I saw Paranormal Activity 2 on Saturday night and it was exactly what I anticipated...a phenomenal waste of time and money. I had hoped that Entertainment Weekly's review rating of B+ meant I would at least be scared, but that was too much to hope for. At least the first movie had decent acting (or writing?), although this one did make me jump 2 more times (pathetic that I know the exact number). Not surprisingly, with so few horror films out, the movie hit #1 at the box office, but how did it manage to score decent reviews? I really wish I'd gone to see Jackass 3D instead.
I did jump exactly three times, but by that point (an hour into the film) any loud noise would have startled me after a numbing duration of time filled with ambient noise and security camera footage where the most dramatic thing was the filmmakers inability to be consistent with the props. (ie, curtain closed, open, closed and ducky here, there, turned a bit to the left). I don't think these inconsistencies were intentional but with so little going on in the film, I found myself looking for anything that might possibly entertain me.
**Spoiler Alert**
The most predictable and disturbing scene for me was when the "entity" attacked the dog. Any time an animal is injured in a film intentionally, it makes me want to hunt down the writers and break their legs. Unnecessary and uncool! The film would have gotten a thumbs down from me for that alone, but there were so many other things to dislike that it didn't need the extra boost to send it straight into my least enjoyed movies of all time pile.
Don't bother with this movie! I wish someone would have told me that and saved me the time and expense. I was more entertained by Lifetime Movie Network's
Secret's in the Walls. I wouldn't even recommend renting Paranormal Activity 2 when it comes out on DVD...nope, not even from RedBox (even a $1 is too much to spend).
Do you really want to be scared? Read Stephen King's
The Shining. Wonderfully frightening and worth every penny (even at $7.19 for the Kindle addition)!