Paranormal Activity 3 [HD]

Some people's favorite and my least favorite of the franchise...but I say see it either way!
First off, I should say that I LOVED parts one and two. The first two relied more heavily on very slow-building tension. These predecessors basically "taught" viewers how to watch these movies in the first 20-30 minutes by offering numerous subtle, relatively unimportant objects moving as if a spectral breeze had shifted them. This way when such production devices became important, the viewer had a trained eye--not unlike what was done with White Noise. These movies convey a style that is very unusual. So it came as no surprise to me that there was little middle ground in people's opinions of them; they loved'em or hated'em. I love'em. Why? Because my senses are all on full power; I'm all in; I'm practically concentrating on the screen and listening to every creak trying to sleuth out the next clue that something fishy is going on in that house. Some people may call this "work". I call it cool. [But people chatting during the movie are a much greater distraction than normal...

Part 3
This is my favorite one. In my opinion it was the scariest one, but as you can tell from other reviews, not everyone felt that way. But this movie gave me chills and I jumped quite a few times, which you will do if you have the volume turned up. I'll probably end up having a nightmare or two tonight.

Conceits notwithstanding, this is one scary, creepy film
It must be said that the "found footage" sub-genre of horror movies requires the audience to suspend disbelief a bit. The idea is clever - you're watching something that allegedly really happened, which gives the movie a bit of documentary-style credibility. But you have to accept that at some point in the movie, you're going to shout, "put down the darn camera!" It's surprising that the "Scream" franchise hasn't mocked this trope yet.

Either you can get past this, or you can't. If you can, the "Paranormal Activity" series should be on your must-see list. The first two movies tell the present-day stories of Kristi and Katie, two sisters whose pleasantly suburban lifestyles are ripped asunder by a sinister spectral force. In "Paranormal Activity 3," we return to 1988, where the sisters first meet the poltergeist who will terrify them and their families a few years down the road.

The movie sets the stage by showing grown-up Kristy and Katie rediscovering old...

Click to Editorial Reviews