Paranormal Activity 3 picks up where the first movie left off in terms of the scares the surprises and the general feeling of fear when you leave the theater. Somehow the formula hadn’t carried over well in the 2nd one as we were all ready for the sheets moving, things jumping out at us and everything that the 1st had, so when those things happened in the 2nd one it didn’t’ work as well as the original and in this one.
The 3rd movie takes place when Kristi Rey (Sprague Grayden) moves into her new home and big sister Katie (Katie Featherston) brings an old box of VHS tapes to store in her basement. We are given a glimpse into their past as children through those video tapes as we get to see Katie and Kristi’s mom Julie (Lauren Bittner) and her new husband Dennis (Christopher Nicholas Smith) get terrorized by a sneaky spirit.
Lauren Bittner is a Dime
One thing I have to put out there in terms of momma Julie is that she was one fine lady, curvy to a fault, beautiful dark, curly hair and playfully cute whenever Dennis wasn’t pissing her off. The home was sizable though we are shown only 3 rooms that the cameras were setup in and the bedroom showcased a lot of Lauren Bittner in her tiny undies and night clothes – just so you boys know there is eye candy in there for you. Dennis on the other hand, attempting to film sex with his knockout wife, had her straddle him in one scene and got a bit “excited” if you know what I mean. This was a little surprising for this movie, but it was an added element of realism that I actually appreciated.
The Spirit (Slight Spoilers)
In Paranormal Activity 3, the spirit can be seen by youngest daughter Kristi (Jessica Tyler Brown) but no-one else. She nicknames the spirit Toby and is rather frightened of him even though he comes off as her imaginary friend to her parents. Toby is a vindictive bastard and Kristi describes him as big and doesn’t like to be touched. What ends up happening out of the parent’s disregard of the supernatural activity is that Toby gets angered and the events learned in Paranormal Activity 2 come to fruition.
I really enjoyed this movie I think that the acting was very well done and believable especially young Kristi who is the central focus of the story. It still managed to evoke fear and even made people jump in the theater even though this is the 3rd try at this formula.
One thing I wished movies like this would go away from is the act of forcing one character to pretend at carrying the camera that we the audience are seeing. We are no longer fooled so let’s can it. I would like for them to give us audience members the benefit of the doubt that we can suspend our cynicism and disbelief and still enjoy a movie without this gimmick. The shaky cam isn’t even my complaint, it’s the actor carrying the shaky cam’s bad attempt at convincing us that he is legitimately the holder of it.
Many times people are being butchered (think REC or Quarantine), or children are in trouble (this movie and Diary of The Dead) yet we are to believe that the camera operator is still rolling film while the atrocities happen. No way, in real life a father, a lover and a human being tosses the camera to the side in order to help their loved one get free. Yet we are shown movie after movie, the people keep filming while the terror is happening. Lose the camera guy already, we can keep the cheesy 1980’s VHS film, graininess and amateur look but give us our invisible 3rd eye to witness the movie. Random camera operator is not working for me any longer.
Paranormal Activity’s reliance on one dumb male in the family having an obsession with filming the lives of his family day and night is extremely convenient and unlikely when you think about it. Still, in the 2 movies prior to this one, the men kept their cameras on tables, stands and mounted whereas Dennis has many moments where he’s toting it around. This really bothered me to witness.
If you get a chance to get out and see Paranormal Activity 3 this Halloween, I say you should. It puts a really nice cap on the story that begun n Paranormal Activity 2 in terms of the haunted family, the pact made with the devil and the ultimate prize that the demon is out to collect for granting their family a life of wealth.
Written by Greg Dragon – who has written 366 reviews on Spicy Movie Dogs.
Cinephile and opinion writer, Greg Dragon has been a fan of movies since the 80's when Kung Fu theater was all the rage and Roger Moore was James Bond. As an opinion writer that has reviewed Box Office releases on a number of prominent websites, Greg is the founder and lead critic of Spicy Movie Dogs.
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