Embedded Files
I had the idea of reviewing the horrible terrible wonderfully fun Howling 2: Your Sister is a Werewolf for the countdown, but then a serendipidous thing happened and I went with a couple friends to see Paranormal Activity 2 instead. I also eschewed what looked to be a live Rifftrix thing of somesort. If something DID happen, someone let me know what I missed. ;.;
Oh, don't complain, I'll review it later. I know you guys want some werewolf titties. Also SPOILERS AHEAD for multiple films.
Candid Camera
I loved the first film. Someone finally got the handycam horror film genre right again after The Blair Witch Project. While I don't hate the genre (in fact, I find it pretty damn unsettling myself), I find that I do have a problem with its exectution. But the PA series (since there's at least 3 installments thus so far, if the Japanese spin-off counts), these issues are pretty much taken care of.
Namely, I mean the issue of what the camera is doing. Ignoring the issue of why anyone would be continuing to record through a crisis (the heaviest of heavy criticism lobbed at the genre, including movies like Diary of the Dead and Cloverfield), my problem is what the camera is doing, or how it acts during the film, as well as the treatment of the footage. The [Rec] series of films I find has the biggest problems (and includes the remake Quarentine). In one of these films, a character, wanting to see what had just happened, rewinds the film to rewatch it, as it seems to record, since we the audience get to watch the rewinding on-screen. I'm fairly certain, at least with all the recording cameras I've owned, you CANNOT rewinds and record at the same time. It won't show itself rewinding while recording. You can justify that instead of found footage, the movie is really trying to get you into the movie by implying that YOU the viewer are there in the action, yet, the cameraman is NOT you, it is a character in the movie, and the way the film is treated, its sloppy and brought me completely out of the film. Blogger Rich at Fourfour has a particularly (and much more well-written) critique on the genre's shortcomings.
The second problem I have is the way "found footage" is treated when it gets to the theater, where You Viewer can watch it from the comfort of your chilly theater seat. When I saw The Last Exorcism, which I LOVED by the by, I realized at a couple points, the movie had musical cues. How can that be? If everyone DIED at the end of the film, who found the film, finished editing it, out in the subtitles and added musical cues? Its that tiny niggling bit that kinda takes away from a film.
Fortunately, PA 1 & 2 deal with it easily. There are no outside musical cues (only awesome foley work), and any subtitles are added by an outside source that as "asked" for the footage and cooperation of the families and police of the fictional places the footage comes from. When time needs to go by, to see almost an entire night without watching EVERY hour, the footage is fast-forwarded (this happens more often in the first film than the second. There are no pretenses of found and directly presented footage; its edited down, and to present facts.
PA2 this time around, has about 6 stationary cameras in the home (2 in the kitchen, 1 out the front porch, 1 in the foyer, 1 in Hunter's room, and 1 outside facing the pool), and one handheld camera, usually armed by the daughter Ali. The handy cam and stationaries usually are divided up in screen time by day and night (like the first film), but since things are more amped up, there are some scenes on the stationaries in the day time.
In addition, the family is able to check the stationary security cam video via their computer, making replays of certain scenes. In this way, even early in the film, the characters are able to see some of interesting things We Audience have seen already.
I do admit that I myself do have a problem w/ handycam horror. I get motion sick REAL easy. The party in the beginning of Cloverfield was barely 5 minutes in before I had to shut my eyes. @_@ Imma wimp at that kinda stuff. Thankfully, PA 1 & 2 shares the handheld with the stationaries, and getting sick was at a minimum. If you find you're easily motion sickened, this film won't bee too bad for you.
Kids and Animals
This installment of PA gives us higher stakes. Kids, namely the baby Hunter and the teen Ali, and animals, namely Abby the dog. I put money on a dog being dead by the end of the film. Because you know a movie hates you when it kills off the dog. See Manos: The Hands of Fate.
If PA1 was a study of the breakdown of trust between a couple, the PA2 is the fight to keep a family safe from harm. This movie had a lot to live up to, since the escalation and action of the first was so stunning and scary. Obviously, the action and activity of the spirit (we know know as a demon from the first film) is much more prominent, and so a lot more shit hits the fan faster and more intensely than the first. Things begin to happen in the day more often and faster, so the pace in the film is much more tense.
Dan, the head of the Rey family, is typically and predictably the skeptic of the film, much like Micah was in the first. The difference is that Dan isn't the asshole Micah was in the first film, who spent most of the film taunting and provoking the spirit, then spent the rest trying hopelessly in his machismo to take care of it himself (and ultimately paying for it in the end). This isn't a huge slam against Micah himself, since I'm sure he's a very nice person in real life >.>, but MAN did his character in the film have it coming. As in most horror movies, the machismo will get you killed (just like skepticism, though in this film, its an exception).
Ali, the daughter, was a character I felt a lot of empathy for. She was exactly like myself in the beginning of the film, saying that if the house was haunted, it would be pretty cool. Of course, this attitude doesn't last, but it was a refreshing angle I appreciated. In addition, Ali was very proactive in her research in the spirit, which comes sadly too late in the first film. Early, almost a 1/3 of the way in about, she's already looking up what kind of demon it
is, and the fact that a pact made by someone offers up collateral of a first-born son for riches. The second film builds on the first's story and development instead of outright retconning or even encroaching on it.
By the time the action and terror begins, Dan's staunch skepticism didn't enrage me as it did with Micah's skepticism. Mostly because Dan's insistence that he doesn't believe and over-rationalizing isn't machismo, but a barrier and shield for himself to remain calm to help his family. Even when things come at their worst and he has to accept the demonic presence, he right away acts on it to help his wife and children, even to the point of driving the force from his home and into another. Dan is torn, he doesn't come to this decision easily, and its obvious that this is the only course of action. Again, I found it a refreshing angle. Its not unlike Harry Mason's single-minded drive to find Cheryl. But then, I appreciate a family man.
In addition, there were some heartwarming scene of the family, like Ali and Martina the nanny having some time dancing in front of the mirror, or everyone taking a pool day. These scenes are pretty tender and show a happy family, so that the tragedy that happens later is much more painful. Unlike Micah and Katie, who appear in the honeymoon phase of their relationship, then things take a severe turn for the worse, the family scenes are sweet and allow you to identify with them. Katie and Miach begin to fight almost immediately, and they spend much of the movie either angry with the ghost, or angry at each other; the worst that occurs for the Reys is the arguments over the activity between each member (Dan's insistence that its not happening, Kristi's adamant refusal to acknowledge and empower the spirit, Martina's sadly ignored help to dispel the evil, Ali's interest and then fear and defense when things happen without her will). You begin to like them, and you are loathe to know that things are about to get much, much worse (when Ali drags out the Ouija board, you wince; you remember Micah's experience with it). That, and they have a dog. You don't want anything to happen to the cute doggy. ;.;
Hearing is Believing
What I completely ADORED about PA2 was the sound. The foley work on this movie is what makes it as scary and terrifying as it is. From the too loud BANGS on the door, to the footsteps, to the baby monitor white noise, every sound is essential for the feel.
My personal favorite sound was, of course, the low rumble that usually signified the arrival and presence of the spirit. This sound is so low and gradually builds that you almost would miss it amid your tensing as the scenes during the night begin. The rumbling for the most part only occurs at night, when the primary action happens. In the first film, you begin to notice it within the first 2 nights, and the noise steadily grows louder and more noticeable as each night progresses, so that when each night begins, you tense and strain to hear it, so that you can try to prepare yourself for the activity.
In PA2, the rumble comes rather late in the game, I noticed, becoming much more subtle and actually fading or growing (or so i thought, but being so into the movie, perhaps I was playing tricks on myself) as if moving through the house or rooms. Since I had seen the first film, I knew to keep an ear out to hear it, and was surprised when a few nights go by without really hearing it. The demon learned some new tricks, obviously.
Even to the end credits, which the first film didn't really have when in theaters), the low rumble persisted, so much so that I wanted to remain in the theater to see if there was something else. The credits sequence has the rumble as well as the sounds of white noise on a baby monitor with strange voices, growls and even Hunter laughing, even through the Paramount Pictures logo screen, the rumble persisted until it finally faded and we GTFO of the theater, our tails between out legs. I think the movie should win for sound for the rest of the millenium.
Another great piece of foley work was the gutteral growl the demon makes in the climax of the film when being exorcised. One of the most scary things to me aurally is the sound of a growl (that primeval fear of sounds like that is so hardwired into the brain), and this one still shakes me up now. You can almost feel it in your chest. Good stuff.
Moon Healing Escalation
Escalation is the name of the game in PA. Things set up easy and nice, a stomp here, thrown keys there, footsteps. Then before you know it, BAM, bangs, door slams, the kitchen doors and cabinets exploding open, the whole shebang. It gets to a point where you ask, "ok, movie, how can you get me this time?". Then BANG, something gets the dog. Someone gets dragged down the stairs. The movie is completely RELENTLESS in its pacing, especially in this installment, where shit starts happening in the daytime.
I found the movie doesn't really give you much time to really unwind from each event, since daytime is free market. Whereas you could relax until the last few days in the first film, you can't really do so for long in this film. About half way through, you tense up even in the day. I found that really intense this time around, so that my own shoulders were tense from wanting to hide the whole time. LOVE IT. 8D You won't be disappointed with the slow escalation of the action and activity. My friend turned to me at a scene and said, "that got me". There nothing better than getting "got" by a movie, and I feel really bad for those who can't, don't, or refuse to accept it. YOU ARE WASTING YOUR LIFE. D:
Theater Seating
SEE THE MOVIE IN A FULL THEATER. That's pretty much my only advice. You want to be surrounded by people being scared. Because its pretty exhilerating to feel this "we're all in this together" fear. This time around, we were only one of maybe 11 people in the theater. ;.; I wanted to scream with everyone. The first time I saw the first film, everyone was into it. Every night scene, you could see the audience all lean in to the screen, and there was a collective release of breath when the scenes would end, all together. It was a solidarity you don't easily get or see anymore. For the best experience, its to go in a theater with people so wrapped up, they scream and jump with every turn. Yes, it will suck with talkers, but what movie isn't? I kinda wished I could see it opening night.
Media GET HYPE
Click image for website link.
The website's embedded video is really something special. Watch the video, and around :50, drag the slider back for some weird scenes, some not appearing in the theatrical release. WHAT DOES IT MEAN? While not quite on Cloverfield's media blitz, the media challenge for the first film was a limited release while they tested the waters until the inevitable full release at all theaters (with taglines and posters that asked fans to request it at their local theaters). Genius. Make it seem like we asked for and created a wave of viewings with a first limited release. Its so slimy and perfect, I adore it. >D
In addition, certain trailers alter or show things that didn't (as far as i remember) show up in the movie. It only makes me want more. Drive those DVD sales, my tasty friends. I can't wait for the DVD. It can't come fast enough. ;.;
Bottom Line
I cannot stress how much fun this movie is. The timing, the pacing and the sounds make this movie pure joy to see. Its worth your money and more. Go see it. You are wasting your life if you don't. RUN, DON'T WALK. 8D
--Dio (10/29/10)
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