Maybe I have a weaker tolerance for horror films then most people, but I can man up and admit that last Fall, Paranormal Activity scared the holy hell out of me. The buzz around the film was that if it didn't terrify you to tears the in the theatre, then at least be impressed by its budget. The entire film cost just about $15,000 to make, which is pennies compared to let's say Saw VI, which was made for about $10 million. But beyond its success and underdog status, director and screenwriter Oren Peli's technique is something to be noted, and his low budget to be considered his blessing.
The theory in horror films is that longer you don't see killer (albeit spirit, creature, human, whatever), the more terrifying it becomes. Think of Steven Spielberg's 1977 hit, Jaws. The audience barely sees the shark in its entirety throughout the whole film. Only the musical sting (provided by the legendary John Williams) and the shark's ominous fin was enough to stop movie-goers from also becoming beach-goers for many summers after its release. We all know the classic tale about how the mechanical shark never worked, and how Spielberg had to work around it, and the story described every time you take the Backlot Tour at Universal Studios, Hollywood. But it says a lot about how to scare your audience. And I believe Paranormal Activity uses the same effect.
Now which came first, the chicken or the egg, for Paranormal Activity, I'm not sure. Did Peli get stripped of his budget and had to make due, or did the movie start small and escalate enormously? I'll have to ask him one day. But let's marvel at the fact that by not showing the demonic presence once in the entire film, it made it so much more terrifying. Nothing is scarier then our own imaginations. This point is proven by the film.
And how does one go about making an unseen presence in a house disturbing and frightening? Proper use of filmmaking techniques, of course. By only using only sound and lighting, and maybe a door slamming, Peli creates the illusion of a unholy demon, completely invisible, but nonetheless horrifying. Really think about everything that you saw in the movie (oh and delayed spoiler alert: its not real. Sorry). About 3/4 of the film was that one shot in the bedroom, and the rest was a shaky camera around the house. Now think about the staging of that one shot in the bedroom, and divide it into 3 parts: Katie's side of the bed, Micah' side of the bed, and the empty hallway framed by the open door. Filling two spaces with characters, Peli fills the void of the hallway with strange lighting and sound effects, so we assume there's another character there. Yikes.
from Paranormal Activity (2007)
Also, think about how important the sound is in the movie. It's no secret to directors or audiences that the best way to make someone jump is to make everything quiet, then blast a loud noise out of nowhere. But what works even better is when the audience knows its coming and sits and waits for it. Paranormal Activity uses this technique perfectly. Every time the film faded into that one bedroom scene, you knew something was gonna go down. All you did was watch and wait. Then all of sudden an abnormal scream hits the house like a demonic jet crashing into the roof, the only aftermath being a swinging light. And the audience is left completely freaked out.
I highly recommend watching this film again, this time thinking "This is only a few shots and loud sound effects, and I've just crapped myself! Again!" What's really terrifying about Paranormal Activity is its good directing. I applaud director Oren Peli's accomplishment of using almost no special effects (I think only about 3 seconds worth at the end of the film) and relying on basic film techniques to scare the (in some cases) metaphorical crap out of everyone.
For more on Paranormal Activity, check out: Paranormal Activity on IMDB
For more Movies To Love, check out: MoviesToLove by James Knapp
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