Review by Doug Cooper
Stars Brian Boland, Molly Ephraim, Katie Featherston, Seth Ginsberg, Sprague Grayden,
William Juan Prieto, Jackson Xenia Prieto, Micah Sloat | Written by Oren Peli & Michael R Perry
UK certification 15 | UK RRP £27.99 | BD Region B | Runtime 91 minutes | Directed by Tod Williams
If you thought the first Paranormal Activity was frightening and chilling then more than likely you'll feel the same way about the sequel. And if you felt the original was tepid and bloodless you'll share the same opinion about the follow-up. It's a dependable time filler, solid enough, but the scares take a fair while to arrive.
This is because they have a bigger canvas to play on this time round. Instead of just Micah and Katie in their suburban home, we have Katie's sister and her family in their larger and more accommodating abode – stalwart husband, teenage daughter from his first marriage presumably, and their adorable baby toddler Hunter. Again strange and unsettling forces seem to befall them, so security cameras are installed in all the rooms.
Their Spanish maid is asked to leave after trying to ward off the evil spirits with powerful sprays. Doors slam shut, the rooms are wrecked, the drawers and cupboards fly open. But the malevolent shadow that is taking hold is after who exactly? Do Katie and her sister play a part in it? Or is the baby boy a target for danger?
The family dynamic takes a while to settle in. The performers are all very natural though and the hand-held digital camerawork gives it a semblance of ad hoc realism, but the jolts that transpire don't offer anything new. Horror fans might find themselves shortchanged but for those who don't like gore then this is an efficiently done chiller that eventually pays off.
A few moments certainly make you jump but you'll have to be patient for them. Overall it's a serviceable effort that does not do a disservice to its popular predecessor. Instead, it expands the franchise and leaves it open for a further sequel. Undemandingly watchable.
EXTRAS ★★ The Triple-Play edition has three copies of the film – Blu-ray, DVD and a digital copy – all of which are the extended cut of the film (about four minutes longer than the theatrical version). The bonus features consist of deleted scenes, called Found Footage (3:49), and the teaser trailer.