Paranormal Activity 2

As blatant a rehash of its predecessor as one could have possibly envisioned, Paranormal Activity 2 follows a family of four (mom, dad, a teenage daughter, and an infant son) as they’re terrorized by an increasingly malevolent force. The film, directed by Tod Williams, boasts an opening half hour that’s generally akin to watching someone else’s home videos, with the periodic appearances by the first film’s protagonist (Katie Featherston’s Katie) injecting the proceedings with much needed bursts of dread (ie is she actually Katie or is she a demon disguised as Katie?) And though the movie boasts a decidedly repetitive structure – much like the original, the film alternates between its sinister nighttime segments and its comparatively lighthearted daytime counterparts – there’s little doubt that Paranormal Activity 2 ultimately fares slightly better than its pervasively lackluster forebear. It’s clear that the expanded cast plays a big role in the movie’s mild success, with the decision to throw a dog and a toddler into the mix upping the creepiness factor by a rather substantial margin. (And it’s also worth noting that the characters do become somewhat more sympathetic and compelling than the comparatively bland and one-dimensional protagonists of Oren Peli’s 2009 sleeper.) Of course, Paranormal Activity 2 is at its best during its overtly sinister sequences – with the highlight undoubtedly a brilliantly conceived and executed scene in which the mother (Sprague Grayden) is violently dragged through the house. (By that same token, however, it’s a little disappointing to note that the movie doesn’t boast much in the way of innovation; virtually everything that occurs here echoes that which occurred in the first film.) The end result is a sequel that should please both fans and detractors of the original, yet one can’t help but wish the movie hadn’t concluded quite so abruptly (ie just as things start to get really interesting and even exciting, the movie essentially just finishes – while, of course, leaving the door wide open for another sequel).

**1/2 out of ****