Paranormal Activity

The Times“The genius of the entire movie is in that one bland but gaping doorway...” What we see in the blackness of the darkened doorway is what we bring to it. In other words, what we get are glimpses into the primal abyss of the self. And that, as any horror fan will tell you, is scary...

The Telegraph“This is easily one of the year’s better horror films...” The film’s main flaw is its ending. I wish that Peli could have had a chat with Michael Haneke, a director who knows a thing or two about ‘live’ footage, the terror of waiting, and the art of leaving moviegoers more in the dark...

Channel4 Film“This is like a masterclass in horror minimalism...” It's a bit of The Exorcist, a bit of Poltergeist, a bit of The Blair Witch Project and a bit of Lost Highway - and it all adds up to a whole lot of scary...

Guardian“Ingenious and often genuinely frightening...” Oren Peli has hit on such a simple idea, and such a low-cost way of making it work. How has it never been done before? Well, part of Peli's skill is making it look easy, and he has elicited tremendously believable and relaxed performances...

Little White Lies“Don’t get set for any sleepless nights just yet...” In aiming to upset the sanctity of sleep, perhaps Paranormal Activity has simply set its sights too high. While terrifying in places, it is ultimately still someway behind matching the impact of The Blair Witch Project...

Time Out film“Peli’s slow-burning supernatural chiller...” Peli makes brilliant use of sound effects, sometimes forcing us to imagine entire scenes that take place off-screen. See it if you dare – sleepless nights await...

Total Film “What’s really frightening is just how simple it all is...” A slow-build shockumentary featuring two identifiable protagonists and set, primarily, in a single room haunted by minimal special effects and creative audio. And yet it inflicts deep psychological wounds...

Variety“credible creepiness over the usual splatdom...” one of the best genre spins on the pseudo-nonfiction 1st-person-cam since "The Blair Witch Project," with which it shares improvised performances, no explicit violence or "solution," and a gradual escalation of chills...

The Independent“it feels impossible to escape its sheer, visceral sense of dread...” If you judge a movie by its ability to deliver on a promise, then Paranormal Activity, which has no ambition more lofty than to scare the living bejeezus out of you, has to go down as an unqualified success...

Empire“An Amityville for the YouTube age: potent, primal and genuinely frightening” This is, however, very much an experience any horror fan (hell, anyone with a working nervous system) should consider. Primarily because it’s so successful at turning something as mundane as a slammed door into a skin-crawling event...