Micah Sloat discussing 'Paranormal Activity 2' at Rue Morgue’s special screening.
It was a dedicated group that braved arctic temperatures to attend Rue Morgue’s special screening of the director’s cut of Paranormal Activity 2 followed by a Q&A with star Micah Sloat. Familiar with the budding franchise (Paranormal Activity 3 hits theatres this October) I was already slightly nervous. Adding to that (for those not familiar with Rue Morgue’s locale) was that the screening was held in an old funeral home.
Paranormal Activity 2 is set a month prior to where the first leaves off, but instead of following Katie and Micah the cameras are now on the former’s sister, Kristi (Sprague Grayden). PA2 begins as Kristi, her husband (Brian Boland), stepdaughter (Molly Ephraim) and newborn son move into their new sprawling home. However, the suburban dream soon becomes a nightmare as bizarre things start happening (doors slam, pool cleaners move). Fortunately for us the family chooses to record everything and even kindly installs perfectly angled security cameras throughout the home so we don’t miss a minute of the haunting.
PA2 has the same sort of scares as its predecessor but with less of the subtly (Oren Peli didn’t direct PA2, instead producing, the former title going to Tod Williams). The bangs are decidedly louder and the ante is raised involving not only a baby, but also a dog. What works against the film is the use of non-Craiglist casting (Sons of Anarchy fans will recognize Grayden) which undermines the creepy found footage theory. That being said, people were literally jumping out of their pews (myself included) and the director’s cut ultimately works in the film’s favour. Since PA2’s scare tactics are in the tension built during banal shots, extending them only throws us off more when something does happen.
Sloat was highly personable following the screening, noting how much he enjoys watching the film with true horror fans – despite the fact that he is generally “gun shy with horror” admitting he gets “scared at [his] own movie.” Though he wouldn’t spill on any details of PA3 (“That’s some top secret shit!”) he did bust out his degree in Philosophy to discuss his views on the paranormal. By then, however, I didn’t want to hear anything in favour of its existence.
Paranormal Activity 2 arrives on DVD
Kiva Reardon is a freelance film reviewer and blogger based in Toronto.
