Quick Review: Paranormal Activity 3

Here we go again. Like so many movie franchises, the quality continues on a downward trend in "Paranormal Activity 3." The orginal featured a woman named Katie being haunted, the sequel told the story of her sister Kristi, also haunted, and this one...well, there are no more siblings, apparently. So this time we have a prequel, going back in time to 1988, when young Katie and Kristi lived with their mother and her boyfriend. This means camera equipment is much less sophisticated. Think VHS tapes. Yet the boyfriend conveniently has a "business" (based in the garage) filming wedding videos and such, so he's got cameras to place all around the house. The same basic plot is in place -- a nice, happy family lives a nice, happy life until strange things begin to go bump in the night. Only this time it's less interesting, less intense and missing much of the humor and charm of the original. The idea that someone in danger (or trying to rescue someone else in danger) would be sure to carry his clunky VHS camera with him is ridiculous. And things are left open for another installment, which seems highly likely considering that PA3 is yet another cash cow, with a cheap budget and huge box office. The problem is, unless the filmmakers find another family in the present to scare, or have someone look for the infant from PA2, their only other option is following this same family further into the past. Sony Betamax next? My grade: D-plus.

Quick Review: Paranormal Activity 2

The sequel to "Paranormal Activity," last year's low-budget, big box-office movie, had me wondering how it would be connected to the first one, in which a young couple set up a video camera in their bedroom to get evidence of ghostly activity -- and end up getting more than they bargained for. "Paranormal Activity 2" still doesn't have much of a budget (though higher than the first one) or any known actors. The tie to the original is that this film is about Kristi, the sister of Katie, the woman haunted in the first movie. Kristi, her husband Dan, their young son and Dan's teenage daughter are the targets this time. An apparent burglary leads to the installation of security cameras throughout the house, a plot convenience that allows this "lost" footage to be compiled into the same faux-documentary format as the original. The teenage daughter does some Google searching and finds a possible cause for the strange occurrences. You could call it a backstory for the ghost. There's a mild twist in how Dan eventually deals with it. Let's just say he has a bit of evil in him, and made things worse for a few people. But overall, this one isn't as stirring or suspenseful as the first. The smart move would be to end the series here, declare victory over bloated budgets and go home. But I bet that Katie and Kristi have another sibling or two... My grade: B-minus.