Paranormal Activity 3

The law of diminishing returns is evident in the Paranormal Activity series, as number 3, a prequel to the first two, shows no deviation from the template. There are a few scares, and the overall feeling of dread is nicely depicted, but there's almost nothing new to add.

The first two films dealt with sisters who were haunted by some sort of demon who wants the first-born male child in the family. In number 3, we flash back to 1988, when the girls are young. Kristi, the younger child, starts talking to an imaginary friend named Toby, who wants her to do something. This is all documented by the girls' mother's boyfriend, who has a wedding video business.

The insistence on having these films all shot as practical video is extremely limiting but can be effective. The boyfriend mounts a camera on an oscillating fan, so as we watch the camera pan back and forth, we tense up, waiting for something to see. As the film begins, it's always something small, like a chandelier swinging or a door closing on its own. Then, by the end, it's wholesale slaughter.

I have yet to see film number four, but hopefully it stretches the imagination a bit. In this film, as with number 2, the woman of the house is finally convinced something is up when everything in the kitchen flies out at once. We also have evidence that this demon does not like to be taunted, as when a friend and one of the girls play "Bloody Mary" in the bathroom.

The film was directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman, but there is nothing distinctive about the direction, as it simply follows form. This "found" footage thing can all be traced to The Blair Witch Project, anyway. The act is getting tired.