[6]

Like the first movie and The Blair Witch Project before it, PA2 utilizes a faux verite approach to exploit some of our most primal fears. I’m not sure I want this crude, unpolished treatment to become a full-blown sub-genre, but one of these kinds of movies every couple of years could be a nice diversion from homogenized remakes of iconic horror movies. Basically, if you enjoyed the first Paranormal Activity, I’m reasonably certain you’ll enjoy this one. It’s the same premise warmed over, but the emotional stakes are higher with a baby boy and pet dog thrown into the mix. There are a good dozen or so pop-out scares in the movie. Normally, I don’t like pop-out scares. They’re a cheap way to elicit fright, the equivalent of a fart joke in a comedy. But in this particular case, the jumps are well timed. You know they’re coming, you just don’t know when or where within the frame the sudden movement will occur. And knowing that they’re coming doesn’t make them any less startling. In fact, one scare almost gave me a heart attack. To that effect, PA2 exceeded my low expectations.