like ' WTF? '. Very stupid. Bit of language and has a stabbing but you dont see it. Im not even gonna bother to see the sequal

Samar Jay
kid, 11 years old
 
Not good if you don't like to sit stalk upright every time you here a bump at night.
It wasn't that bad to get an R... Except for that scene not mentioned here where Micah showed Katie the picture of the woman who chewed her own arm of. That was a little gory.

The Review Guy
teen, 15 years old
 
Suspenseful Flick is tame,but too scary for kids
Messages:The Killer in this movie is an unknown force from one of the characters,the people in this film don't really deserve what they've gotten,but they don't really have anything redeeming. Role Models:Although Katie is determined to get rid of the unknown force,her boyfriend Micah try's to do it himself,and he ends up bringing in more trouble,he try's to save Katie,but it might be too late. Violence:A bite mark is shown on Katies side,she's also dragged by the unknown force,but the film has more suspense rather than gore,so the film has no actual violence,though Katie does kill Micah offscreen(Spoiler Alert.)Micah and Katie are often argueing. Sex:Micah and Katie are often shown in their underwear,but there's no Nudity.Some mild sex jokes are often heard,Micah and Katie have sex,but it happens offscreen. Language:F**k is heard several times from Micah mostly,we also hear godd**n,idiot,ass,s**t,h*ll,and Oh my God.Micah raises the middle finger. Consumerism:Not an Issue Drinking,Drugs,and Smoking:A Wine Bottle is shown,but it isn't used. My MPAA Rating R:Language

milkandhoney
teen, 15 years old
 
eh
it was ok a cheap shock at the end but the scare isn't deep at all good for people who don't particularly like horrors

An independent voice for families
Age-appropriate reviews
 

vote now

Will you see Paranormal Activity?


Already seen it? What do you think?

 

Great alternatives handpicked by our editors


About our rating system
ON: Content is appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child, some content may not be right for some kids
OFF: Not age appropriate for kids this age