The RPM Show

By Adam Miller

Sequel to last year’s surprise horror hit is a major success.

Last year moviegoers helped make a small indie horror movie called “Paranormal Activity ” a theatrical sensation. The film itself carried a mere $11,000 budget, an entirely unknown cast and crew, and went on to earn a collective $200 million in worldwide box office receipts. Due to the success of that movie it seemed somewhat inevitable that a sequel would be on the horizon. Not even less then a month into the film’s theatrical run, the studio announced that a sequel was being put into immediate production and would be released in October 2010. Well after a year of waiting and hoping for the best, I think it is safe to say that we were given the best.

First of all, one thing to note about this film is that it is for the most part a prequel. We are taken back a few months before the events of the first film in which a couple, Katie and Micah, are being terrorized by strange occurrences at night. This film’s follows Katie’s sister and her husband and stepdaughter and newborn son as they move into their new house. When they come home and find their house ransacked, the father decides to install several surveillance cameras inside and outside the house. But like in the first film, it does not take long to realize that things start occurring at night under sinister circumstances. Now in regards to connecting the two films, the subjects of the first film make appearances throughout this one. Of course when Micah shows up the filmmakers show a caption on screen that says this footage was taken before he was killed. Now without giving away any spoilers, the appearances of Micah and Katie and of course the occurrences going in her sister’s house, all lead up to the surprising climax. The climax of this movie, roughly the final five minutes (give or take) are the sequel part of this film. The final scene drops into the night after Micah is killed. So in essence this movie is not just a prequel but also a sequel.

One thing to note is that if anybody who is reading this review right now and who is familiar with our show, you may remember that when this movie was announced that me and my two co-hosts were entirely against it. We felt that Paranormal Activity did not need a sequel and that it can stand on its own. Well as the months went by and then as the studio began leaking small plot points and then the first trailer this past summer, it became quite evident that we needed to rethink our original opinions. At this point we were all excited for the premiere of this movie. I especially was excited for this movie for a variety of reasons. First off, I really did thoroughly enjoy the first movie. I thought it was a real ground breaker in the horror genre. The second reason is that after viewing the first film a few times, I quickly realized that I had a few questions about Katie and her past, which I thought would make perfect plot points for a sequel. My final reason was more of a hope that if this movie were to be done, I hoped that the filmmakers would have the knowledge and the sensibility to use the formula that makes a sequel great.

Upon viewing this movie at a midnight screening, I quickly realized that my hopes and questions were granted and answered as I wanted them to be. The filmmakers delivered a sequel that not only surpasses the original but also further explains the back story surrounding the characters. With this film the writers take us further into the history of the family that Katie and her sister came from. We are given answers as to the possible reasons for why they are being tortured by demons. In so doing they have tied the two films together to the degree where it all makes perfect sense. This way you know the complete story and understand the characters in a much greater way. They also have some fun with the characters as they pass a few jokes throughout the movie. And yet all of this is summed up with a climax that takes us into the biggest question that I think a lot of people had after the finale of the first film. What happened after that? But it should be noted that this film ends in a way that could possibly end up being the starting point for a Paranormal Activity 3 . I don’t know about where my co-hosts stand on this but as for me, I am betting that in October 2011 we will see a third film. To be perfectly honest, I strongly believe that a third film is warranted.

That is my take on Paranormal Activity 2 . It is not just a great sequel but it is an exciting and better entry to this possible franchise. And yes the scares are better and actually a lot more intense. This time around the filmmakers, while still using the build up method that is used in the first film, they scare us with more shocks that are more frightening and intense than those that were in the first film. These two films have created a new subgenre in the the horror genre of cinema. I mean come on, a horror film that was made on a shoestring budget with an amatuer cast and crew, that is told in the first person narrative. That has not been done in that type of style before I don’t think. Or if it has it was not done in a way that really captured the audience. These two movies have captured an audience and have their own still growing fanbase. Paranormal Activity is a growing piece of popular culture that will withstand the test of time.