Paranormal Activity 3

2011 Paramount Pictures/Blumhouse Productions
Directed by: Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman; Written by: Christopher Landon
Starring: Lauren Bittner, Chris Smith, Chloe Csengery, and Jessica Tyler Brown
MPAA Rating: R; Running Time: 84 Minutes
The Nicsperiment Score: 7/10

Cameraman/video editor, Dennis, is enjoying life with his new family. His girlfriend, Julie, is fun and kind, and her two daughters, Katie and Kristi, love him like a father. Unfortunately for Dennis, he's a character in a Paranormal Activity film, and his happiness is short-lived. After both several nights of strange noises, and an accidentally running video camera capturing a strange image in his bedroom, Dennis decides to set up constantly running video cameras all over the house. What do you know, almost as soon as Dennis hits "record," escalatingly stranger stuff starts happening. The girls become freaked out, one of them draws a symbol on the wall that Dennis' research proves is connected to witchcraft, and Kristi's imaginary friend, "Tobi," is starting to feel a lot less imaginary. Also...why is Julie's mom suddenly so interested? All of the pieces are in place for yet more...paranormal activity.
Paranormal Activity, a horror franchise utilizing found footage of generally hapless humans being preyed upon by demonic forces (and their human acolytes), generally lives and dies by what new elements each subsequent film brings to the table. The second film largely rehashes the first, and largely feels like a listless retread. For this third film, the series enlists the directing talents of Catfish's Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman, who insert some simple filmmaking wrinkles that yield vast dividends. The biggest of these comes when Dennis attaches a camera to a rotating room fan. This creates a fantastic sense of terror, as the camera will slowly pan to one side of the room, stop for a moment, then slowly pan back, training the audience to dread whatever is happening on the side of the room they can't see.
As this is a prequel, the 80's setting also helps change things up, as well, especially as it feels natural and not "Hey, look, it's the 80's!" outside of a babysitter's side ponytail and outfit. And while the formula doesn't change at all here (creepy stuff starts subtle, amps up, then culminates in a batshit crazy climax), there are enough elements, including a larger scale and freaky change of setting, that keep things both entertaining and suspenseful...and yes, scary. That's the point of these movies, after all!