At around the beginning of the final third of this film, there is a precise moment which, aside from probably ensuring its entry into future ‘biggest movie scares’ lists, signaled to me something that was very welcome indeed; the return of the American horror film.
To give credit where it’s due, the likes of Rob Zombie and Eli Roth have been shining lights in an otherwise painfully dull annual turnout, but their respective works feel more like personal projects and noble homage than the kick start so desperately needed by an industry which, up to the end of the 1980s, gave us the best crafted and most frightening films on the circuit.
Furthermore, if this is the flagship stateside offering for the Halloween weekend then this too is a positive sign; I can hardly remember what was on offer before endless Scary Movies, Final Destinations and Saws.
To discuss the plot of Paranormal Activity 2 in depth is a bit tricky because it would be very easy to say too much. Suffice to say that there is a connection to the previous film but it’s best to let that element unfold as you watch.
So a brief ‘back of the video cover’ synopsis it is: An average American family come home one day to find their house in a very bad state from what looks to be a violent break in. Deeply perturbed, they rig out the entire house and grounds with state of the art surveillance cameras. Ignoring warnings from their deeply religious Latin-American house keeper that something a lot more devious might be afoot, they relax safe in the knowledge that they can deal with any further unlawful entry. But are they really dealing with what they think they are? Well, probably not.
Anyone who has watched the trailer will see that the style and setting is much the same as that of the first film. So is a sequel really justified? I will say yes. It does play out with the same tense build up and eventual air of dread. In fact it doesn’t really deviate at all from the formula of the original. Where it does work on its own merits, is with the clever expansion of the concept’s devises; a fixed camera focussing on a bed becomes several focussing on every area. A bickering couple becomes a far more digestible shaken family unit. Add in the durable creep factors of a distressed dog and a panicked toddler and you have much more room to plan out the scares.
What you are really seeing here is a much more confident approach to the same idea as opposed to a total creative reboot. Last time we had a great concept but one that seemed somewhat restricted. This was partly due its modest budget but there was also an inherent wariness of how well it may or may not eventually work with an audience. Those concerns are now long gone and the choice has been to simply build on, even celebrate the very elements that generated such positive feedback last year.
Overall, Paranormal Activity 2 stands up to the arguments for a revisit. It offers a redux of the best moments of the original as well as adding some surprisingly effective humour, much more dialogue to chew on and some fun nods to some of the best horror of the last 30 years or so. I for one will always show true allegiance to the original, but that is because it was such a great story of ‘the little film that could’ (it floated around the Net for over a year before fans demanded a release). This time it knows just how many people are going to want to see it.
In contrast to what I said about a rebirth of the American horror, I suspect that the (already amazingly resilient) ‘found footage’ sub genre may alas be at (or very close to) an end. If this does turn out to be it’s final large scale outing, then it receives a fitting send off.