Broken Mirrors, Broken Minds

27th February 2011

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PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2 (dir.Tod Williams, 2010)

And so the franchise really finds it feet…..I guess. Set before events of the first film, Paranormal Activity 2 attempts to provide further detail on the existence and motivation of the demon that led to the events of the first film. When a family move into a new home, they initially believe they have suffered a break-in. However, they quickly learn when occurrences do not add up that something more sinister is at play,

The first film allowed the audience to interact with its central conceit (the story shot entirely through CCTV or hand held camcorders), asking the viewer to use their imagination to get the most out of its set piece scares. Where this instalment falls down is that the conceit is made redundant immediately, as we know and expect the same set pieces and how they will unfold. It falls down greatly too. The narrative and its scares are almost identical in content, but more amusingly chronologically. Granted, when things do go west, things are handled competently. But the padding and cod-explanations of family history, blood lines, and the explanation of how the events of the first film came about is contrived and predictable. 

The third instalment is due out later this year, with further focus on the family history and the origins of the demon. But after this, will audiences really care.

Tagged: paranormal activitydemonsequelfranchisehorror