Paranormal Activity 3 Review

Paranormal Activity 3 (2011)




Director - Henry Joost, Ariel Schulman


 So, the saga continues, or should I say, jumps back to the beginning. 

 The year is 1988 and we find sisters Katie and Kristi as young girls,  living a normal life, when they become friends with an invisible friend called Toby. 


  Its the third instalment of the Paranormal Activity series and we get to look back at how it all started. The film continues with its Cam-flick genre and again we find strange happenings going on, the usual doors closing on their own, noises, lights turning on and off, but also with a little more. This time the 'Spirit' or whatever you want to call it is thrust into the mix early on so there is no waiting about for the scares to start. There's the usual getting to know the characters and whatnot, but mostly this third instalment doesn't hang about. 

 I was impressed with the first two films, not because of the acting, or really even the confusing plot lines, but because they genuinely got me scared watching them for the first time and PA3 is no different. 


 The thing that scares me, and I imagine most, in the PA series is the tension of knowing something is going to happen, but not knowing what or when. The whole series is built on anticipation, waiting, waiting, then BAM!. PA3 is no different in this respect. 


 OK, so the plot is silly and once again doesn't explain the full story, just gives the public a little bit more to put towards the conundrum, probably so they can ween out the story for a few more films. 

 I thought when I put on PA3 that because I have seen the previous two a few times, that I wouldn't be scared as I was with the others, but I couldn't be more wrong. I found myself turning away at certain points and having to tell myself its just a film, but that's down to my over active imagination spewing out visions of what might happen rather than what does. for example, during PA3 the girls step dad (lets say) sets up a camera in the kitchen, but converts a fan so the camera pans left and right showing the whole downstairs. As the camera glides from the kitchen to the living room and back you know something is going to be different or stood there, and its that anticipation of waiting for it that gets you. I think at one point I found myself saying out loud 'just happen will you!' as I couldn't take it anymore. 

 Of course some people aren't scared by PA, and if that's the case, you wont be scared by PA3, but I'm sure by now, those people wont be interested in this instalment.

 Overall I enjoyed PA3 and if you like to be scared, then check this film out. 

7/10