(Spoiler-Free) Paranormal Activity 3 Review

After the wild success of the last two installments of the low-budget franchise, it should come to no surprise at all that the studio producing the the films would seize the opportunity to do a third Paranormal Activity movie. Though this is the third installment of the franchise, the movie is really a prequel to explain how all of it started.

Like the first film, Paranormal Activity 3 does start off a bit slow to help develop the characters. The technique does also keep the audience's guard down but the downer is that it does make the film seem slow or uninteresting at first. Thankfully, things pick up a bit more quickly towards the beginning of the film which is one thing PA3 does have over the original one.

The film uses the documentary-style camera more effectively as the scenes rely more on "first-person" views a bit more than the still-camera nighttime scenes for the more intense moments. It enhances the uneasiness factor for the film as it puts the audience in the protagonists' POV to make them feel like they're more into the action. Like most horror films there are those few, "No you idiot! Don't open the door!" moments, but it is inevitable considering that they have to do it to cause the film to progress.

Overall, the vibe of the film is a bit creepier than the first one and doesn't really "drag" quite as much as the first one. Though there are a couple of jump-scenes that are a tad pointless and even silly, Paranormal Activity 3 is a descent horror flick and is worth checking out.