Review: PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2

It’s a pretty typical Hollywood story: low budget, independent film becomes a surprise success; big name studio buys the rights for dirt cheap; franchise is born. Such is the case for Paranormal Activity, 2009’s small “found footage” horror flick that is powered by two unknown actors and a video camera. Now, a year later, Paramount has given birth to Paranormal Activity 2, assigning a new director and a more bloated budget to the task of producing quiet, resonating terror.

Paranormal Activity 2 is both a prequel and a sequel, its plot working in conjunction with last year’s sleeper hit. This time around, home movies and surveillance footage follow Kristi Rey (Sprague Grayden) and her family as they experience-yep, you guessed it-paranormal activity in their home. So, how does this follow-up coincide with its predecessor? Kristi is both neighbor and sister to Katie (Katie Featherston), the victim of demonic torment in the original film. However, Katie has yet to fall victim to evil because Paranormal Activity 2 begins a few weeks before the first film...and she was never meant to fall victim in the first place.

I’ll admit it: this film unnerved me, but it wasn’t because of its relentless jump scares or its run-of-the-mill central storyline. The way it answers questions I never even thought I wanted answers to (despite the “winking” exposition it uses to get from point A to point B) is what left me chilled as I walked out of the theater. That being said, it was the only thing that left me chilled. The rest of Paranormal Activity 2 plays out far too predictably, with two-dimensional stock characters who only serve to move the plot along and constant spooks that become more annoying than frightening half way through. Paramount hardly lets this quickly produced follow-up remain subtle like Paranormal Activity proved itself to be and because of that, it suffers immensely.

Do the terrors outweigh the yawns? In my opinion, yes. If you are a fan of the first film, at the very least you will probably somewhat appreciate how this one intertwines with it. But be warned: it’s muddled with plenty of throwaway content and, though it goes without saying, it hardly breaks any new ground.

Rating: 2.5/5

Review: CROPSEY

Being a fan of both documentaries and horror films, I was eager to see what Cropsey had to offer. With a poster tagline that reads “the truth is terrifying” and a trailer that speaks of an urban legend come to life, it promised to be raw, haunting, and right up my alley. However, I left the theater feeling like the truth is bland rather than terrifying.

Cropsey, written and directed by Barbara Brancaccio and Joshua Zeman, focuses on a popular urban legend in their hometown of Staten Island, NY. Cropsey was believed to be an escaped mental patient who roamed the tunnel systems and forests of the island at night, kidnapping children and murdering them with a number of rumored weapons. The story circulated as a way to keep the youth out of the abandoned Willowbrook Mental Institution, but when children actually started disappearing, the line between legend and fact became blurred. The story itself has the potential to be interesting. The suspected killer, Andre Rand, is a fascinating character and the profiles of the victims-who were all disabled in some capacity-and the effects of their disappearances on the community are gripping. It’s a shame the filmmakers didn’t choose to hone in on what makes this case worth learning about.

Ultimately, Cropsey came off as being an extended Friday night special suited for MSNBC. Brancaccio and Zeman spent far too much time and energy on Rand’s second trial for a child’s murder that had finally turned up enough evidence to possibly have him convicted. The only elements that actually made this film a documentary rather than a television special were the overbearing soundtrack and poorly executed jump-scare attempts that occurred when the filmmakers roamed the dark, empty Willowbrook. If Cropsey had been more of a psychological profile on Andre Rand or paid more attention to the efforts of the Staten Island citizens still searching for the missing children’s bodies, it would have been far more compelling and coherent.

Unfortunately, this documentary failed to do the story of Cropsey justice. Wait until it actually does appear on MSNBC and hope that it’s given the feature film treatment with a stronger focus and more creative forces behind it.

Rating: 2.5/5