Paranormal Activity (Oren Peli, 2007)

Another zero-budget horror that spawned a monster of a franchise for writer-director Peli, Paranormal Activity is workmanlike and wholly unexceptional with the usual set-up of a couple believing their house to be haunted. The wife is of course the one who gets the brunt of it, and what twist there is to distinguish the product from legions of clones is that the husband, rather than go through the standard disbelief-denial-acceptance cycle, takes on the situation with breezy gusto, setting up a video camera straightaway to film themselves sleeping and hopefully catch sight of supernatural phenomena. But that's about all. The popularity of the format rests wholly on America's rather easily psychoanalysable sense of discomfort with violation of the home and widespread belief in demonic forces.

4/10