Paranormal Activity review

After watching Paranormal Activity, I had a very difficult time determining if this was the scariest movie I had ever seen. Surely it could not be. This movie? With its $11,000 budget? With its total lack of gore? With its cast that could be counted on one hand? (Note: there are no spoilers in this review)
I have yet to answer this question, but that isn't important. What matters is that it sent shivers down my spine for several minutes after I had watched it, and it made me realize that no film has ever inspired any real fear in me. So obviously I enjoyed this film, but let's see if we can't apprehend a few of the reasons it worked so well.

It didn't inspire fear, it awakened it
A critical error that most horror films make it attempting to create fear for some new horror. Saw is a perfect example; the franchise posits the question, "wouldn't it be awful to be caught in a madman's deadly game?" Yes, it would, but the only thing I fear about the Saw franchise is the prospect of more sequels. PA did not rely on a contrived hypothetical, it summoned up a villain that was irrationally angry, incapable of being fought, and wont to strike in moments when we are most vulnerable. We all must sleep, and everyone's house or apartment creaks on occasion. The film used this commonplace circumstance to create a remarkably chilling antagonist.
Don't do that, dummy
Possibly the oldest trick in the horror book, the film expertly used what I call the "don't do that, dummy" trope. Virtually every horror story allows the viewer or reader to anticipate the fate that will befall the hapless hero when curiosity or lack of caution overrides good judgment. Most of the time, it is overdone, often manifesting as teenagers doing something incredibly stupid moments before the monster gets them. Most of the time, it makes us laugh. This is the result of improper usage. In PA, the male lead, Micah (Micah Sloat) cannot control his curiosity about the supernatural presence in his home. Nonetheless, viewers are not primed to see his downfall, but are given reason to believe that disaster may be averted, and we cross our fingers in hopes that Katie and Micah will be okay, all the while itching to slap Micah in the back of the head and shout "don't do that, dummy!"
More than a ghost story
There aren't many story elements to this film. One is the haunting, and the other is Katie and Micah's relationship. The latter is what makes the first one work. Katie and Micah have recently decided to live together, and soon Micah is filming their daily activities and not doing the simple things she requests. Few people in relationships will fail find the resonance in Katie's situation. Sure, she's the one being haunted, but Micah is sometimes the more salient antagonist; the daily intrusions of privacy, the perpetual disregard of small requests, Katie's total inability to coax or wheedle or demand a response from him. Likewise, Micah is in a situation he thought he could handle, but soon learns that fixing Katie is a task beyond his means. Who hasn't been there?
I think it's fair to mention that on my first viewing, I saw the 2007 cut of the film, not the one screening in theaters nationwide. Their only difference is the ending. While the rattling your nerves will sustain will come from the bumps along the ride, I strongly feel that the original ending is more consistent with the rest of the film and substantially more frightening. Even so, it's worth the price of admission, but expect to continue paying when you lay your head on your pillow and turn out the light.