Paranormal Activity 2

Paranormal Activity 2 is a film that callously strangles viewers with nail-chomping tension. I must admit I'm not usually much of a fan of asphyxiation forced upon myself or anyone else, but this, well, this is a special occasion. PA2 will, whether you like it or not, devilishly wrap its demonic, probably clawed fingers all the way around your neck and squeeze your throat with its thumbs as hard and as rough as it wants. No matter how much you desperately beg it to have mercy on you and plead it to stop, it really, really ain't gonna; and thank the Lord it doesn't.

The prequel to last year's mega-hit chiller is every bit as terrifying as its low-budget predecessor. Just as before, it is a member of the found footage genre, with the entire movie filmed by the characters contained within, the events we watch posing as real-life happenstances. In this case, we are watching through a whole plethora of security cameras set up around a house - as well as one hand-held camcorder - as opposed to the single video camera presented in the first film.

The amount of main characters has expanded as well. We have Kristi (Sprague Grayden), the sister of Katie (Katie Featherston), the star of the first film; Kristi's sceptical husband, Daniel (Brian Boland); Ali (Molly Ephraim), Daniel's brooding teenage daughter from another marriage; and the religious Hispanic nanny, Martine (Vivis). Oh, and there's also a newborn baby boy, Hunter, and the family dog, a loyal German Shepherd.

The family have just recently experienced a break-in in their lovely suburban home; strange thing is that nothing has been stolen. Every room has been trashed with objects having been tossed around, all except Hunter's untouched bedroom. As a result, it is decided to put up surveillance cameras all around the house; one by the pool, one in the kitchen, one in the family room, one in the hallway, one outside the front door and one in Hunter's room. It's like Big Brother but with a demon roaming around.

Like the original, shots of night-time while everyone is asleep are intertwined with footage from the daytime as our protagonists go about their daily lives. Everything seems fine at first on the late-night front; that is, until eerie things begin happening. Doors moving on their own, pans falling off their hooks, and the familiar sound of dull thumping tormenting sweet little Hunter and the family dog.

Our main characters begin to suspect that their residence is being haunted by a demon; well, Kristi and Alli do; Dan's the more "Ghosts?! Bah! All make believe" type. Guess who's right? As the nights go on and the film edges closer to the first film's events, the paranormal activities progressively get worse and worse, leading to some gnarly business.

I know what you're thinking. "This sounds an awful lot like the first one, doesn't it?" And, to put the film to basics, yes, it is very similar to the fright-fest original. However, Paranormal Activity 2 is a film that proves lightning can strike twice, with the scare-em-up methods of this suspenseful prequel just as effective as they were the first time round.

As with the preceding flick, you are always on alert, always on the lookout, your eyes searching for moving objects, waiting for the supernatural presence to make itself known. It's shocking how tense a simple image of a seemingly motionless room really can be. As an extra kick in the balls to the already-terrified audience, not only do spooky things happen during the night, they happen during the day as well. You simply just don't know when the demon is going to sneakily make its next heinous move.

The added danger of an infant living within the house heightens one's tense demeanour; one wonders what in the holy Christ is going to happen to the defenceless littlun. Same with the dog, who seems to be more aware of the demonic goings-on than the humans are.

The film utilises sound perfectly, making for some tremendous jump scares that some will consider cheap, but I see them as all part of the fun. The sudden sound of the baby crying in the distance made my heart almost catapult out of my ribs. Thumps in the night create a goose bump-inducing sense of dread. Toys moving on their own will make you jump out of your seat. And the one moment that will make you leap into the air with excrement dribbling down your legs -- well, I'm not going to give that unexpected moment away.

The cast is all stellar, giving performances that feel more real than read from a script. They may not be as strong characters as Katie and Micah (Micah Sloat), but they are very sympathetic protagonists who we can't help but care for. Kristi is a kind, loving mother who is all too familiar with these diabolical occurrences; Daniel is a stubborn but not very annoying husband who laughs in the face of supernaturalism; and Ali is a typical, spunky teenage girl who finds the haunting "cool".

Director Tod Williams (taking over from Oren Peli) and writer Michael R. Perry do a fabulous job of expanding the mythology and the "universe" the first movie was set in, as any great sequel should. It perfectly ties itself up to the predecessor's story, releasing new information that will make you rethink the events of the original. Also, Katie and Micah make a few appearances as drop-in visitors to the home. Which is awesome.

So, I guess the ultimate question is whether or not the prequel matches the previous feature in terms of quality. Well, I would say that PA2 has certain scenes that are more mortifying than anything presented in the original; but in my opinion, the first film just manages to edge in front of its follow-up, altogether superior and more solid as a motion picture.

Still, Paranormal Activity 2 is a magnificent prequel that shows newer installments in franchises can in fact successfully hold their own. It's slow-burning, it's atmospheric and it's relentlessly scary, taking its time to curdle one's blood. I know it'll take me quite some time to sleep with my lights out.

9/10