Paranormal Activity 2 (2010) Movie Review
Written By: JASR
Edited By: Grave Reviews Staff
Film Information
Director: Tod Williams
Producers: Jason Blum, Oren Peli
Writers: Michael R. Perry, Christopher Landon, Tom Pabst, Oren Peli
Date Released: October 22, 2010 (USA)
Cast:
Sprague Grayden as Kristi Rey
Brian Boland as Daniel Rey
Molly Ephraim as Ali Rey
Katie Featherston as Katie
Seth Ginsberg as Brad
William Juan Prieto as Hunter Rey
Jackson Xenia Prieto as Hunter Rey
Micah Sloat as Micah
Vivis Colombetti as Martine
Rating = 3/5 Graves
***May contain some spoilers***
Synopsis
Paranormal Activity 2 (2010) takes place a few weeks before the events of the first film. Kristi (Sprague Grayden), the sister of Katie (Katie Featherston) from the first movie, lives with her husband Daniel (Brian Boland), Daniel’s daughter Ali (Molly Ephraim), their son Hunter (William Juan Prieto and Jackson Xenia Prieto), and their family dog Abby. When the home is broken into, Daniel decides to install security cameras around the house – which later capture eerie events. Things start to get more sinister as the demonic entity seems to have plans for Kristi and Hunter.
Gore Factor
While Paranormal Activity 2 (2010) doesn’t really have any gore, viewers must watch out for the chilling ending that can give sensitive viewers some nightmares. There are also scenes where the demon goes all out in making scenes spooky, but gore is not really an element here.
The Grave Review
It’s very rare for prequels to actually make sense and do justice to the original film. Luckily, Paranormal Activity 2 (2010) does exactly that. The movie justifies the events of the first film and gives a clear picture of why Katie from Paranormal Activity (2007) would have all those strange experiences in her home.
For many horror movies, nighttime is a fundamental tool to make spooky scenes – but this movie shows us scenes that could give us a little shock even during the day. Just like the first film, Paranormal Activity 2 flawlessly executed the found footage subgenre without seeming too forced or scripted.
The first film gave viewers the illusion that everything was real footage, but now that there’s a second film, the illusion is somewhat ruined. However, I would say that this movie is just what we needed to have a deeper understanding of the first film. The footage and dialogues in this movie found the right balance between natural and polished – allowing the audience to still feel that it’s real despite knowing that it’s just a movie.
Unlike the first film where there are only two main characters, Paranormal Activity 2 introduces us to one whole family – complete with kids, a family dog, and at one point, a nanny. This makes the movie more relatable to a wider audience. More than this, the movie explores family relationships with a stepmother-stepdaughter setup between Kristi and Ali.
Another thing I appreciate about this movie is how Ali was portrayed. Stepchildren are usually written as obnoxious to their stepparent (or vice-versa), but this movie shows a healthy relationship between Kristi and Ali which helps with the development of the film. After all, there are already so many negative occurrences in the story. Writing an evil stepchild would be over the top.
The movie shows Katie and Micah, the two main characters from Paranormal Activity. This allows the audience to have a clearer understanding of the relationship between sisters Katie and Kristi, which is an essential element in the whole franchise. When Micah shows up, there is a text onscreen saying that this is happening 60 days before his death. This avoids confusion for the audience, especially for those who have seen the first film – another detail that I appreciate.
Paranormal Activity 2 is one of those prequels that are necessary and well made. It would be great for viewers of the first film to check out this film right after.
For the foregoing reasons, Grave Reviews gives Paranormal Activity 2 (2007) three graves out of five graves.
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