Movies
Paranormal Activity 2
“Paranormal Activity 2 is completely true to its roots, establishing itself as a competent, cohesive and coherent addition to the franchise that not only lives up to the hype, but also builds upon the original’s mythology…It’s literally is the sexy twin sister of Paranormal Activity; they look slightly different, have a few variant birthmarks, and carry their own personalities – but neither one is better than the other.”
The one thing special about the ongoing Saw franchise is that every year a new sequel arrives in theaters, and you know exactly what to expect from it. Good or bad, it is what it is and there’s no denying that it’s a Saw sequel. With that franchise (supposedly) coming to an end, Paramount Pictures is ramping up their newfound series: Paranormal Activity. The biggest fear with the sequel, arriving in theaters October 22, is that the studio would pull a “Blair Witch 2” by taking the low budget fare and throwing millions of dollars at it. Fret not; Paranormal Activity 2 is completely true to its roots, establishing itself as a competent, cohesive and coherent addition to the franchise that not only lives up to the hype, but also builds upon the original’s mythology.
With that said, it should be pretty evident that Paranormal Activity 2 will solely be enjoyed by the fans of the first, and that haters shouldn’t touch this with a 10, 50, wait no, a 100 foot pole. In fact, if you hated the first film, and still feel the need to see the sequel, if I catch you bitching here on the site I might have to pull a Jay and Silent Bob on your ass (totally kidding of course).
Brutality aside, fans of Paranormal Activity are in for a treat. The sequel, while not better than, might be just as good as Oren Peli’s indie smash hit of 2009. This time around Tod Williams takes the helm and tells the story of a new family terrorized by a demon. Here’s the small bit of info I’ll share with you: The film is a quasi-prequel, the family is in fact related to Katie (Katie Featherston) and Micah (Micah Sloat), and the baby’s name is Hunter. It will tie directly into the first film creating one hell of a creepy 3 hours; it’s a companion piece.
Penned by Michael R. Perry, Paranormal Activity 2 stays true to the first film’s mythology created by Peli. The demon’s arrival and actions are consistent with the first, which may or may not hinder your “shock” experience. Those familiar with PA will feel almost at home waiting for creeks, booms and giant pops. PA 2 is a (fun) endurance test as it asks audience to shut the f*ck up, turn off their cell phones, and wait patiently for an attack. Williams brilliantly holds for long seconds on shots of nothing that are all enhanced by a brooding rumble in the score, or quite simply, complete silence. The audience may be treated by a jolt, but at times they’re left watching a smooth transition into the next morning. The trick pulled is that once again the audience is left on edge, given barely any time to breathe. In fact, the PA team once again bring the demon into daylight giving the audience no time to relax. It’s a tense experience from the first to the very last frame that should be leaving you in complete silence.
The biggest disappointment for me was that it wasn’t a superior film. I expected things to escalate to a higher degree, like any sequel would, but I can’t help but commend the production team for doing only what was necessary to make the sequel work. Paranormal Activity 2 literally is the sexy twin sister of Paranormal Activity; they look slightly different, have a few variant birthmarks, and carry their own personalities – but neither one is better than the other. In fact, they’re tonally so similar that when the film ended I joked about republishing my initial review for the sequel.
It’s tough writing a review for a film without giving anything away, but truly all that is needed is a sentence that reads: “If you enjoyed Paranormal Activity you will enjoy its sequel just as much.” And to further my point, this is once again a movie that is best served IN A THEATER; the sound design and black surroundings enhance the experience. I had such a good time that if this is the beginning of a new decade of Paranormal sequels, I welcome it with open arms.
It was almost one year ago that Warner Bros. brought the entire original A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise to 4K in one massive 7-movie collection, with the limited edition SteelBook version of the set quickly selling out and becoming highly sought after. But we’re happy to report tonight that the SteelBook set is currently back in stock over on Amazon!
While supplies last, grab the Elm Street SteelBook collection for $154.99 right now!!
Orders placed for this re-release are scheduled to begin shipping out September 15, 2026.
[Related] Freddy’s Back: New ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’ Movie in the Works at Paramount
From New Line Cinema, the collection includes the original seven films – A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge (1985), A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987), A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988), A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1989), Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991), and Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994) – along with the uncut versions of A Nightmare on Elm Street and The Dream Child.
Two BRAND NEW SPECIAL FEATURES for this set include:
- Boiler Room Confessional: The king of slashers, Robert Englund, takes us on a journey through the dream world, sharing what inspired Freddy Krueger, his rise as a cultural icon, and the legacy of A Nightmare on Elm Street, plus his favorite kills, scenes, and more.
- Freddy’s Footnotes: Robert Englund and original A Nightmare on Elm Street filmmakers revisit iconic scenes, revealing the movie magic and chaos behind our favorite nightmares. Pull back the curtain and relive epic moments through the eyes of those who made them.
Here’s the full breakdown of included Special Features for each movie…
A Nightmare on Elm Street
· Ready Freddy Focus Points
· Commentary with Wes Craven, Robert Englund, Heather Langenkamp, Ronee Blakley, Robert Shaye, and Sara Risher
· Commentary with Wes Craven, Heather Langenkamp, John Saxon, and Jacques Haitkin
· Alternate Endings – Scary Ending, Happy Ending, Freddy Ending
· The House that Freddy Built: The Legacy of New Line Horror
· Never Sleep Again: The Making of A Nightmare on Elm Street
· Night Terrors: The Origins of Wes Craven’s Nightmares
A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge
· Freddy on 8th Street
· Heroes and Villains
· The Male Witch
· Psychosexual Circus
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
· Behind the Story: Burnout
· Behind the Story: Fan Mail
· Behind the Story: The House that Freddy Built
· Behind the Story: Onward Christian Soldiers
· Behind the Story: Snakes and Ladders
· Behind the Story: That’s Showbiz
· Behind the Story: Trading 8’s
· Dokken Dream Warriors Music Video
A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master
· The Finnish Line
· Krueger, Freddy Krueger
· Hopeless Chest
· Let’s Makeup
A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child
· Behind the Story: Womb Raiders
· Behind the Story: The Sticky Floor
· Behind the Story: Take the Stairs
· Behind the Story: Hopkins Directs
· Behind the Story: A Slight Miscalculation
Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare
· 86’D
· Hellraiser
· Rachel’s Dream
· 3D Demise
Wes Craven’s New Nightmare
· Commentary with Wes Craven
· NEW – Boiler Room Confessional
· NEW – Freddy’s Footnotes
· Becoming a Filmmaker
· Filmmaker
· An Insane Troupe
· The Problem with Sequels
· Two Worlds
· Welcome to Prime Time: It Really Happened
· Welcome to Prime Time: A Childhood Memory
· Welcome to Prime Time: Sometime in the Early 80s
· Welcome to Prime Time: So It Began
· Welcome to Prime Time: Beauty and the Beast
· Welcome to Prime Time: Making the Glove
· Welcome to Prime Time: Shapeshifter
· Welcome to Prime Time: The Shoot
· Welcome to Prime Time: The Revolving Room
· Welcome to Prime Time: All’s Well that Ends Well
· Welcome to Prime Time: Talalay’s Tally
· Welcome to Prime Time: It Couldn’t Have Happened
· Welcome to Prime Time: Alternate Ending Version
· Conclusion: Where Gothic Plots Come From
· Conclusion: Why We Like Gothic
· Conclusion: Sadomasochism
· Conclusion: Freddy vs. Pinhead
· Conclusion: Freddy’s Manic Energy
· Conclusion: Creating Lasting Characters in Horror
· Conclusion: No More Magic Tricks
· Conclusion: Monster with Personality
· Conclusion: Freddy as Sex Machine
· Conclusion: Campfire Stories
The Elm Street collection is available in this collectible SteelBook packaging (exclusive to Amazon) and as a standard 4K collection that’s also available now over on Amazon.
You must be logged in to post a comment.