Paranormal Activity 3
- Genre: Horror
- Directors: Henry Joost and Ariel Shulman
- Stars: Chloe Csengery, Jessica Tyler Brown and Christopher Nicholas Smith
- Rate: ** 1/2
The makers of this creepy cash cow happily resisted the impulse to call this “prequel threequel” something awkward like Paranormal Activity: The Awakening.
They’ve kept it simple with a lean running time of 81 minutes. Even better, they didn’t try to overload it by making it Paranormal Activity 3-D.
Instead, co-directors Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman (they also teamed for Catfish) kick it old school by moving most of the action to 1988. There they to flesh out an evolving story about the poltergeist antics of the first two movies, which take place about 15 to 20 years later.
We finally get answers as to why Katie (Katie Featherston) and her sister, Kristi (Sprague Grayden), seen briefly as adults in a dots-connecting prologue, first fell prey to a nocturnal demon that won’t leave them or their families alone.
PA3 frequently stretches credulity — isn’t it funny how 1988 VHS tape looks as sharp as 2011 digital content? But it also holds our attention, rarely flagging as the narrative (written by Christopher B. Landon) unfolds with echoes of Rosemary’s Baby and The Blair Witch Project.
This is the rare third film that is arguably better than its predecessors.
Call PA3 the thing that goes ka-ching in the night. Extras include the unrated version of the film and “lost tapes” additional content.
