Paranormal Activity 3 (Joost, Schulman)

[Sxottlan]

Some of the early reviews (Variety (http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117946261?refcatid=31)) are positive.

I had no idea the guys from Catfish directed this.

Will this only add fuel to the fire of the debate about whether that movie was for real? As in, these guys just threw together an impromptu documentary and now they can handle a fictional film with a big studio?

[Dukefrukem]

Are they giving this the SAW treatment now?

[EyesWideOpen]

Some of the early reviews (Variety (http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117946261?refcatid=31)) are positive.

I had no idea the guys from Catfish directed this.

Will this only add fuel to the fire of the debate about whether that movie was for real? As in, these guys just threw together an impromptu documentary and now they can handle a fictional film with a big studio?

I don't see why it would. It's not like they jumped into doing a big budget action movie. The Paranormal Activity films are filmed basically as documentaries with low budgets and low production values. A ton of documentary directors move on to directing feature films.

[number8]

When this was announced, the internet snark about the ghost turning out to be something mundane or a bosed housewife playing a prank were disturbing me. I mean, I acknowledge that Catfish has its flaws, but I don't think being disappointed that it's something human and sad instead of a murder spree should be one of them.

[Sxottlan]

I'm guessing here, but I'd say that about 85% of what you saw in the trailer is not even in the finished product. No demonologist character, let alone said demonologist tossed around, girlfriend is never thrown on the bed, little Kristi never jumps from the second floor. Tons must have been shot to then never even use.

Like the first two films, it was tense. Unlike the first film, it just completely falls apart the moment it comes to a end. Like those beat up cars in cartoons that fall apart the moment it pulls into the driveway.

The "Where's Waldo?" aspect to the horror has always been a welcome change from gore. The oscillating shot with the bed sheet, fantastic! Probably one of the single best shots of the year.

The final few minutes do seem to confound the mythology rather than clarify.

Lots in here:

It just gets goofy. Witch covens and the introduction of a human antagonist really seems to take the wind out of the sails. Really? They're going with old witches? Okaaaaay. I have only ever seen each of the films once, but I seem to recall talk of demons granting luck to people and I thought I remembered there being talk about the girls' family history, but it's not really fleshed out. There has been an interesting recurrence of the girls seemingly coming from money with boyfriends as hangers-on. Notice we're never told about Katie and Kristi's biological father.

One also has to now ask how complicate Katie and Kristi were in this whole deal when you consider the final shot of the film. Were they simply willing to trust in their grandmother? How could she allow Toby to kill her own daughter? Apparently she wasn't willing to play ball with what the coven wanted, so was that why she was literally tossed aside? Remember how the grandmother pestered her about trying to have a boy, which I seem to recall is what the demon wanted.

But if they were somehow in on it, why would the demon bother going through with all the escalating violence in the previous two films if they were somehow already indoctrinated into the cause? Did they somehow get away? One could argue that Kristi would just simply forget or block all of her memories.

Last but not least, no house fire! The one teased in the trailer and mentioned in the first film, but not here. Unless it's just inferred that the coven would torch the house to cover its tracks.

[Skitch]

Last but not least, no house fire! The one teased in the trailer and mentioned in the first film, but not here. Unless it's just inferred that the coven would torch the house to cover its tracks.


I thought the same thing! I'll post the review I submitted.

[eternity]

This series has jumped the shark, and I'm pretty sure they did it on purpose. What a ridiculous piece of shit this ended up being.

[Sxottlan]

Anyone else thinking what I was thinking about who was actually watching this footage? "In movie" I mean.

I believe the demon-possessed Katie was watching the tapes. They made a point of including the apparent "burglary" of Kristi's home from the second film and the husband's line about how the only thing missing was Katie's box of old videotapes (don't remember if that line was actually in the second film or if it was retconned in). If we can infer that it was the demon who did the damage, I think Toby was reviewing his handiwork. :twisted:

[eternity]

Oh yeah, I forgot, they named it.