Paranormal Activity 3
| release date | October 21 2011 |
| studio | Paramount Pictures |
| director | Henry Joost, Ariel Schulman |
| writer | Christopher B. Landon |
| starring | Katie Featherston, Sprague Grayden, Lauren Bittner, Christopher Nicholas Smith, Chloe Csengery, Mark Fredrichs, Brian Boland, Daniel Rey, Dustin Ingram |
| trailer 1 | Trailer #1 |
1 Comments
This movie was amazing. By far the best one in the series. I saw it in an advanced screening and I screamed so loud I thought I was gonna get thrown out. I swear to god in the last act I was having an anxiety attack. I NEVER scream, or get that scared, but this movie screwed with my head. It was funny, then scary, then a little more then scary, then OH MY FUCKING GOD I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS IS HAPPENING! It was a sold out theatre and everyone was so into it. YOU MUST SEE THIS IN THE THEATRE!!! If your seat isn’t rumbling from the sound and your own body shaking in fear you are watching the movie wrong. Amazing. AMAZING! The most fun I have EVER had at the movies!
Just wow…. I just saw the 10pm showing here in IL on Thursday night. All I can say is I just watched a Master Piece in the horror genre. PA3 is nothing short of amazing and a instant classic. The last 10 mins were so beyond terrifying I was speechless when it ended. The look and feel of the film is the best in the series which is amazing since it’s suppose to be happening in 1988. I am glad they didn’t go with trying to degrade the film quality to make it more believable. I mean we already know it’s fake so thanks for not annoying us with hard to see images. I am not going to go into the film itself because it’s better that people see it but I encourage people to go and see this one in the theater it is worth the money in spades. This film has so many classic moments that in 20yrs people will be talking about the final kitchen scene like they talk about Michael Myers rising up behind Laurie in the original Halloween. This movie is what horror is suppose to be. I am 34y/o and I am a horror movie guru and I was shaking in my boots in the final 10mins. Glad I was able to see history… PA3 fucking ownz…
yeah, i loved this movie!!! also caught a sneak peek thursday night before it was released. definitely see it in the theaters, if possible! it did a great job of explaining things that later came to light in the first 2 movies. and the “fan cam” caused the most anxiety of the whole movie (except for the last 15 minutes!!). if your a fan of the first two, RUN to the theater to see this one. a great ending to a cool horror trilogy!
By far the best in the franchise. I love the previous two Paranormal films, but this is the only one of them that has ever made me feel uncomfortable. It’s rare when the third film in a franchise turns out to be the best one. By the end of the film, there are quite a few unanswered questions but that does not change the fact that this movie is fucking awesome. With three excellent films in the franchise, one can only hope the next one is also the final one so the perfection of the series remains intact. I can’t wait for the director’s cut of this movie, because a lot of what’s in the trailers and clips is absent in the final film. If you didn’t like the other two films, there’s a good chance you’ll be impressed with this one. I highly recommend it.
Definitely better than the first two, but not good enough. So much from the trailer was cut from the film and it was infuriatingly short.
Redbox it or at least go during matinee.
Meh. Best in the series so far (we actually SEE some scary ghost types), but they managed to bring up a million new questions (prequels tend to do that, setting up shit we didn’t even know about because *gasp* neither did the writers when they came up with the first movie). Some really good ideas here, and a really creepy vibe throughout; but just like the last two, the pacing was a little too slow. The ending was on some other shit for real, lol.
I saw the movie Tuesday at 10pm as part of the twitter contest Phoenix was one of the winners of…and I was so happy with the outcome. Yes, it cut a lot of stuff that was in the trailer out. However, it added more stuff that was even creepier (I hate when all the scary/funny/interesting plot points are in the trailer because there are no surprises left). Sure, it kept out some things that might have answered more questions instead of creating new ones, but it is all about the $$$ these days and I am sure a 4th will be in the works soon. In any case, the best of the 3 by far! It wasn’t just about lights turning on and off, weird noises in at night, the feeling someone is there, or being dragged off. There was more, so much more, that started right from the beginning. And the ending…well, I was not expecting that. And it creeped the hell out of me!
There was too much characters trying to scare other characters in the film that I took it as more of an insult as a viewer. I liked this more than the second one but not as much as the first. Some of the scares were well done but the ending felt more like a scene in “The Last Exorcism”. There should of been more story to connect to the other movies. The little girls did a great job acting, and some of the scares were really well done. Im hoping that they Stop with this movie, or move on to a different family because im finding it very used at this point. It bugged me how so many cool scenes in the trailer were not in the final product, I was waiting for the little girl to splash the water on the demon, but the scene just switched to a different charater. All in all, Its a great scare and worthy sequel (prequel), but the lack of character development and connection between the other movies made it seem like a milked out third movie with better scares.
I thought this movie was a tad bit overrated. I still liked it, but I didn’t love it. It’s my least favorite out of the 3. The people hyped it up so much. There was nothing that shocking in the last 15 minutes that we haven’t seen before in terms of shock factor. The fact that (SPOILERS AHEAD) the Grandma was behind it was seen from a mile away so if that’s what people were so shocked about, you only need to pay attention to know that she’s a part of everything. The movie felt like just 45 minutes passed. There was so much more that could’ve been done with it. They really shouldn’t have taken so many scenes out of the movie. Most of the “scares” were done by people. The demon didn’t really do much until halfway through the movie. I was very disappointed to see that 90% of what was in the trailer was not in the movie. Especially the demonologist who gets attacked. The demon wasn’t even that malevolent to anybody except Katie (not counting the last 5 minutes). The trailer made it seem like the demon was out of control. Not the case in the movie itself. The movie had some good suspense, though. I thought the moving camera would’ve been effective, and sometimes it was, but other times it got in the way. You feel like, “No, don’t move, I want to see what’s going on.” They could’ve used that a little less while still being effective. When it ended I got a “that’s it?” feeling. It didn’t feel long at all. I really wish they would’ve done what they did at the end of PA2, and showed us what was going on in the present moment. Well, that’s what I thought of it. I hope the 4th one will be better than this. I know a lot of people liked this, but it was a huge letdown for me. Like I said, I still liked it, but I didn’t love it.
i feel bad for people who have to watch this in a crowded theatre.. with all the laughing and snickering during the scary stuff.. that shit just breaks up any tension that the movie has and will probably cause the viewer to dislike it.. luckily i saw this early today.. before all the loud mouth highschool losers go to the movies.. anyways.. this was an excellent horror flick and it reminds me why i love horror in the first place.. the ending was a massive WTF but i loved it for that reason.. not to mention.. many scenes were very creepy and scary.. really liked the use of the camera on the fan. if they can keep pumping these flicks out every year and continue making them 100% quality i will be a part of it. Interested to see what PA4 will be
Good movie, but was it better than PA2 or PA1, NO. They needed to bring something new to the table this time, and didn’t. There are some decent scares, but thats about it. If I were to do it all over again, I would have waited to watch it on DVD.
I loved this movie! It was the best of the series so far, in my opinion. However, the ending was way overhyped. While it was indeed terrifying, it definitely won’t “mess you up for life” as some of the previews are saying. I actually found the ending of PA2 (especially the basement scene) to be scarier than the ending of this one, but overall, PA3 was the scariest of the trilogy. And really, it was the most fun as well. It had a great balance of laughs and scares, and it was even more fun with a sold out audience. These movies are true “event” movies, and I feel that as long as the filmmakers keep making such fantastic movies, I’m more than willing to keep coming back to the series each October for years to come!
Did they show the director’s cut at the film fest. because i just saw a piece of trash. where was the scenes from the trailer and previews? and the last 15 minutes…really? it would of had been really good if it was a different movie. Thought I was watching the Last Exorcism at the end. Poor editing, there was a scene where he didn’t even finish his sentence and it cuts right to a sleeping night scene. The use of the camera on the rotating fan bottom was clever but it got old after the first time. The only thing that held the movie were the actors. The cheap scares weighed in more than anything. There were plenty of scenes that could had been terrifying but it just ended up disappointing. Thank god for all the scared gangstas screaming “oh shit nigga” or I would of had fallen asleep. Watch the first 2 films, pretend the 3rd film doesn’t exist. Would give this a 1 or even a 0 but not allowed.
I love this horror series. They just get better and better as time goes and Im sure if they make another one that it will be just as good. Really good movie and if you were a fan of the first than you have to see this. If you dont like these movies than stay far far away from this. It’s Paranomal Activity at its best.
This was pretty good but as always the endings are awful. obvious last exorcism rip off. This movie definitely has the most “activity” in it though and is very entertaining.
Ooooh, a door slammed. Ooooh, a figure briefly appeared when a light flashed on. Ooooh, someone got drug down a hallway. Again. Not total horseshit. If this were a trilogy and the shit was going to end here, I’d be more forgiving. But I know there’s going to be no less than four more installments. I don’t mind that they went the prequel route, because that’s all they’re really left with. Now the ties in the forthcoming films’ plots will be even more tortured than they were in PA2. And no, I don’t just shit on this franchise because it’s absurdly popular. I enjoyed the first two movies in theaters. Well, mildly enjoyed. Once PA2 decided to take a left turn and become [REC], I totally checked out. But they were a solid Friday night of retarded fun that my friends and I get to drunkenly deconstruct later. This one was just…shitty. Maybe my murderous hatred for stupid children is making me biased. Honestly, though, what children under the age of ten give a shit about videotaping and documenting their shenanigans?
PA 3 FTW. Fuck the first two shitty movies this movie is freakin so scary and insane it’s like a haunted house on crack. Good stuff. FInally a good scary movie
Itâe(TM)s not often that Hollywood spawns a demonic-horror film franchise that produces nothing but winners. It didnâe(TM)t happen with The Omen; it didnâe(TM)t happen with The Exorcist; and it sure as hell didnâe(TM)t happen with The Blair Witch Project.
But it has happened with Paranormal Activity. All three of that seriesâe(TM) low-budget offeringsâe”2007âe(TM)s Paranormal Activity, 2010âe(TM)s Paranormal Activity 2, and the new prequel Paranormal Activity 3âe”have hit the mark with moviegoers in search of serious scares. The latest installment isnâe(TM)t quite as terrifying as the second, but itâe(TM)s still extremely creepy and engrossing and everything youâe(TM)d want in a 21st-century nightmare maker.
PA3 takes us back to the childhood experiences of Katie and Kristi, the sisters who were menaced by ghostly forces in PA and PA2. The brunt of the action occurs in 1988 in Carlsbad, California, where the sweet little girls (outstanding wee actors Chloe Csengery and Jessica Tyler Brown as Katie and Kristi, respectively) live with their mom, Julie (Lauren Bittner), and stepdad, Dennis (Christopher Nicholas Smith). Their seemingly innocuous existence unfolds in a split-level tract home that leaves plenty of room for the antics of Kristiâe(TM)s âeoeimaginary friendâe . But with friends like âeoeTobyâe , who needs demons?
Spurred by escalating weirdness in the house, wedding videographer Dennis starts installing cameras all over the place, even rigging one on Julieâe(TM)s oscillating fan to pan back and forth from the kitchen to the front door. As in Paranormal 2, the comfort and familiarity of the living quarters leads to exquisite tension when insidious elements creep in.
After much recorded freakiness, the family flees to the perceived safety of the kidsâe(TM) grandmotherâe(TM)s house, and thatâe(TM)s when the already maxed-out fear quotient gets cranked to 11. As far as story line is concerned, itâe(TM)s unclear where a fourth Paranormal Activity might lead the three-for-three franchise, but wherever it may wander, discriminating horror fans are sure to go.
Great movie!!! Very glad I saw it!! If people are talking bad about this movie, they must be negative and have high standards.
I was freaked out and still have the chills!!!!
I reccommend to see this!!!!
Great movie!!! Very glad I saw it!! If people are talking bad about this movie, they must be negative and have high standards.
I was freaked out and still have the chills!!!!
I reccommend to see this!!!!
I’m surpised to see this movie getting as much praise from the audience as it’s getting. This movie was completely full of plot holes, so if you followed the mythology and all of the backstory (or lackthereof) in the first two, expect to be very disappointed with this latest installment. The trailers included footage that was exciting but was found nowhere in the actual movie. I won’t reveal the plotholes, but there are at least 3 big ones. Probably more. The ending…. was the worst of all. So disjointed from what this movie could have been. This movie should not be considered a prequel. It’s like the “Book of Shadows” to “Blair Witch”, unnecessary and laughable. (I will say I like Book of Shadows as a separate movie alltogether, but I can’t say the same for PA3.) All in all, I’d give this movie a zero if I could.
I did not have very high hopes for part 3 and im glad i did not go in expecting a good movie. There are way too many plot holes in this movie and some of the story doest not add up with the first 2 movies. If you ignore the first two exist all together its a decent movie with a few cheap scares and decent acting, but when it stacks up with the rest of the movies it makes it feel like they just dont care about the story and just want people to pay money for something they threw together.
Woow iHaver Has This Muchh Funn In A Horror Film Since SCRE4M , PA3 Was Beyond Great! Scary Effinq Scenes!! This Madee Up For The Shitty Second One. Some Thinqs Were Predictable But Besides Thaat It Had The Hole Theater Screaminq!!! If Youu Have Been Followinq The First Two Films, Go Check This Out!! iPromise Youu Thaat It Will Have Your Heart Racinq!!
good movie but i want to know what happens to katie it never tells or shows what happens !!!!!
SPOILER ALERT: The main parts of the trailer were not even in the movie!!!!!! The part where Kristie jumps off the banister, The part where Kristy throws the water on the entity, The part where both girls were in the bathroom doing the bloody mary ritual, Mom getting thrown to the bed from the entity, The closet knocking game between dad and Kristy, The part where the physic gets his head smashed on the table! The physic was not even in it at all??? And finally the house fire was not in the movie either! WTF…. and.. grandma?! cult leader? seriously?! ugh… well at least the ending wasnt ruined by previews… yet… like the last 2.. u did see the ending.. so i was expecting the MOM being dragged into the bedroom to be her death. actually the mom didnt even believe and still didnt believe in toby even after the kitchen scene… no wonder they cut out all the mom seeing stuff and being scared… ugh i swear dont be shocked if a 2nd version of this movies comes with the dvd/blu release
Let me preface this review with two things. First, I absolutely loved the first two movies. I saw both multiple times in theaters and was genuinely scared during each and every viewing. I was enthralled by the way the second movie managed to tie itself into the first, and could not have been happier with the series. As you can imagine, I was floored when the third was announced.
Second, TONS of spoilers ahead. You’ve been warned.
Let’s start with the good (great, even) – the scares. Incredibly well done. The crew has, yet again, innovated the building of tension into explosive scares. The panning camera, the bathroom scene, even the little things (Toby’s chair being the only thing left standing when the furniture is thrown, etc…) were so well done. An individual with me actually spilled her popcorn one of the scares was so well executed. The believability of the characters responses really helped promote a realism that drew me into the film.
This believability comes about through impressive acting. Even the extra characters (Randy, the babysitter) were incredible in their performances. Despite the film feeling quite a bit more scripted than the first (an obvious baggage to increased budget and number of actors), the chemistry and realism remained. When a character was scared shitless, I felt scared shitless.
Now, the bad. The absolutely, positively, fucking horrific. The ending. How does one take the back story established in PA2 (“the demon looking for the first born male”) and come up with this abortion of an explanation? Everyone that saw this with me agreed – as soon as we saw the “coven” (or whatever the hell they were), we all became completely apathetic. Honestly, could not care less about the tension or what happened to the characters. All the tension that was built throughout the movie, every scare, everything the series has come to be – completely shat on.
Why? That’s all I want to know. WHY do studios still use this twist in movies? It didn’t work in ‘The Last Exorcism’ where there was no canon, and it sure as hell didn’t work here. This twist ruined the film for me to the extent that I did not care while witnessing the deaths of the two main adult characters (the mother’s was particularly awesome in execution).
Do yourself a favor. When Daniel walks outside towards the grandmother’s garage, LEAVE THE THEATER. I don’t care how you solve the film in your head, but anything would be better than the direction they took it. Tell yourself “it’s okay. I was scared a good amount, and now see what kind of fucked up childhood these kids had. I have my backstory, and that’s that’.
A very, VERY, hesitant 4/10 based on the movie prior to this point. The horrible, betrayed feeling I’m still coping with prevents anything more.
When Paranormal Activity came out in 2009 it made me realize that there still is hope for good suspenseful horror movies to come out. I loved the buzz and hype for the movie and it was one of the best theater going experiences I have ever had. A year later Paranormal Activity 2 did not disappoint and was on par with the original. Now, Paranormal Activity 3 was favorite of them all. It was such a fun ride from start to finish and the audience was having a blast. There are several sequences that were done outstanding. The filmmakers behind this franchise really are becoming masters at scaring the audience. This film had my heart beating fast, had me on the edge of my seat in suspense, while laughing at everyones reactions to the scares. It was such a fun movie to watch and i thought it was creepy as hell. If these movies continue to improve and come up with different techniques than I wouldn’t mind if they released a new Paranormal Activity film each Halloween. Great movie to see in the theater!
Well, I’ve officially lost ALL respect I ever had for Mr. Disgusting.. he gave this an 8 out of 10??? What the fuck!? I thought this was a horror movie website, not a cheap ass “found footage” wannabee ghost story that is not in the least bit scary, or creepy. These movies are so god damn boring and unexciting that it makes my blood boil when this garbage opens up at #1 at the box office. You want to really be scared?? Go watch the Exorcist, not this pussy shit. Ohhh no! A door creaked open by itself!! I just sat through an hour and a half of literally NOTHING happening??? Why the fuck do people go see this shit????
SPOILERS!! One word can wrap up this movie for me…Predictable. While there were 2-3 times that actually made me jump, all the other scares were so predictable. The mom in the closet was predictable because you knew when he opened the closet, and there was nothing there, there was OBVIOUSLY something there. The rotating fan/camera made this movie incredibly predictable. Especially when they basically built a wall (fireplace) in between the kitchen and living room. You knew when it would span to one side to the other that something would obviously be there ready to scare you. E.G. when the babysitter is in the kitchen, camera spans to the living room, comes back to kitchen and OH MY SHE IS GONE!!! You know she is going to pop up and do something. They really are too many others to list. While I enjoyed the mom in the kitchen scene, the women in the garage and the mom getting killed the rest didn’t make up for it. I loved the 1st one the best. While it was slow, I think it did the best at building tension and kept you on the edge of your seat. The 2nd was forgettable to me. I do think this is much better than the 2nd and I do think that everybody should see it. But at the end I was sitting there wanting something else to happen. Not sure what all the hype about the “last 15 mins” either. I was waiting for some really crazy shit to happen and the queue for the “last 15 mins” but it never happened. They need to mix it up if there is going to be a 4th.
Paranormal Activity 3
is not a bad film. But compared to the other films in the franchise, it seems to lack the spirit of the “Boo” factor. I mean don’t get me wrong, it has alot of intense parts but the film doesn’t live up to its full potential. Including the parts were everything in the trailer was pretty much NOT in the film. I was really looking forward to a priest getting his head smashed on the table repeatably
Part 3 in the franchise actually puts a pretty big twist in the film towards the explanation in the first 2 films. I couldn’t help feel the ending was like “The Last Exorcism” Pretty damn similar. I was one of those people who didn’t like Exorcism.
Other than the flaws of PA3, there was it’s creepy @$$ parts! Including the Ghost Sheet/Baby sitter scene.
Overall, the film was “Okay”. I enjoyed PA2′s basement scene & PA1′s Night-time scenes (The Demon scream part) more, but theres nothing more better than having all your stuff up on the ceiling! haha.
Boo Factor- 7
Storyline- 8
Acting- 8
Direction-8
Overall- 8/10!
Paranormal Activity 3…This Movie was so bad I think I want my money back for the first two films and this one. Never again will I go to watch another paranormal activity. Don’t waste your money or your time.
I think how hilarious it is that these movie keeping roping people in that hate them. I honestly believe that they can’t deal with the premise but are intrigued by how much it effects them so they keep turning up for them. That being said if your a fan of the first two. This one is slightly less scary and creative but is a solid follow up nonetheless. I just can’t believe how much well earned mileage their getting out of the simplistically brilliant first film. With these two films they managed to enhance the films base storyline so much that it changes the way you view them each time. Making them a little less effective with more information but an intriguing and entertaining thrill ride.
One of the more over rated franchise that exists in horror land. This movie had some decent jump scares and the characters were interesting, but the hype for this movie was for the most part unfounded. Besides, what up with the horrible ending? These movies may scare a 14 year old, but for horror veterans, this is mildly entertaining.
Gradually, the series Paranormal Activity has managed to remain in the collective mind of the spectators particularly because it shows us a threat, a threat we can not escape from easily: there is no serial murderer with a sharp weapon waiting behind a door, but it’s something worse, something that is not tangible, something you can not touch nor see, but it’s there, lurking. Of course, to paraphrase a saying in the movie, the saga continues to fuel the fear of the spectator and Paranormal Activity 3 decided to play big, making a sequel on par (or better, depending on who sees it) with the original. Let’s see why…
For those who still live in the clouds or do not know that this is, Paranormal Activity 3 is, despite the number in the title, a prequel to the parallel stories of the sisters Katie and Kristi. Taking place in 1988, when the main characters were children, the film recounts the childhood of the girls and the origin of the curse to which they are subjected nowadays with their partners / families. As a prologue to introduce this story, there’s a box full of VHS videos disappearing from the home of one of the sisters (where are them now? Now one knows…) and magically they reproduce what we see in the film. If you recall, the footage found in previous installments was in police custody, which does not happen in this case, so now we have suspend the credulity on this misterious happening.
Katie and Kristi live with her mother and her boyfriend in a home even more spacious than in previous installementes, a huge house for four people whose salaries would leave them with an austere house (mysteries of life) Dennis is wedding videographer, so when the small Kristi starts talking to an imaginary friend, the cameras are placed around the house and in less than a jiffy the environment begins to thicken.
If there is something not present in the film, those are truces. If in previous entries we had to wait a bit to see the power of the demon in action, this is not the case as a tame childish game turns from one moment to the other in a terrifying experience. Paranormal Activity’s scares weresaved until the very end, Paranormal Activity 2′s weren’t as convincing as those in the first movie, but Paranormal Activity 3 has a moment after another after another after another, is a veritable flood of fright that leaves you with a knot in the throat. The last 15 minutes are terribly powerful in the sense that ultimately both the mythology behind the paranormal activity and the demon’s origin are barely outlined and not fully fleshed out to the viewers, is a matter of tying their own ends until the next installment clarifies what actually happens in this family.
I think that what made it work to this release was the script polishing Christopher Landon did extending the family history, the sober cast and directors. Landon became much more interesting this time around with the tense situations, the scares are more elaborate and the subject of the camera mounted to the fan, if its authorship, is a magnificent detail. For the cast, the adults are very watchable and have a very organic development as a couple (smoking pot together, trying to make a sex tape together, joking, typical behavior in a young couple) and, in contrast, the two actresses chosen for the roles of Katie and Kristi were amazing.
On the other hand, directors Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman, the couple behind the interesting Catfish entered to this paranormal game and played so well that the have matched (and exceeded on some issues) Oren Peli’s first effort, the alma mater and creator of this saga. This is the push they needed to take off in Hollywood (is it too much to ask their return for Paranormal Activity 4?)
Finally, the seat vacated last year with the goodbye to the Saw franchise can carve a new name with dignity: Paranormal Activity 3 is a huge improvement over the poor sequel, almost head to head with the first part. The sleepless nights this time will be weeks.
Are you fucking kidding me? the best stuff from the previews arent even in the movie! The pic that is on the main page of BDs website of the 2 girls filming themselves in the mirror……. isnt even in the fucking movie! WEAK
More comedy than horror. The biggest jumps were comedic jumps too. It was still decent at telling the story of what happened. The last 20 seconds really sucked and were anti-climatic. The worst of the bunch but still worth a watch.
Maybe the most scary PA yet?
Between the three this probably has the most “try to scare you” scenes. Not a bad movie. Nice tie in with the other two.
I expected A LOT more,had read and heard some good things,preview looked good.I wasn’t in love with part one but liked it,part 2 had me more interested but then part three dropped me on my head. Not a bit scary…the way the plot went at the end was predictable and took the movie in a total YAWN/been done direction. Should have quit while they were ahead. Maybe I am too picky tho because there were a lot of jumps and screams throughout the theater while I sat there with my “you have to be fucking kidding me” look on.
Excellent and scary – good addition to the series
Oct 20, 2011
Is Paranormal Activity 3 perfect? No, but it is still one hell of a good time. When PA2 was announced, I was apprehensive, as many were, of a return of the Blair Witch sequel curse, but PA2 avoided that. I contend that PA3 does as well.
PA3 is, in my view, the scariest of all three, providing what is now the trademark PA ratcheting up of the tension through silence, pauses, periods of nothing, etc. It’s all part of the genius, in my view, and there are some genuinely humorous moments as well – none of which can prevent the inevitable, though.
Two aspects that made me view this entry as slightly less perfect than the previous two movies: 1) the ultimate revelation (which I will not describe) is fine, but it also relies on some inaccurate stereotypes; and 2) much of the footage in the ads for the movie does not appear in the film itself. A lot of that was excellent and made you want to see the film. While what the film does contain is excellent also, why the difference? What purpose does it serve?
There will be varied opinions about whether PA3 is as scary as some claim, whether the ending is too abrupt, and whether the revelations are cliche or a new twist, but PA3 is still an excellent film. I am pleased to be surprised, once again, that this concept still had strong life in it.
There is undoubtedly going to be a PA4, and PA3 was good enough for me to be willing to give a fourth film a chance before I condemn them for outstaying their welcome. I suggest you do the same for PA3. You may enjoy it.
I thought the film was good, but I liked the first two better. I wish they would have done more with the “revealed storyline” in the end. The majority of the audience I saw the film with seemed to have disliked it, but I thought it was just fine. I also thought it was the least scariest of the three :-/
The movie that terrified the world has done it again. More scares, bigger suspense and a rich and horrifying mythology that will leave you well haunted after the credits roll. Paranormal Activity is the best in the franchise and certainly opens the door for more to come. The best horror event of the year.
One of the scariest movies I have ever seen. The tension of the build up, camera techniques and movements are first-class. I loved catfish and I am glad those doods could help this franchise. Great movie.
I feel like I saw a different movie than the one BD reviewed but anyhow… It really is a fun movie, great addition to the series but I was expecting a little more by th means of agressiveness in scares. I felt like I was waiting far more for something to happen then was happening.There also seemed to be more laughs then the standard comedy which did make the movie more enjoyable. There was just too many gaps in the dialoge and the plot for that matter. The ending seemed to come from left field it really felt like I walked into the Last Exorcism or Wicker Man. It kind of left me hoping the directors cut will be better than what was released. I did swear last year I wouldnt spend the money to see the third but somehow I got duped into drinking the proverbial Kool-aid ( the last 10min will mess you up for life…yea right!).On a brighter note I must say the scariest part of my movie going experiance was the trailer for The Devil Inside, Really looking foward to that one!
I didn’t feel the gripping tension that I experienced in the first two, but I did enjoy myself. It’s slightly more fast paced and there are many more jolts. It was still effectively scary, for the most part and there were some good surprises. I had a fun time.
False advertisement is the film’s biggest problem and is likely to piss alot of fans off as it did to me and it should be illegal and considered as fraud!!!!! I don’t know if they where trying to trick people to think what’s going to happen to make it more suspenseful or a bad last minute decision but they took the worst possible direction ever borderline the horrible conclusion of The Last Exorcism. It had the whole feeling of tense unease going for it and a couple of cheap but clever scares and the whole planting the camera on a rotating fan is brilliant and the scariest parts of the film as well as one bedroom scene with the little girls and the clever babysitter scene but then they go to grandma’s house and the direction and tone changed for the worse for me and I just didn’t buy it for a second! This series use to be effective, raw and unrelenting but now it’s just plain silly but the curiosity still remains with even more unaswered questions about this ghost tale that might lead to another sequel in the near future but for now I’m done with these type of movies because after this disappointing one that leaves you on a sour note this trend is fading rapidly. Another thing that it has going for it is the involvement with the audiences and knowing more than the characters making you scream at the screen waiting for something bad to happen which is more fun and playful spook this time around than being truly frightful but the acting and characters is probably the best of the series but it doesn’t help the film’s many problems and I’m officially Paranormal Activity out and I dare them to change my mind! Overall to basically not show anything from the trailers is criminal and a bad trick to me and shows that the directors don’t give a shit about the fans and thanks for the slap in the face basterds and thanks for ruining a potentially good horror sequel, good job. Don’t treat us fans like we are stupid we deserve better than this crap, shame on you guys for lying to all of us and getting away with it and shame on me for believing it, I’ll learn my lesson for believing the hype! Don’t waste a dime on this one! For once I believe the haters. I personally think they should be accountable for their false advertisement actions.
Not as good as the first but better than the 2nd, PA 3 is an effective scarefest that’s worth seeing on the big screen.
*****CONTAINS SPOILERS*****
Paranormal Activity 3 is a prequel to the events that played out in the first two installments. Once again we follow the lives of sisters Katie and Kristi, this time set in 1988 when they were children. They live with their mother Julie and her boyfriend Dennis, who is a wedding videographer. When young Kristi starts to carry on conversations with an imaginary friend whom she calls “Tobey”, and strange noises are heard around their home, Dennis sets up cameras throughout the house in hopes of catching something. The film opens with a prologue showing adult Katie dropping off some VHS tapes at Kristi’s home, placing them in the basement. We next see the home after having been, what the homeowners assume is, burglarized. (This was shown in PA 2) Nothing seems to be missing, except for the box of VHS tapes. The film then starts up taking place in 1988.
For this viewer, Paranormal Activity 3 failed. While there are small moments throughout the film that were downright creepy (more on that later), most of it fell flat. The first two Paranormal films had many moments that scared me silly and got me out of my seat with a well timed “jump scare”. It’s sad to report I didn’t jump not one time during PA 3, not once! When watching a film that sets it’s sights on scaring, I like to be scared. I like dreading what is going to pop out of the screen at me, I like the uneasiness I feel knowing something is going to happen, and I got none of that this time around. Maybe I got to used to the formula theses pictures are using? Maybe it was the God awful crowd of people that were in attendance with me in the theater that took me out of the film. (The little kiddies and asshole teenyboppers that talk too much, play with their phones and laugh when nothing comical is on screen) Whatever the case is, I wasn’t scared and that was very disappointing to me. The only thing I liked about the the entire film was the last 10 -15 minutes. The grandmother and the coven of older people hanging out at the residence, while not scary per say, was creepy as hell. The Demise of Julie and then Dennis were greatly executed, by far my favorite parts of the film. Little Katie having been possessed, which we know will be fully tackled in the future was great touch as well.
Anyone who has seen this by now knows that a major amount of footage that was shown in the trailers has been sadly cut out of the final version of the film. No Bloody Mary game between the two girls in the bathroom. No knocking game on the mirror with Katie, Kristi and Dennis. No Kristi throwing the water at the entity. No preacher/demonologist guy getting his head slammed off the table. No house on fire. No Julie getting thrown onto the bed. One can only imagine that these will be featured as deleted scenes or put back into the film when it’s released on home video. These all looked liked amazing scenes and one has to wonder why they were cut.
Give credit to film makers Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman, the team behind the much discussed 2009 doc Catfish. They have managed to keep the look and feel of the previous Paranormal films. Using the ’88 setting they get to experiment with different tricks using VHS cameras. One much talked about use is that of placing a VHS camera on an oscillating fan base, allowing the camera to pan left and right. This is supposed to create a sense of dread as you don’t know exactly what you will see when the camera pans back to the right of left. I didn’t feel much dread because you know something is going to be there, so where is the suspense? It worked to an alright degree, the scene with the babysitter and ghost sheet was fun, but could have been utilized better. The film makers also use cameras in only three rooms of the house. The kitchen/living area with the oscillating camera, the girls bedroom and Julie and Dennis’ room. This allows for more focus on a certain area of the house as opposed to the multiple rooms that the second installment used. Writer Christopher B. Landon also works some more interesting bits into the story that expands the mythology started in the first PA, while still managing not to fully answer or tie-up all the loose ends. Paranormal Activity 3 has a solid cast of performers who manage to make good on the scares. While not Oscar worthy, the five main characters- Katie, Kristi, Julie, Dennis, and family friend Randy- give very likable performances. The actresses portraying young Katie (Chloe Csengery) and Kristi (Jessica Tyler Brown) successfully carry the creepier moments in the film- since they are the ones constantly being terrorized by the demon. Dennis (Christopher Nicholas Smith) is my favorite main male character of the PA films thus far. He doesn’t come off as moronic as Micah Sloat from the first film and Daniel (Brian Boland) from PA 2. Randy (Dustin Ingram) was a nice addition to the film and got some laughs out of me. Julie (Lauren Bittner) and the grandmother (while creepy looking) were nothing to write home about.
Overall Paranormal Activity 3 didn’t scare or impress me as much as I thought- and hoped, it would. It doesn’t re-invent the wheel and I feel it’s following in order, it’s the third best in the series. I liked the ending, creepy as hell. But everything that came beforehand is easily forgettable. It’s no surprise that it ends open ended for the inevitable fourth installment. A plus is that the film makers can take the story in a number of different directions. The Grandmother is now a part of the story, we need more about her. The coven and what all that means. We still don’t know where adult Katie and baby Hunter are. There has been little to no mention of the father figure to Katie and Kristi. What is his story? I do hope they bring back Joost and Schulman to direct as I think they did a solid job on this one. Im hoping for a conclusion in the next one, I don’t want this franchise to be milked to death like the SAW franchise.
This movie was everything I thought it was going to be, predictable and boring. I read so many great reviews for this movie and read that the last 10 minutes was so horrifying. Ok no. It was not great,nor horrifying. It is a repeat of the first two, with witches added at the end. What is so scary about that? We knew about the witches coven from the second film, so of course an explanation would be in the third. This movie should have been about how the coven started and how Katie’s grandmother got involved. We should have learned more about the demon and why the coven needs the first born sons. The movie also should have shown Katie’s whereabouts after the first movie. Oh and why the hell does this movie not have the scenes from the trailer?! I hope this is the last in the series because filming demons and killing off the boyfriend/husband of movie has gotten old.
I haven’t been this terrified with a film in a long time. The Paranormal franchise just seems to get better. It had me in high anxiety multiple times. The rotating camera technique I thought was ingenious. The ending I thought was a little strange but I actually really liked that road it took. Even though it doesn’t make much sense, I liked it. It was extremely creepy. All In All, PA 3 is better than the second one and may not be as scary as the first one, but it is the most clever of them all.
Great movie better than part 2. Great story and well paced and defnitley hav to watch on the big screen.
This movie made leaps and bounds to improve the story telling, but it just didn’t pack the punch that I was hoping for in the scares department. I had very high hopes going into this film. The previews truly led me to think the this one would rekindle the magic from the first film. Much to my dismay, I was let down. The more I think about it, the less I liked it. I thought I was having fun in the theatre, the anticipation of an oncoming scare was reminiscent of the first, but with the end of a scene, I found that I had sunk back into my seat unphased. I never felt like anything ever paid off. Even the big finale was a bit of a let down. I will agree with other reviewers in saying that this movie did a great job advancing the lore of the movie. It was interesting to see how the writers started tying up lose ends and left things open for the next inevitible sequel. I would love to see either the budget of these films increase to bring quality effects to the table, or return to the minimalist approach of the first. I think any horror fan will agree that the most effective monsters and the scariest death scenes are the ones we have to use our imagination to truly see.
Huge disappointment. The different techniques were utilized in an interesting way, and the suspense builds were great. But I kept expecting something great that never came. The ending felt rushed, and the trailer was very misleading. I sat in the theater for another 5 minutes after the credits started rolling because I was THAT sure there had to be more to the movie. If they make a fourth I hope they make major improvements with the story. The witches were creepy but it just wasn’t satisfying enough based on all the buildup. And points off from Mr. Disgusting for his review, it got me super excited to see this let-down of a film.
SPOILERS IN THIS COMMENT. SO DONT READ ON IF YOU DONT WANNA KNOW THE END (BTW.. IF YOU DO READ ON. YOUR STIL NOT MISSING ANYTHING…)
that being said. i will give it this… the death of dennis was bad ass… and it was a step up from part 2 (which sucked beyond belief) but thats not saying much. i give this one a 3/10.
had some interesting visuals (i.e. katie being drug around the room. the ghost sheet) other than that.. i was very bored… wasnt really shooken up like i was when i saw part 1. i really think they need to leave this be with part 3. when will they learn to let a good thing go?
the thing that scared me about the first one was the unknown. there was a mystery that i loved that left it up to the imagination… now they are giving use this bullskippy about some cult and crap… i think they should just stop. and if they could delete 2 and 3 from history… sure, it made a crapload in the box office opening weekend. those cheats drug people in with stuff that never even happened. i feel cheated. i was almost interested because of events in the trailer that i never got to see unfold in the final cut.
in my opinion the series is boring. i love the first one but these movies are ruining the awesome that the first film held.
so if you like cheap boring scares when the baby sitter jumps at the camera with a cheezy giggle saying “BOO” (and yes that actually happens) and crapy mythology being mentioned… and predictable endings then this is the movie for you! for those of you who i just described… please stop going to the movies so hollywood could finally get back to making real movies! thanks ! =D
PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 3 (2011) – ” The Franchise Just Keep Getting Better! ”
Seriously, how rarely you can have a sequel which actually looks good enough, and the 3rd still not going to a downhill? Tell you what, here we’ve got one.
Everybody knows the first PA was a brand new gimmick to the genre, it’s fresh, and it’s actually pretty effective. So then, a PA2 wasn’t really surprise, but as they claim this will be the new trend replace of what SAW did for the last decade, 1 year 1 film on the Halloween month, the October. I’m still not sure if this is a good idea, and it could also is a best way to kill the franchise though. But well, after the 3rd one, I have to say, I wanted to see more, and looking forward to the 4th installment!
PA is definitely not a cup of tea of everyone, it can be very exceeding, either you earn a lover or a hater. And obviously, I’m one of the lovers, because I totally buy the idea of realistic fear factor, what makes this film really works, is all depend on the audience sensitivity for the movie.
Very simple, you do not buy the idea, you wouldn’t put yourself into the situation, you’ll hate this movie, that’s it.
PA3 was actually a prequel for the first 2 films, it reveals the beginning of the activity.
I thought they could never figure out any new idea for the filming sequences, as it seem has already used almost all the shooting angles and explanation for “why I have to film everything on tape again.” Ha! The did it again, and embraced the element to a higher level, brilliant! Personally thought, the “fan-cam” is absolutely a biggest surprise for me.
Forget what you see on the trailer, I know people are mad about the “alternate/abandon” scenes of the movie, which you can say it’s totally from a different movie. But for me, I’m okay with it, as long no spoilers, and keep the surprise for the actual movie, clever marketing, but still cunning in someway.
DIRECTOR: Henry Joost / Ariel Schulman
CAST: Lauren Bittner / Christopher Nicholas Smith / Chloe Csengery / Jessica Tyler Brown
ACTING: Amazingly good, especially the little kids.
VISUAL: Good, the grainy VHS effect still won’t ruin the clearness.
SOUND: Blown me away… Better than the 2nd.
It comes: Highly Recommended! (For the fans)
MY Rating: (8.5/10)*
PA3, Not as scary as its predecessors but ties up the mythology well. Some genuinely tense moments, the actors do a fantastic job, well paced and acted. Seemed a little rushed towards the end and reveals nothing you do not already know that was explained/revealed in part 2. The Trailer for the movie unfortunately is better than the film itself, although the majority of scenes have been cut or not included in the finished result will be probably released on an UNRATED DVD edition. If it wasn’t for the fact of the hysterical girlies screaming at the back of the cinema and ruining the tesion of the movie, I probably would have enjoyed it much more. Wait for when your’re alone and watch it on DVD, will have more of an impact.
Was fun to watch in the theatre. Some good jump scares. Not much on substance. Why does the entire movie need to be POV? Gets a little tiring.
Well I thought it was great until the terrible ending. You can tell from trailers and tv spots there is a alternate ending that was probably way better and made more sense. But overall it was good.
Horrible and boring.Why anyone thinks this is better than the others is beyond me.The others ones at least kept my attention this one not at all.Wow what a waste of time and money(which I want back)I get the hidden camera-lost footage idea but there was too much here and not enough story-for my liking anyway.Hopefully no more will be made.
The first was just ok, the 2nd SUCKED ASS and this one was the best…hands down!!!!!! This should’ve been the only one made!! Not great, but at least good.
PA 3 had enough scares and chills to keep me entertained. The family was very like-able (especially the kids, they were adorable!) and the pace was faster than the previous two installments. I also found many of the scares more effective than the sequel, and about equal to the first.
Why only 6? The trailer was highly misleading. It was selling a completely different movie! Between the priest getting banged against the table, the knocking game in the bedroom, the Poltergeist discussion, Christy jumping off the ledge in her bedroom, the alternate bloody mary game, throwing the water and it bouncing off the demon, the mother being pulled through the air into the bedroom, the house burning down…none of this was in the film! And these shots looked incredible. With how short this was, I’m really shocked so much was cut. This could have easily been an 8, and my favorite of the franchise if this was all present in the final cut.
Overall it was a fun experience, I just hope there’s an alternate/extended cut available at some point.
Wow, if any horror fan thinks this is good, then you truly are HORRIFIC
So I will say that this one is definitely much different than the first two. I think that it had elements that surpassed the first two in some ways, being truly eerie. I enjoyed it. The element of adding the children in really did something for the film. Children are so much more intuitive than adults are, and when a film plays on that and is done right, it’s truly captivating. I liked this film a lot and it definitely gave me chills and made me jump a few times. HOWEVER, when it comes to triggering overall real fear, this one probably scared me the least
I actually really enjoyed this film, it was much better than the horrible second entry. There some cool visuals this time around, the first two really didn’t show too much aside from doors closing and people being dragged around. If you paid attention in the second one you pretty much already know how this will end, although it still creates some new questions. I do wish that some of the stuff from the trailer was in the film though, with the exception of the bloody mary scene (the one in the final cut was intense and better than what was shown in the trailer). All in all a solid entry and definitely eaves room for a fourth entry, never thought I would say this but I can wait!
This movie suprised me and surpassed all my expectations, in my opinion, the best of the 3, lots of genuinely eerie moments, and to me, the scariest of the 3 as well.
I enjoyed the hell out of this one. Backstory: Wasn’t too fond of first one (could’ve just been a case of too much hype); enjoyed much more the second one; then, with this one, I absolutely dug it.
Screaming out like a girl (no offense to any females here) multiple times = a winner. Not only that, I honestly felt dread throughout my body…especially with those back and forth “fan-shots.” Not only that, the one thing that is always an awesome thing with these films–whether I enjoy them or not–is that I am searching all corners of the frame to see if there’s anything to see. That adds tremendously to the overall anxiety…and for them to pay it off so many times in this one makes this horror geek amazingly satisfied. Not so sure about the ending…but all in all, very satisfied.
THIS WAS HORRIBLE!! Seriously, if this scared you then you need to go and rent a REAL horror movie to see how big of a loser that you are. OMG there is something under the sheet then its gone, a light bursts, and a little girl gets pulled around but really when was the really scary part suppose to happen? These are things that could be seen in a PG-13 movie. I mean I am still confused on why the first part was even shown in the movie, and dont even get me started on the freaking ending. Really..really that is what your going with. End of story this was HORRIBLE and I want my money back!
I completely agree with Mr. Disgusting’s review on this. This injects more life into the mythology of Paranormal Activity. I cannot wait until PA4.
This film is lacking so much explanations and feels rushed as hell. Whats up with the 10 minutes ending with no real interest and/or real grip!? It just end and you’re like ??? This looks just like a pretext to explain more in another prequel’s sequel, and MOSTLY to make some REALLY easy cash with such a false advertisement trailer.
Dont get me wrong I totally loved the 1st one, my main problem with the 2nd one was somewhat the funny ending but this one, of my god lame.
In the theater I was some-what disappointed because they deleted several scenes, Soooo in other words I can’t wait to see the “Uncut version” when it comes out on DVD…
I didn’t like this one as much as the other first 2 films. This one just seemed really foggy on things and just left alot unanswered. There were moments that COULD of been alot more scarier. I hate that they cut all the scenes out of the movie featured in the trailers. I feel like that is false advertisement NOT good film making. All it does is make the audience not want to hype over the next installment because no matter how spooky your next trailer will be it WON’T matter because non of it will be in the feature anyways. I know that they will release it as special features on the dvd but that just seems money hungry to me and rubs me the wrong way. I personally rarely click on the special features on any of my movies because I usually just press play lol. If they say they cut the scenes because they were just ” too ” scary than maybe they need to find another day job. If people pay to watch a scary movie than that is what they are expecting. Not to be half scared and let down. I was fortunate enough not to waste my money on this : ) and watched for free. You screw us so we can screw you too and not pay for it hahaha.
Spoilers*******
So I am confused on something at the end. I realize the Grandma is a witch. But was the mother really innocent? How do you grow up with a coven of witches and not be included?? Apparently, the mother was not killed right?? Because in PA 1 Micah tells Katie he can not stand her mom. So my question is if the mom was in fact killed being thrown down the stairs than who raised the girls and is taking the role of the mother??? Or if the mother survived than does that mean she is a witch and is summoning demons as well for her grandson?? The right guess would be the mother is a witch too and was only acting to be knowledgeable of the events plaguing her boyfriend until the right time to take the children to her mothers house for the ritual. Because how else would it explain her boyfriend being snapped in half and still keep the girls close with their grandmother. Because in the prequel grown Katie and Kristi speak of the VHS tapes the grandmother passed down hinting that they grew up with her close in their lives…
Overall not too impressed but gave extra star because it had potential.
Alright I enjoyed the movie all the way until the ending. I was highly disappointed that they took out certain scenes from the movie that were in the trails. The ended killed it for me. I can’t stand how the ending happened. I actually left bugged by the ending. What the hell happened to the fire that was mentioned in there first movie! It could have ended so much more better then how they did it.
It was a fun ride.It starts off with same old bumps and creeks.But then gets crazier towards the end.By the time they get to grandma’s house it goes into a new open-ended direction.I like all three of these films.The hair pull looked crazy good.The formula for these are the same in all 3 movies but it works.I want part four to be the last.End it with Katie and Hunters demise or rescue.To me this wasn’t scary as the first two films.If you don’t like these movies don’t bother with this.I love these films for there simplicity.The Twist was ruined for me but it didn’t matter I liked it anyway.
Finally got to see this over halloween weekend. It starts off just like the first two, with 30 minutes of nothing. That’s what gets all my nerves about these films, but certainly the last 30 minutes makes up for it in the 3rd film. Though I didn’t think the story was that original, I still was a fan of the holes being filled into the other two films. There are a handful of very good scenes in this one, and I’m glad they didn’t show most of the stuff in the previews b/c what the movie put in instead was better. Overall, I liked it better than the first two, but still found the story a little disappointing b/c I had seen similar plots before. Worth a watch if you like the other two, but don’t expect the scariest movie you’ve ever seen.
This one really rocked. I really enjoyed it as it used a lot of the special effects that were used in the Exorcist or even Poltergeist. Objects moving or in a place where they are not supposed to be etc. The feeling was there and the mood just never went away or die down. The scares were cranked up in this version more than in the previous other two. It kept me riveted to the screen and delivered.
The grandmother was a real bitch since whe was the one that started all this with the pact that she made with the devil. I loved the ending because it has a feeling that this may not my the last film in this franchise right?
if you hated the 1st one you will hate this one, i Personally liked them both, i would say this one was by far the most entertaining one, not scarier that part one but had alot more going on. i highly recommend seeing this movie, it was very fun
Personally I dont see what all the buzz is about, to be honest there were a few parts that put you on edge but I wouldn’t say it was scary. I did enjoy watching this movie and I was glad to see that it had a little more scenes with scares but it could have went deeper into what was going on. I’m over the home video movies as well. Over all its not a bad movie but its not a good one either, if you scare easy then im sure you’ll find this one scary but I expected more personally, I’ll give it a 6 out of 10
I must say, this series is holding its own really well. This installment was more of the same, in a slightly different fashion. The only complaints I had, were that the “activity” seemed too random and obvious. At times, I thought to myself: “Why the hell would the demon be doing this? It doesn’t make sense”, and also that it was missing two scenes I found in the trailers that I was very much looking forward too.
Aside from these, the movie was fun and very enjoyable. A little less scary than before, but still intense with scary sounds and special effects. Acting was well done, I was impressed by the girls. And the spots of humor was welcomed.
Overall, if you liked the first two, chances are high you’ll like this one.
This is by far the best Paranormal Activity film in the Paranormal Activity series and it is way better than the first movie even the lazy Paranormal Activity 2. This movie is a prequel to Paranormal Activity 1 and 2 and it explains the backstory of Katie and her sister Kristi it has various explanations on what happened to them when they were really young. This movie has everything for a Paranormal Activity film. The movie is even three times better than the first two. While the first movie was intense and scary. The second film was scary but it became lazy after the first half. The third film in the series changed it all. Mainly the reason why I chose part three as the best Paranormal Activity film that mainly beat the first two it’s because when after the first movie the series just became lazy. The first one was good because the suspense and scares were really well made and it made audiences jump and squirm in their seats. The second one was also good but he problem is half of the film isn’t scary because the suspense starts after 48 hours instead of 24 hours like the first movie and that’s why I called the second film a lazy movie. But part three has everything changed and brought back to it’s serious and scary roots. The suspense here this time starts after 1 hour, 2 hours and as it goes on. The movie was a rollercoaster ride from start to finish. The movie has all of the over the top and in your face scares that will keep you up for days and while the movie not only has those the movie also has the dark atmosphere that the first two doesn’t have. And I could tell the movie was atmospheric in the last part of the film. I really like the new Paranormal Activity film and the movie was really different so far. All the over the top and in your face scares worked a lot and the Paranormal Activity films just keep getting popular this time and the Paranormal Activity films is now rising to the top and as it continues to go up the series is now taking over to become one of the best horror movies of the 21st Century. This movie really freaked me out from start to finish and I jumped at least 2-10 times. I mainly watched the movie with my sister and when my sister watched it she was freaked out and she was 100% scared and she has her eyes covered when something scary is about to start and she mainly has to take a peek and when something scary starts she covers her eyes again I remember when I laughed at her after watching the movie and since my sister was freaked out towards the entire movie the entire audience was screaming in terror when something scary starts since my sister was freaking out and she has her eyes covered because the film has lots and lots of nonstop scares and tension that makes audiences squirm again in their seats. And I remember after the movie all of the teens were applauding because they had a great time watching the film and I had a great time as well. While Final Destination 5, Fright Night remake and Contagion were really good Paranormal Activity 3 is now first place in the list of best Horror movies of 2011 second would go to Contagion. Third would go to Fright Night remake and fourth would go to Final Destination 5. Now the acting was really good the younger casts in the film did a good job with their performances in the film so far. Director Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman along with writer Christopher B. Landon and producer Oren Peli did a good job with bringing the Paranormal Activity series back to the big screen so far. My hardest and toughest decision though was that either I would choose Saw over Paranormal Activity or Paranormal Activity over Saw as the best Horror movie in the 21st Century. I mainly have to choose both because both movies are still good I mean the Saw movies were good because they were the first films to come out before Paranormal Activity took over and I chose Paranormal Activity as well because this movie now holds the crown of modern Horror films and it is taking over other Horror films this year. Overall Paranormal Activity 3 is a nonstop Rollercoaster ride that will keep you up for days. So in the end all of the Paranormal Activity fans will walk out of the theaters and raise they’re hands in the air and they have finally claimed their beloved franchise. I hope there’s a Paranormal Activity 4 in which it will be the same to the third movie only that it is four times scarier than the first three.
Holy crap, hat-trick!
Seriously, I enjoyed Part 3 as much as the other 2 parts, especially because it totally exceeded my expectations which actually weren’t that high.
Starts out slow-paced, gets wilder and wilder and ends up pretty insane. We get to see loads of highly supenseful scenes, a few wonderfully scary moments and a shitload of horrifying jump scares that brought me and most of the audience close to a heart attack (most notably the sheet-ghost’s appearance and another super-shocking kitchen scene).
The acting is great (especially the 2 young girls), the footage looks once again pretty cool (especially due to the ingenious ‘fan cam’) and I love all the little nods to “Poltergeist” and “Last Exorcism”.
Ok, I admit it’s a bit of a letdown that most of the scenes from the trailers didn’t make it into the movie – but apart from that, this is once again a terrific and highly satisfying found-footage-fest. I’m already pumped for Part 4!
Best one of the bunch. Rarely do you see a sequel put together so poorly, and then have the follow up be amazing. Awesome
I enjoyed this one the most out of the three. It answered a lot of questions I had at the end of two, but still left alot to be explained. I was really impressed with young Kristy and Katie. Their believable behavior and reactions really made this PA a home run!
This movie had so much tension building through the entire thing and just did not deliver on it! It was like having sex for an hour and a half and then just stopping cause you got bored!
Consider the joke. Not a story, not an impersonation of an individual, not a skit, but a single joke. Tear open this abstract communication device and look inside. What is there to see? To those who can legitimately tell one, it is obvious that this mechanism is a very delicate one. All gears, belts and wheels must be approached with care. There is the set up of this mechanism. A concise but easy to follow explanation for an audience requires confidence, foresight and at least a bit of cleverness. Fuck this up and everyone might as well go home. We are then taken on the journey to the punch line. This walk from point A to point B is the least restrictive of the joke apparatus, but allows the most freedom (red herrings, unrelated musings, etc.) Finally, we come to the punch line. Was the wait worth it? You are responsible to decide for your audience. Moreover, the identity of the joke being told is defined solely with this last third. One word here can make a joke cruel, clean, unsatisfying, a crowd pleaser, poor, or forgettable.
Everything I have just described directly applies to the âeoeBOO!âe scare in horror films as well. Set-up, journey, punch line. Itâe(TM)s all there. The only difference is the reaction the film is attempting to provoke from the audience.
There are other ways horror films can play puppetry with its viewers, but we are not here to discuss any of those ways. Why is that? Because I am reviewing the third entry in a series of fright flicks that are made up of nothing but âeoeBOO!âe scares.
To criticize this film for being a pyramid of these jump-moments stacked on top of one another would be a foolâe(TM)s errand. I remember being in middle school and having a buddy sleepover for a horror movie marathon. One of the movies we watched that evening was Friday the 13th part 2. Once the credits rolled, he turned to me and said, âeoeI liked it, but I felt the movie was just kill a personâe
If I knew none of the trailer was in the movie I would of saved my money. Pa2 was my favorite. I used to like bloody-disgusting until I realized they must be getting kicked backs from certain movies.
Not bad movie it is pretty scary at times but what’s really annoying is how the film is so short and also they cut scenes from the movie that should’ve been shown from the film.
I was happy with the movie, a little scared (nothing major, I just kept waiting for the big reveal or shocker scene that never happened) till the symbol was found and they tried to explain everything. I liked the other movies better honestly. But really I wish theyâe(TM)d kept it to ghosts and not all in the same family. Check out a more in depth review at my Horror Movie/Book review site @ ShiversOfHorror.com
Complete silence to complete chaos, just like the first two installments. I cant deny being on edge watching these movies, even though, I know its the anticipation which is most frightening. The build up was so strong towards the end, which is why I felt things fell a little flat. Besides not reaching its fullest potential, fans of the first two shouldn’t be disappointed. A great wrap-up, or I guess beginning to it all.
Best One Yet Give them to GrandMa!
I was a bit disappointed… The other two films had a formula: start out small, build throughout the movie, scary-ass climax… and the big stuff only happens at night.
This film did not follow the formula at all, which pissed me off. It started small, didn’t build much. And to be honest, when it got to the end of the movie, I couldn’t tell if it was the climax or not.
The only thing I liked about it was the fan camera. It was awesome.
Easily the best in the series. It is basically a culmination of the previous two films and better/scarier than both. The first was clever, the second one was even better than the first, but with the third they finally made the movie it felt like they were trying to make all along.
This was the worst movie in trilogy, I know the movie it’s the history before the first, but it not a good movie. Not scary at all, very boring and they messed up this movie trying made the origin of all.
Oren Peli’s majorly successful “Paranormal Activity” was a found-footage horror movie about a young LA couple – Mica and Katie – who set up cameras all over their house in an attempt to capture what the lady suspects might be ghostly activity. They learned that there was indeed a spirit (and they learned that the hard way), although it wasn’t specific to the house; it seemed to follow Katie wherever she went, and we’re told that she started having these experiences at a young age. This gives the whole concept of the film a different notion of fear; they cannot escape the demonic forces at hand – unless Mica leaves his girl, which he wasn’t about to do – and it will continue to push their buttons until it gets what it wants, that is Katie’s body and soul. It was simple and low-budget, but the movie was effective; suspenseful, scary, and smart – with some good relationship drama thrown in for extra measure. And then came “Paranormal Activity 2″, a prequel focusing on Katie’s sister and her family this time around. You may or may not know how I felt about that one.
And now we’ve got the third installment. “Paranormal Activity 3″ once again goes back to the past – acting as a prequel to a prequel. The story centers primarily on the aforementioned childhood experiences that Katie and her sister had with the diabolical spirits that have become sort of the un-seen poster boys for the franchise. Katie and sister Kristi live with parents Julie and Dennis; the latter who likes to play around with the latest in video technology. He sets cameras up all around the house just for laughs, although he manages to capture so much more one night, when a sudden earthquake brings dust from the ceiling, while reveals a ghostly apparition standing in the room. The dust, as expected, is no match for the veil of the spirit; and we see part of the basic outline. There’s something there for sure. Dennis thinks this is cool; so he goes out and buys more cameras, one of which rotates.
Since it’s the point of these found-footage movies to build suspense and then unleash fits of screaming, yelling, and very loud bumps in the night; “Paranormal Activity 3″ gives us some time to get to know the characters before it finally decides to “catch fire”. We see nighttime footage – some which reveals little, some which reveals a lot – and we’re left to decide for ourselves, for a while, whether anything is really “up”. But of course, there really is a spirit in the house; and it’s ready to drive everyone in it over the edge, whenever it pleases. It’s fairly entertaining to watch such antics for some time, but it runs out of steam quicker than one might expect or want it to. When the movie abandons suspense, it turns to cheap jump scares and faux thrills. You know, from the directors of “Catfish” – another fake found-footage flick – I was expecting sometimes perhaps just a little more fulfilling than this.
Look, I understand that some people like these movies; and that’s OK. All I know is that I do sometimes, and other times I don’t. I’m kind of tired of the found footage movement in the horror genre but I’m open-minded to fun when it comes my way. Too bad these “Paranormal” sequels have no intention of being “fun”. No, instead they just want to be dead serious; and tend to fail miserably, from the looks of things. While 3 is a fairly significant improvement on the atrocious second coming, it still isn’t my idea of great entertainment. Even for what it is; it’s dry and repetitive, derivative and hopelessly familiar.
But I suppose I shall give credit where credit is due. When “Paranormal Activity 3″ is good, it’s actually pretty darn good; but when it’s bad, it’s bad. And that’s pretty bad; although not necessarily to great extremes. There are some tense, creepy moments; although I disliked how they were so grossly outweighed by the loud noises that plague this sub-genre of horror. Sorry, but shit falling from shelves and people getting hung by their hair in mid-air doesn’t scare me. I’m scared of what I can’t see, and for a good portion of the time, this movie understands that; but it eventually shows too much and by then, I’ve given up all hope. Arguably some of the best scenes are contained within the last 15; and that’s some genuinely eerie stuff right there. I won’t spoil it for you, since you might want to check this one out; but it’s a good send-off and it leaves a few nice little doors open for the fourth installment. That’s pretty much all you need to know.
I have respect for “Paranormal Activity 3″. I really do. I just wish it had more, you know, balance. I like my horror films raw and engaging, not generic and mediocre. The filmmakers behind these “Paranormal Activity” sequels need to get better at recycling; because I’m sure another flawlessly tense and interesting film can be born of this new horror franchise. I was hoping that I’d find such simple solace in the third film – since the second was not the answer to my prayers – but once again, no luck. Most people will find that they’ve gotten what they wanted; a well-made rinse-and-repeat horror flick. But to me, seldom is a rinse-and-repeat horror flick good at all. But if the right amount of style and flare is applied, it can feel new and exciting. Too bad that isn’t the case here.
wow..not as bad as the second one but not good at all! nothing happened the whole time til like the last 10 minutes!! trash
Good scares – the oscillating camera trick is pretty damn good. Some genuine tense moments. Overall, a terrible ending that negates all of the fears I did have. I’m not scared of a room full of old women. Sorry. All 3 of these movies have been ruined by terrible endings. Good scares – bad finish.
Terrifying!
It’s a sad day in horror when crap like this is beloved.
Better than the second shame the writers didn’t make that one.
I don’t understand the hoopla this time around. This has got to be the most boring, scareless, and uninteresting chapter in the series. Say what you will about the critically acclaimed first, it didn’t take 40 minutes to get going and the acting wasn’t as shaky. Oh and that trailer? 80% of that you aren’t getting here. Deceptive advertisement again.
The Ultimate Movie Review! – http://tss5078.blogspot.com – @tss5078 – Paranormal Activity started the phenomenon of films that are shot on camcorder. At the time, it was considered to be revolutionary, but at this point it’s getting a little old. How many of these camcorder films have actually been successful? …and don’t you get just the slightest bit nauseated by the constant movement of the camera? I guess that’s for you to decide, back to the film. In the third installment of Paranormal Activity, we learn what happened to Katie and her sister when they were little. To be honest with you, I was pretty into this film until the last twenty minutes or so. Without spoiling it for ya, lets just say the story takes a dramatic turn away from the storyline. The result of this is that the overall story isn’t as creepy and really doesn’t make as much sense as it should. Paranormal Activity was never that scary to begin with, the film plays on the audience by having things suddenly jump out at them, but the story itself has gotten far less creepier as the series has gone on. Part 3 and 4 do have different writer/directors and that may be part of the problem. The first one freaked me out, the second one was a little slow, but also did the trick, and this one really didn’t scare me. They relied much more on making the audience jump than they did on scaring them with the actual story. Number three didn’t stick with me for days afterward, the way one and two did. As for the cast, they were all newcomers and the little girls were absolutely terrific! This series has a way of finding newcomers who seem like they’ve been acting for decades. Paranormal Activity 3 is good for a few cheap jumps and laughs, but the ending was really disappointing, leading me to think less of this film than I do of the other two.
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