Deborah Ross

Mounting dread

Paranormal Activity<br /> 15, Nationwide

issue 28 November 2009

Paranormal Activity
15, Nationwide

Paranormal Activity is the horror film which was made for $30,000 and has since gone on to earn $240 million at the box office globally. This is astonishing, just as the size of horror audiences always astonishes me. Who are these people who enjoy being scared to death, and consider it a good night out? I don’t. Indeed, as I said to the critic who initially sat next to me at the screening, ‘I should warn you, I’m not very good at this sort of thing and I may well jump into your lap.’ At this point, he promptly got up and moved. I was, yes, minded to call out after him, ‘And you are no great shakes yourself…Robert!’, but, of course, did not have the courage. This is how fearful I am.

Anyway, this is a film which comes out of nowhere in every possible sense.

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