Studios start marching out the horror around Halloween.
-- Local show times, theaters.
This week, fans will clog theaters for episode six of Saw. FYI: chop and slash is "gorror" not horror. Skip it.
Want to be scared? Want to see the real deal? Bag the “ew”-inducing killing and maiming and catch the real deal. Paranormal Activity is a creepy, make the skin crawl, heebie-jeebie producing scare fest.
Paranormal Activity is the best horror flick in years, and nothing beats a good horror flick when you can find one.
Done with a super-low budget, it pretends to be a true story and is shot entirely inside a modern house in sunny Southern California.
Something is bugging a couple. At night, it moves things, stomps up and down hallways, opens and closes doors. Deciding to catch the thing in the act, they boyfriend buys a state-of-the-art camera and records everything that happens in the home.
The recording is quite disturbing.
Writer/director Oren Peli understands horror. He knows that effects/tricks such as people popping out from behind doors, or sudden, loud sounds cause discomfort because of their suddenness -- not because they’re scary.
The psychology of fright says we can deal with what we can see. It’s what we don’t see that is frightening. Pulling a page from suspense masters of the past, Peli is quiet and subtly hammers you senseless.
His film will remind you of The Blair Witch Project. Only instead of wishing someone would do away with the lady holding the camera, you’ll wish it was the boyfriend.
Paranormal Activity is a scary movie — see it.
Mr. Movie rating: 5 stars
Rated R for mature themes, frightening scenes, language. It opens Friday, Oct. 23 at Regal’s Columbia Mall 8 and at Fairchild Cinemas 12.
5 stars to 4 1/2 stars: Must see on the big screen
4 stars to 3 1/2 stars: Good film, see it if it's your type of movie.
3 stars to 2 1/2 stars: Wait until it comes out on video.
2 stars to 1 star: Don't bother.
0 stars: Speaks for itself.