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PARANORMAL ACTIVITYMovie Reviews
Horror story about a couple who decide to document, by means including a surveillance camera, poltergeist-like disturbances in their suburban tract house. Cast:Katie Featherston, Micah Sloat, Mark Fredrichs, Amber Armstrong, Ashley PalmerDirector:Oren PeliRelease Date:September 25, 2009DVD Release:December 29, 2009From:ParamountRating:RLength:1 hr. 26 min.
Paranormal Activity played to excellent reviews. • Ted Fry wrote in the Seattle Times, "...a thrilling series of frights that create an almost-unbearable level of tension right through to the final minutes." • And Richard Corliss wrote in Time, "Oren Peli follows a less-is-more strategy; he knows that waiting for the big scary jolt does more damage to the nervous system than getting it." More Reviews Below...
Richard Corliss, Time: OUTSTANDING "...writer-director Oren Peli follows a less-is-more strategy; he knows that waiting for the big scary jolt does more damage to the nervous system than getting it."(See all of Richard Corliss's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,082 words, 10/09/09
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: OUTSTANDING(cg) "With its this-is-really-happening vibe, the film scrapes away 30 years of encrusted nightmare clichés. The fear is real, all right, because the fear is really in you."(See all of Owen Gleiberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 259 words, 10/02/09
Glenn Whipp, Associated Press: VERY GOOD(cg) "Half the fun of the movie comes from the communal experience of sharing in something that feels like it hasn't been market-tested within an inch of its life."(See all of Glenn Whipp's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 614 words, 10/09/09
Claudia Puig, USA Today: VERY GOOD(cg) "Think 'The Blair Witch Project' meets 'The Exorcist' and then dial it up a few notches, and you have an approximation of the subtle but terrifying atmosphere..."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 403 words, 10/09/09
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (9 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: EXCELLENT " 'Oh no. Oh hell no.' That was a stocky gentleman in the row behind me, whimpering as a door swung open on-screen. There was a lot of screaming later on..."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 736 words, 10/09/09
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "...writer-director Oren Peli has created a psychological thriller of such small scale and yet such heightened effect that no doubt Hitchcock, wherever he may be, is smiling."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 770 words, 10/03/09
David Edelstein, New York Magazine: EXCELLENT "I've never seen a movie that so cunningly exploits our anticipation... In the light of day, it's all very silly and conventional. But of course we're not talking about the light of day."(See all of David Edelstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 337 words, 10/12/09
Chuck Wilson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: EXCELLENT "...its old-school scares caused seemingly jaded twentysomethings at a recent midnight screening to squirm in their seats... there's hope for the world after all."(See all of Chuck Wilson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 199 words, 10/02/09
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: EXCELLENT(cg) "By the time the really bad stuff starts we're invested in these people. That's what makes 'Paranormal Activity' so effective, and so merciless. And, yes, scary."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 523 words, 10/08/09
KEY CITIES (10 Reviews)
Peter Hartlaub, Houston Chronicle/San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "Director Oren Peli paces the movie perfectly, with a less-is-more mentality that comes when your film isn't quite as expensive as a Honda Civic."(See all of Peter Hartlaub's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 480 words, 10/09/09
Tirdad Derakhshani, Philadelphia Inquirer: VERY GOOD(cg) "...has an interesting oneman-with-a-camera gimmick and it delivers some real thrills -- without any gore and virtually no violence."(See all of Tirdad Derakhshani's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 880 words, 10/13/09
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: VERY GOOD(cg) "Without financing, stars or more than a couple of special effects, first-time writer/director Olen Peli has made a diabolically effective essay in irrational horror."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 505 words, 10/09/09
Ted Fry, Seattle Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a thrilling series of frights that create an almost-unbearable level of tension right through to the final minutes."(See all of Ted Fry's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 472 words, 10/09/09
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Some movies are a more shared experience than others, and that's certainly the case here... more fun than your average horror thriller, but not necessarily scarier."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 350 words, 09/25/09
Chuck Wilson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: EXCELLENT "...its old-school scares caused seemingly jaded twentysomethings at a recent midnight screening to squirm in their seats... there's hope for the world after all."(See all of Chuck Wilson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 199 words, 10/02/09
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: VERY GOOD(cg) "...will fry your nerves and creep you out big time without spending a dime on obvious special effects.... If ghost stories have your number, this one will get you good."(See all of Peter Travers's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 275 words, 10/30/09
Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Director Oren Peli has a few jolts in store, and the natural performances of the cast and the aura of reality provided by the video format keep the tension high."(See all of Peter Keough's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 160 words, 10/15/09
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: EXCELLENT(cg) "By the time the really bad stuff starts we're invested in these people. That's what makes 'Paranormal Activity' so effective, and so merciless. And, yes, scary."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 523 words, 10/08/09
A.O. Scott, New York Times: EXCELLENT " 'Oh no. Oh hell no.' That was a stocky gentleman in the row behind me, whimpering as a door swung open on-screen. There was a lot of screaming later on..."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 736 words, 10/09/09
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "...writer-director Oren Peli has created a psychological thriller of such small scale and yet such heightened effect that no doubt Hitchcock, wherever he may be, is smiling."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 770 words, 10/03/09
MOVIE INDUSTRY (4 Reviews)
Dennis Harvey, Daily Variety: OUTSTANDING "...one of the best genre spins on the pseudo-nonfiction 1st-person-cam since 'The Blair Witch Project'... succeeds in staying unnervingly 'real'..."(See all of Dennis Harvey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 259 words, 01/19/08
Kevin Lally, Hollywood Reporter: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...ultimately does deliver in a way that 'Blair Witch' never did, but its achingly slow buildup is a test not just of an audience's patience but the power of hype..."(See all of Kevin Lally's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 456 words, 09/25/09
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "...writer-director Oren Peli has created a psychological thriller of such small scale and yet such heightened effect that no doubt Hitchcock, wherever he may be, is smiling."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 770 words, 10/03/09
A.O. Scott, New York Times: EXCELLENT " 'Oh no. Oh hell no.' That was a stocky gentleman in the row behind me, whimpering as a door swung open on-screen. There was a lot of screaming later on..."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 736 words, 10/09/09
13.4 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Paranormal Activity's reviews are separated by an average 13.4 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Paranormal Activity (32 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Paranormal Activity's reviews cover 63.2% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 14,707 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 460 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 14 Days After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Paranormal Activity's reviews on average broke 14 days after opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Paranormal Activity's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Paranormal Activity (32 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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