First, a caveat: if you’re prone to motion sickness and shakycam films like Blair Witch Project and Cloverfield; Paranormal Activity will be off-limits for you – sorry, you will probably have to wait for the DVD release before catching this movie because it’s almost guaranteed to induce waves of nausea in you. Now that that’s out of the way, let’s talk about the movie proper.

The premise is very simple – Katie (Katie Featherstone) and Micah (Micah Sloat), a young couple who have moved in together, start experiencing what seems like hauntings in their new San Diego house. While Katie is a believer of the paranormal, having experienced such activities since young, Micah is far more skeptical and tries to turn this into an adventure. He purchases a HD camera and tries to document the manifestations of the spirit on video.

However, his continued attempts to communicate with the spirit seem to be causing the “hauntings” to occur with greater regularity and intensity. It certainly doesn’t help that he eventually seems more obsessed with documenting the activity than taking Katie’s well-being and feelings into consideration (don’t we ALL know someone annoying like that?).

Paranormal Activity is in many ways similar to the Blair Witch Project – both feature “documentary” footage, is filmed with a very small budget, and feature very little visible horror. Much of what makes Paranormal Activity a creepy movie is its apparent veracity as well as how it hinges on the viewers’ imaginations – which can be far scarier than what any director can put on the screen. Due to the low-budget, real-life feel, viewers are able to relate to the events, and amplified by the mind it will surely make for some rather unsettling viewing. However, those that are looking for blood and gore would do better to look elsewhere.

P.S. Studiously avoid watching any trailers of this movie if you do not want to spoil the viewing experience.