After the massive success of the original in 2007 (grossing $193 million on a $15,000 budget!) It was inevitable that PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2 would hit theatres. Original writer/director Oren Peli is missed here, but the sequel’s second half still delivers some fun scares.
Part Two is technically a prequel and takes place a couple months before the events in the original, featuring Katie’s sister Kristi and her husband Dan as the central figures.
After it appears their home is broken into, Dan installs cameras in every corner of their house.
This effectively ups the game from the first film, with cameras on every floor to capture anything strange.
It’s an effective way to raise the stakes.
The couple’s young son appears to be the target of a very nasty entity. Spielberg’s “Poltergeist” knew the power of putting a child in danger. Who doesn’t remember what Carol Anne went through trying not to go into the light!?
The first half of the 91-minute running time is slow, but once things kick in, they rarely let up.
My favorite moments include a giant hanging rack of pots and pans, a kitchen with a mind of its own & a rogue knife.
The toddler and his guard dog face off with some serious tension. If you loved the scene in the original with Katie getting pulled off the bed by an invisible demon, wait until you see what happens to her sister!
Sprague Grayden is good as Kristi and Vivis Colombetti is great as Martine the nanny, the only one in this haunted house with enough sense to burn sage and say prayers. It’s enough to get her fired, which immediately takes down any barriers in front of the demon.
Lock your doors (not that it will do any good) and get ready to watch those little clocks on screen countdown to terror.
Mired down by its slow-paced start, PA2 gets a C+.
Earning $178 million on a $3 million budget, Part 3 followed in 2011.
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