Paranormal Activity 3

Serving as a prequel to the previous two films, Paranormal Activity 3 details the early lives of sisters Katie (Chloe Csengery) and Kristi (Jessica Tyler Brown) and just what exactly sets the stage for their hauntings later in life. Conveniently father-ish figure Dennis (Chistopher Nicholas Smith) is a wedding videographer; and, as the hauntings of the family begin, Dennis decides to investigate further with his cameras positioned around the house. But, proving that things that go bump in the night often don’t want to be found, the investigation goes South, fast. Who will walk away, and why? As one who’s always skeptical of sequels and prequels I must admit the Paranormal Activity franchise has done a great job sticking with a basic premise and then exploiting that premise to a delightful and perfectly frightening degree. And, through exploitation of everyday materials and settings the writers and directors of this installment continue to bring the scares in unconventional ways, methods that will make you laugh after you’ve just screamed out loud. There’s still the implausible issue of why anyone would carry a video camera and tape everything as all hell’s breaking loose, seems to me, most sensible folks would just run. That aside, I laughed, I jumped, I squirmed in my seat, wanted to look away but couldn’t. Just in time for Halloween and worth seeing with a group of people. Paranormal Activity 3 is rated R.