SCREAM YOUR ENTHUSIASM (15)

By: Mariane Cara
November 21, 2024

One in a series of 25 enthusiastic posts, contributed by 25 HILOBROW friends and regulars, on the topic of favorite horror movies. Series edited by Heather Quinlan.

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY | d. OREN PELI | 2007

Mastering horror is as tricky as nailing comedy. Both genres demand a lasting impact, something that imprints itself in the audience’s mind. When the first installment of Paranormal Activity hit the scene, it etched itself into my memory. Not because it was the best horror film I had ever seen, but because it suggested that some of my childhood fears might not be so far-fetched…

The story revolves around a young couple who document the eerie events that are happening in their home, especially at night while they sleep. The found-footage style, with its handheld video technique, made everything feel real and way too close to everyday life, cranking up the scare factor. Unlike The Blair Witch Project, where you need to be lost in a forest to encounter devilish entities, the spooks here are close to home: in the living room, floating around the stairs, and worse, inside the bedroom.

The idea of demons or poltergeists lurking next door (or even in our own home) taps into a pretty universal fear. As a kid, I remember a supposedly haunted house at the end of my street. It was right by the street market where my mom bought oranges and eggs every Wednesday. While she shopped, I’d stare at that house, hoping to catch a glimpse of something spooky, like furniture moving or hearing ghostly screams. This was my favorite midweek entertainment. Paranormal Activity resurrected those childhood memories; it felt like I was finally inside that creepy house, experiencing all the scares for real.

Going deeper into the structural elements of Paranormal Activity (arguably one of the most profitable horror movies ever made), two elements stand out: darkness and numbers.

The pervasive shadows and the hidden entity create a sense of dread, like a creepy game of “Where’s Waldo?” in the darkness. The entity remains mostly out of sight, revealed only through subtle movements, strange knocks, objects shifting on their own, and furniture shaking during the darkest hours. This absence of light forces us to keep our eyes on high alert, always scanning the screen for the next scare.

Another striking element is the relentless clock in the bottom right corner of the screen, which almost becomes a character. We follow the ticking numbers, sometimes slow, sometimes fast, like the anxious White Rabbit with his pocket watch. This ticking clock heightens the tension, making us acutely aware of time passing and the approach of something sinister.

The absence of light and the relentless clock amplify each other. The darkness fuels our imaginations, filling the void with our deepest fears, while the ticking clock underscores our growing anxiety, each passing second a reminder of time slipping away and the impending unknown.

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SCREAM YOUR ENTHUSIASM (15)

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