Paranormal Activity 2 - ** out of ****

I guess you can't blame the first "Paranormal Activity" for it, but the bar was set too high for this mediocre pre-sequel. The long moments of unbearable suspense in the first movie are instead replaced by boredom when the audience seems to be more occupied with trying to guess the second when the next jolt will happen than getting to know the characters or understand exactly why this poor family is being traumatized by a demon. It's explained fairly well, and this becomes a nice tie-in to the first movie, but it's just not that scary.

The family this time is named Rey. Ali is the smart teenage daughter, Kristi is the mother, Dan is the skeptical father, and Hunter is the newborn boy being brought home right at the beginning. With the addition of the German Shepherd, Abby, everything is complete except to explain that Katie from the first movie is the sister of Kristi. After Hunter's arrival, the next footage is of a trashed house where the Reys take the video camera around to document where exactly everything was placed. Nothing was stolen, and Hunter's room is completely undisturbed. Unfortunately, this is where the eeriness capitalizes for the majority of the movie.

There is no speculation in our minds as to what is causing the doors to open and shut on their own, what's rattling the pots and pans, or what's been calling names and screaming. The first movie dealt with all that speculation. Instead of a possible secondary explanation, we get the women, Hispanic maid, dog, and baby who believe that something is happening, and the father who does not. As you may recognize, the events escalate until there is no possible explanation but for there to be a super-evil demon after the family.

I tend to grow weary of movies that just kind of prod along until it becomes time for them to present an original idea. Perhaps it's the motif of houses in general that grows thin. Think about the possibilities of a sequel being set in a dorm building/a hospital/an apartment complex/the workplace. You wouldn't have the problem of hearing the annoying questions from people in the theater about whether or not the characters have watched all of the footage of all of the rooms (there are six cameras total) prior to the next thing happening.

It may not be great or even that good, but it's still a better idea than "Saw 3D." If one more person asks me if I want to see it, and I have to respond that I wouldn't see a "Saw" movie in 2D...

Rated R for language and brief violent material.
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