Paranormal Activity

[omid17]

to me she looked like one of those girls that use to be fat but trimmed down

 

[Bond]

Great boobs.

 

[Kane52630]

Great boobs.

i was thinking of the same thing when i saw the movie

 

[The Apatow Crew]

So there you go folks, boobs the one that matters.t:

 

[LastSunrise1981]

From what I understand Steven Spielberg was the one who suggested the theatrical ending that's in the print right now.

 

[Kane52630]

From what I understand Steven Spielberg was the one who suggested the theatrical ending that's in the print right now.

yep, from what i heard he was scared after seeing the film for the first time

 

[The Chris]

yep, from what i heard he was scared after seeing the film for the first time

And after seeing one of the endings a few hours ago I definitely think they were wise to listen.

 

[The Apatow Crew]

From what I understand Steven Spielberg was the one who suggested the theatrical ending that's in the print right now.

Yeah, he had advised them ti changed the ending.

 

[omid17]

And after seeing one of the endings a few hours ago I definitely think they were wise to listen.

so you saw it too Chris? that other ending was wack

 

[Kane52630]

yea, i looked online for the one that had the different ending, and i can tell you its not as good when i saw it in theaters. when i saw it in theaters i was expecting nothing then i found the film to be great mainly because i had a good crowd who were screaming and joking around when a scare is just about to happen. trust me if you were in the theater with me, any of you guys would have a great time.

 

[The Apatow Crew]

so you saw it too Chris? that other ending was wack

Yeah, that ending was weak sauce.

 

[The Chris]

so you saw it too Chris? that other ending was wack

The one with the cops yeah. The rocking thing is cool, but the whole thing kind of takes too long after the Micah incident for my tastes.

Spoiler

Four minutes after he dies, the movie is still going on. I think it was wise to keep the ending between them and the demon. The actual shooting part is lame, really lame. I think the movie ending with this would have felt like a big cop out for me, seeing her get killed by cops. I would have left annoyed, where as with the ending they picked I left the theatre a little startled and shaken.

Plus I'm a sucker for breaking the forth wall.

 

[omid17]

The one with the cops yeah. The rocking thing is cool, but the whole thing kind of takes too long after the Micah incident for my tastes.

Spoiler

Four minutes after he dies, the movie is still going on. I think it was wise to keep the ending between them and the demon. The actual shooting part is lame, really lame. I think the movie ending with this would have felt like a big cop out for me, seeing her get killed by cops. I would have left annoyed, where as with the ending they picked I left the theatre a little startled and shaken.

Plus I'm a sucker for breaking the forth wall.

hell yea

 

[AlteredEgo]

where did you guys see the alternate ending?

 

[The Apatow Crew]

where did you guys see the alternate ending?

Its all over the net. on site and such. which we can't post on here.t:

 

[Hobgoblin]

I must be the only to not see the big deal in her. I guess she was okay. Sometimes when the camera was on her face it looked like she was double chinned.

She did but I liked that. It added to the "believability" of the film. It wasnt two "Hollywood good looking" people, they were real people. Besides, with boobs like those, I didnt care about a little extra weight. Most of the time, if a woman has curves, she has a little extra weight. No biggie.

 

[Episode29]

She did but I liked that. It added to the "believability" of the film. It wasnt two "Hollywood good looking" people, they were real people. Besides, with boobs like those, I didnt care about a little extra weight. Most of the time, if a woman has curves, she has a little extra weight. No biggie.

I guess I'm just more attracted to normal looking women, like the type I would encounter on a day-to-day basis, than the Maxim model type. Little insignificant flaws are what make women more beautiful, save your blasted photoshop, crash diets and plastic surgery. I'd rather watch Katie Featherston on screen for two hours than a Megan Fox or Mischa Barton.

 

[Bob ROARman!]

She did but I liked that. It added to the "believability" of the film. It wasnt two "Hollywood good looking" people, they were real people. Besides, with boobs like those, I didnt care about a little extra weight. Most of the time, if a woman has curves, she has a little extra weight. No biggie.

But the problem is that you know pretty much going into it that it's not a true story. Once that's realized, it becomes incredibly boring. So that whole angle, to me, is dead, not effective at all, probably not ever again. A lot of the stuff you "see" is the same crap you see on numerous Sc-Fi Channel programs with ghost hunters and psychics and all that. Sounds off screen, the sounds of footsteps, doors closing,etc,etc. One of the scariest movies of all time? Give me a break.

 

[OctaviusINC]

Yeah I thought the same thing really.

After talking with some other friends that seen it, I think your experience really has to do with the audience. I seen it at 1 in the morning, there were maybe 7 other people in the whole theater, and it came off over hyped and a bit boring to me.

My other friends seen it around 9 PM in a packed theater and loved it.

It was still "scarier" and more entertaining than Halloween 2, My Bloody Valentine, and the F13 remake, but I went in their with hopes of covering my eyes and jumping like a little girl. Never did once.

 

[Dark Helmet]

I think I like the theatrical ending better

Spoiler

The theatrical one at least help shows that there really was something in that house with it taking over her while the one online just makes it seems like she was a crazy person unless you see the tapes. But I was waiting for the demon to attack the cops for killing Kate so I was disappointed that that did not happen

 

[JackIvyGB]

Saw this in a packed house. I'd been follwing it for the better part of a year after I found out about it, hoping I'd get a chance to see it eventually, so I was pleased to see it would be hitting screens all over.

I ended up actually taking my younger brother, he's 12. The both of us love a good horror comedy, like Shaun of the Dead, or especially our all time favorite, Ghostbusters. As such, we also tend to get a kick out of any show or movie that takes similar events and shows them in a realistic manner.

Even though the movie was rated R, I knew it wouldn't be for anything but language, and I felt comfortable that my little bro wouldn't suddenly have the urge to spout obscenities after seeing this.

As I told a friend after I got home, the movie had a different effect on me than I had anticipated. I expected the shock scares, but as many of you mentioned, with the build up of noise and alot of the scares being divulged in trailers, alot of the shock was gone. The only times I really jumped in a startled way were when

Spoiler

A) Micah comes back up to get the blankets to take outside and the camera is spinning around and all of a sudden Katie pops up. You knew it was coming, you just didn't know when.

B) When Micah comes flying back at the camera. Again, by process of deduction I knew we were getting to the end and the one scene I saw in the commercials hadn't happened yet. It was just a matter of not knowing the moment it would happen.

There were a couple other times as well, but again, they were'nt a matter of being scared of what was happening as opposed to not knowing when it would.

So in knowing what alot of the scares were and the fact that for the most part they were nothing you hadn't seen already on Ghost Hunters/Adventures/whatever, it changed the game a bit and led me to this conclusion by the time the film was over:

This movie was not so much scary, but it was very, very unsettling.

Any other time we've seen these things, it's always been presented as documented professionally, and presented in a calm and business like manner by people who's job it is to do so. Most of the time they spend a decent chunk of time trying to debunk it too. Even past that, all the preparation that goes into the presentation of the evidence takes a bit of the edge off of it in one way or another.

But (at least as far as this film is concerned), that's not the case here. These are not pro ghost hunters, this is not enhanced heat sensitive night vision.

It's 2 very scared people who are dealing with something that wants them dead/gone/whatever. And this is the footage that was left in the aftermath. No polish, no editing, no camera crew, etc. (again, at least as far as the movie wants you to believe).

And that changes this from being a film that scares you to a film that makes you not feel good. Not in a "I'm gonna be sick" way, but in a way that makes you feel very uneasy, very uncomfortable, and very unsettled. Because suddenly all these sorts of events and happenings that have up until now been presented to you as simply evidence, documents, and story possibilities, are in front of you in a different light. Now, it's just you, and this footage of

Spoiler

the last few days of these people's lives, apparently ended by

the apparently un-debunk-able forces of the paranormal/demonic.

It's kind of like when doctors talk about detatching themselves from their work. When you sit at home and watch ER and whatever, it's easy to enjoy it as entertainment (better yet and more appropriately, substitute that with Ghost Hunters). But what if all of a sudden you found yourself in the white coat with the chart .

Let's see you detatch yourself.

The way I took it in was Ghost hunters is to paranormal activity as Er is to sitting in on a live madcap operation to save a life in a real ER.

There's no professional, cool, calm, and collected ghosthunters to sit and show you through a TV screen all kinds of possible images, distorted sounds that may be a voice syang "I ate your cheeseburger" and grainy footage with the contrast kicked up to 11 after debunking half of what they may have found.

It's just you, and the footage. Uncut, irrefutable. And now that your seeing this in such an unadulterated way, it's very disconcerting to fathom that it's up to you know to process it all. All the episodes of Ghosthunters you've watched are causing little Jasons and Grants to run around in your head asking questions, looking for the easiest excuse for everything. But then there's that other little voice, maybe the demon, whispering in your ear, saying "What's wrong? It's not the pipes this time? That's right. You can't debunk s*** about that, can you?"

You wanna go into this with that ghost hunter mentality, but when you realize there is nothing to decide, nothing to debunk, you don't know what to do and it cause a sense of dread. You don't like the feeling that all this stuff you've regarded as just "evidence", just "stories", just a "tv show" is right in front of you and not just "evidence" anymore

At least that was my take. Again, there is a degree of suspension of disbelief required for you to buy into the idea that this is a Cloverfield type scenario (i.e. tape left over after a horrifying event).

And that idea is the point. It's what's left after a horrifying event. You may know what happened, but that doesn't neccessarily make it easier to watch it, especially from the point of view of someone who didn't survive it.

Another example: IF my mom died in a car crash, obviously you know the basics: there were some cars, they crashed, my mom didn't make it out alive. Now, if a guy came up to me and magically had the minutes leading up to and including the crash on tape, does that mean I'd like to watch it? HELL NO! I know what happened, but I don't need to watch as my mom's car gets pwned.

But that's what is going on here. You heard there was a horrific accident (i.e. saw the trailers/commercials/heard the hype for the film), someone video taped it (i.e. made the movie), and you went to see the car get pwned (i.e. Micah and Katie get haunted by a demon).

I'm sure some people won't agree with me, and I'm also sure that I probably took entirely too long to say something that probably could have been summed up in a few lines.

I was a little thrown by the ending as well. As far as ending the film, I think it was probably the best of the 3, but there are aspects of the others I liked that would have been intriguing.

Spoiler

The throat sliting would definitely have been creepy, especially if had really happened after she sat there rocking for 2 days like it sounds like she did from descriptions. Likewise, the idea of hearing her friend come in and look for them and find Micah and screaming and running for help would have been cool because all you would see is Katie rocking while you hear all the chaos and panic in the background.

Perhaps something of a combo and a little change up would have worked better:

Spoiler

Micah's body thrown at the camera, she comes up, sniffs, smiles, rocks for 2 days, then the camera cuts out (whether it's from memory/tape space or batteries died or whatever). The last thing we see is her rocking. Words show up saying that the cops found Micah a couple days later, along with the footage on the camera, his computer, and the audio recorder. The audio recorder kept going after the tape. Then, we hear what happened after the video died. Fast forward to different active parts, then the last 2 minutes or so are just full of craziness and horrific things happening. The last thing we hear is what seems to be Katie screaming, and it gets louder and louder and louder and more shrill and ear piercing until the tape just stops abruptly. Then, it says that when slowed down, you can hear things in the scream. It's be either the demon saying something fully audible and very creepy (of course, fully audible if you listen the right way), or maybe you could hear Katie fighting it or something and the demon is like "YOU'RE GOING NOWHERE! I GOT YA FOR 3 MINUTES OF PLAYTIME!" or something like that. Just a really creepy note to cap it off on. Then we see "Katie has not been seen since then" or whatever and then that's that.

I had fun and enjoyed this film alot, especially since I was with a couple friends and my little bro, who loved it as well. We had a great crowd that was able to laugh at the intendedly funny parts and still be scared. A couple times I audibly commented in good taste just to keep things fun. When Micah and Katie are talking about what to do and if they should contact the demonologist, I said out loud "MAN, YOU SEE THIS STUFF HAPPENING, YOU ALREADY KNOW WHO YOU GONNA CALL!" which got a couple laughs. And then the one part that actually had me a little jumpy at the end when you hear the footsteps

Spoiler

just before Micah's body comes flying at you

the foosteps just kept coming and coming and I couldn't help it and I said "JESUS, HOW MANY STEPS ARE THERE?!" and then the steps still kept coming a bit longer until it happened!

 

[danoyse]

yep, from what i heard he was scared after seeing the film for the first time

Apparently he returned the DVD to the Dreamworks office in a garbage bag because he didn't want to touch it.

He did suggest the new ending, and I think it's the best of the 3. We'd already seen Katie [BLACKOUT]standing around possessed[/BLACKOUT] several times in the film so that ending doesn't add much to what we'd seen, and the whole idea of [BLACKOUT]the cops shooting her[/BLACKOUT] just seems lame to me.

 

[Kane52630]

Apparently he returned the DVD to the Dreamworks office in a garbage bag because he didn't want to touch it.

He did suggest the new ending, and I think it's the best of the 3. We'd already seen Katie [BLACKOUT]standing around possessed[/BLACKOUT] several times in the film so that ending doesn't add much to what we'd seen, and the whole idea of [BLACKOUT]the cops shooting her[/BLACKOUT] just seems lame to me.

yea this new ending was better plus everyone at my theater was screaming bloody murder, thats how intense everyone at the theater was.
what was the best part, you know after a movie ends the guy in the back would put all the lights on, well after this movie ended they only raised one light that wasnt really bright. so when everyone stood up, it was pretty awkward

 

[Hobgoblin]

I guess I'm just more attracted to normal looking women, like the type I would encounter on a day-to-day basis, than the Maxim model type. Little insignificant flaws are what make women more beautiful, save your blasted photoshop, crash diets and plastic surgery. I'd rather watch Katie Featherston on screen for two hours than a Megan Fox or Mischa Barton.

Exactly. Same here.

But the problem is that you know pretty much going into it that it's not a true story. Once that's realized, it becomes incredibly boring. So that whole angle, to me, is dead, not effective at all, probably not ever again. A lot of the stuff you "see" is the same crap you see on numerous Sc-Fi Channel programs with ghost hunters and psychics and all that. Sounds off screen, the sounds of footsteps, doors closing,etc,etc. One of the scariest movies of all time? Give me a break.

I didnt think it was the scariest movie ever, but it was very effective in making me uncomfortable. I think if I were ever in a haunted house, it would be something like what we saw. I wasnt too bored by it either. And I like the programs on TV about psychics and stuff like that so I guess that explains my higher rating for the movie. Oh well, its just a movie. You didnt like it and I did. Life goes on.

 

[terry78]

If you ever want to scare the **** out of someone after a horror movie, this is the one to do it in. Just wait outside of the theatre and jump and scream at someone as they're leaving. Heart attack city.