I played a game I call "movie roulette". Without knowing the exact times of the features I got to the theater and choose one of the movies I want to see that started next. I don't play the game very often but today I did. The movie I chose was the box office sensation, Paranormal Activity.
I got to into the theater just as the previews were running on the screen. The theater was dark and my eyes didn't adjust to it very well. I couldn't see if anyone was sitting in the second bank of seats to my left so I sat in the last row of the front section to my right where I could see was unoccupied. I settled in to watch the rest of the previews with those who had just seen me come in and find my seat. At least I though they saw me.
This film has been this year's box office surprise. It's an independent film that only cost about $20,000 to make. It was made in the director's house in San Diego, California over a period of just 3 or 4 days. It's about a couple who buy an elaborate video camera set up to tape some of the unusual things that have been happening in their house at night. They have heard noises and seen things moving around. The camera is to document these events and help them deal with and rid their lives of this ghostly intruder. The movie's point of view is from the lens of the camera. Very similar to the style that the Blair Witch project was made.
The couple turn out to be very bad exorcists and only end up increasing the hauntings as the "visitor" feeds on their negative behavior caused mainly by fear, frustration, and sleep deprivation. I'm not going to give away the ending but it doesn't turn out well for them.
This movie is one of those "much ado about nothing" films I don't like. The tension built up in the plot is much grater than any action that takes place in any one scene. Not much happens in this movie at all. As Bugs Bunny used to say while he was waiting for phone with the lit stick of TNT in the ear piece to explode Elmer Fudd's face: "It's duh suspense dat gets ya."
In this day and age of reality television I can understand how this movie is a hit with teenagers and young adults. It left me a little disappointed. But there's one thing about going to see this movie that I will always remember.
As I wrote a couple of paragraphs back I wasn't able to see much of the theater's seating when I walked in. I assumed that although I was the only one in the front section of seats there were others patrons in the the back section. About halfway through the movie I realized that I hadn't heard any movement or voices or anything that indicated there were others in the theater. That's when I realized that I was watching this scary movie by myself.
My "fear" wasn't confirmed until the movie was over and the lights came on. When the usher came in to clean up I said to him, " I can't believe I watched that movie in a theater alone.". I also told him he didn't need to do any cleaning because I only had a bottled water and I threw the container away.
When I got home that afternoon I picked up the last week's copy of Entertainment Weekly I got in the mail. It had the stars of Paranormal Activity on the cover and an in-depth article about the making of the film and it's journey to the big screen.
In that article it said that before Paramount studios agreed to distributed the independent film someone gave Steven Speilberg a print of it. He liked it but thought it was so scary he couldn't watch it at night when it was dark; not even in his own home. What a coward! I watched it in public theater all by myself. I guess that makes me braver than Stephen Speilberg.
No comments:
Post a Comment