Paranormal Activity: Why is it so terrifying?

Paranormal Activity (Oren Peli, 2009) has been the movie we’ve all heard talk about. Independently filmed on only 1 week in 2007 and made for less then $15,000, just how scary can you make a movie? The film doesn’t pray on surprise scares or jump outs but rather builds on so much that truly breeds fear. There are a few elements that make this movie “The Exorcist (William Friedkin, 2009)” and “Alien (Ridley Scott, 1979)” of this decade. The first is the use of the camera. The second is the bedroom door and 3D space. The Third is exploitation of expectation.

The Camera
Walking into Paranormal I was surprised to discover this was a movie that took the found footage approach of story telling. To clarify, that is the use of the camera as if it is in the hands of an amateur; often jerky in nature with shots frequently not in center frame. What the camera does is make the story extremely believable. Fully knowing that this film can not be fictional, you consider “Is it?”. We are accustomed that a documentary is a telling of truth and shot in a documentary fashion the story is given a sense of truth. The camera positioned during the course of the night scenes gives a very strong voyeur feel; We shouldn’t be there. The violation of privacy really makes us uneasy by putting us in a position we know as taboo. You don’t watch someone sleep! This grows a sense of nervousness. Don’t you just want to get out of there? We are at the mercy of the camera. Another strong element of the camera is Mica’s inability to keep the action in frame. Through out the day scenes we never find it a problem but during the night our view’s constrain adds even more to the discomfort. If you know there is someone you don’t know in your house but you can’t see them how does that make you feel? We want to look but we are never allowed too. Actually the only time we are allowed to see anything is when the camera is unmanned. Another emotion comes into play, vulnerability. While seemly amateur the camera’s movements does an amazing job of putting us out of our comfort zone, inducing us with strong mixed emotions of voyeurism, nervousness, and vulnerability.

 Now monster's from the bottom of the bed are clique but 

they weren't always. They are terrifying because they violated the 

boundaries we give our bedroom.

The Bedroom Door and 3D Space
Paranormal Activity did exactly what I consider the biggest bedroom taboo, leaving the door open. Why do we close the door? The Bedroom is a private place and you choose delicately who to let inside. Leaving the door open is a sign of invitation but who want’s to be there when you sleep? The destruction of boundary inflicts fear. Another element the door gives us is deep 3D space. We really aren’t used to having such a deep 3D space consistently in the film and gives our eyes to much to look at. You the viewer must explore. Your eyes move from the couple, the time code, to the open door over and over again waiting for an action. The first time audience never knows where too look. That’s why they all scream out of sync; some see elements before others. At what point do you realize the time-code was being fast-forwarded? Maybe you didn’t notice since your eyes were glued to the door. Or maybe you were watching the time code and didn’t see the dark shadow movement to the left. People scream but you don’t know why. Now you are dealing with confusion.The mind runs circles during the most still of scenes, looking for film direction, eye trace or anything that would ease you up on the impending action but you never get it. The Exorcist terrified it’s audience with similar functions. It destroyed the boundaries by doing what your not suppose to do; swear, vomit, disgrace the cross. In paranormal activity there were several taboo’s but the strong one was the open bedroom door. The feelings inflicted are the same but they change from generation to generation. The open door is the most powerful element in the film and is what is truly creating fear.

Shots are depth give us more to look at. Sometimes to much. 

How long did you look at this picture before you saw it?

Exploitation of Expectation
This film loves to play with expectation. The exploitation of expectation can also grow tension and suspense. Also this element is what will make a lot of viewers not like this film. Is there to much space? If all movies were made like this, yes but a rare exception makes the use of emptiness beautiful. Our first encounter with emptiness is the open door and the dark open hallway. We’re looking down this hall way for what feels like more then half the movie. Waiting. When we think it’s coming, it doesn’t. How does it feel to be waiting for something when your not suppose to be looking there anyhow? More boundary destruct breeds more fear. In other scenes when Mica explores the house for the noises or other strange occurrences, he looks in every room out the window and in every other location we do not want to know is there. Many of these locations have no function for the plot but it gives us more taboo and boundary destruction giving us suspense and fear. When are we going to see something disturbing? We never know. It keeps you on your toes. We see this famously used in the original Alien film. Maybe not so terrifying for us today because the creature has become an icon we all understand and know how to defeat it but when the movie first released the audience had to wait in empty dark space with uncertainty. Good horror share similar elements. The elements never change. Only what the generation fears changes.

Are are consistently being assaulted with discomfort, taboos and boundaries invaded.
There is a lot more to say about this movie but I hope I’ve given you a quick insight to what makes this movie so terrifying. It’s elements really ride parallel to the elements of our most famous horror films, the use of space, the destruction of boundary, and exploitation of expectation.