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xx
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43
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31
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57
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83
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63
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76
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52
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67
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84
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83
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57
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68
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85
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61
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70
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47
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47
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51
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71
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77
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xx
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76
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77
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50
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40
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74
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76
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32
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69
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36
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77
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76
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19
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54
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45
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82
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xx
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43
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xx
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64
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64
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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.
Paranormal Activity

Generally favorable reviews
Based on 24 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 288 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie >
Movie Info
Genre(s): Horror
Written by: Oren Peli
Directed by: Oren Peli
Release Date:
Theatrical: September 25, 2009
DVD: December 29, 2009
Running Time: 99 minutes, Color
Origin: USA
Summary
RATING: R for language
Starring Katie Featherston, Micah Sloat, Mark Friedrichs, Amber Armstrong, and Ashley Palmer
After a young, middle class couple moves into what seems like a typical suburban “starter” tract house, they become increasingly disturbed by a presence that may or may not be somehow demonic but is certainly most active in the middle of the night. (Paramount Pictures)
Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database Official Studio Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman
With its this-is-really-happening vibe, Paranormal Activity scrapes away 30 years of encrusted nightmare clichés. The fear is real, all right, because the fear is really in you.
Read Full Review >Film Threat Felix Vasques, Jr.
This is a brutal, exhausting, and genuinely horrifying little ghost flick.
Read Full Review >Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert
An ingenious little horror film, so well made it's truly scary.
Read Full Review >The Onion (A.V. Club) Nathan Rabin
The film loses some of its grimy verisimilitude toward the end, but it’s nevertheless a surprisingly effective low-budget shocker with a sensibility as current as the latest viral videos, yet rooted in the suggestive, less-is-more atmospherics of Val Lewton.
Read Full Review >Time Richard Corliss
Beyond the viral ingenuity of the marketing, what's cool about PA is that it's not just a fun thrill ride; it's an instructive artistic experience. A horror-movie revisionist, Peli follows a less-is-more strategy.
Read Full Review >Los Angeles Times Betsy Sharkey
Peli works at mining the unknown, the unknowable, like a minimalist, using small moments and virtually no special effects exceedingly well.
Read Full Review >LA Weekly Chuck Wilson
Grounded by strong performances by newcomers Featherston and Sloat, who pretty much have the movie to themselves, Paranormal Activity, which demands to be seen in a crowded theater, is refreshingly blood-free.
Read Full Review >Salon.com Mary Elizabeth Williams
It's a hit for the most surprising reason of all: because it's very good.
Read Full Review >Empire Simon Crook
An Amityville for the YouTube age: potent, primal and genuinely frightening.
Read Full Review >Philadelphia Inquirer Tirdad Derakhshani
An impressive, not entirely successful exercise in minimalist filmmaking.
Read Full Review >Rolling Stone Peter Travers
With a $15,000 budget too puny to empty a petty-cash drawer, the no-frills Paranormal Activity comes packed with thrills.
Read Full Review >New York Post Lou Lumenick
Like legendary producer Val Lewton in the '40s, director Oren Peli, who shot "Paranormal" in seven days in his own home, understands that what's most frightening is what you don't see but merely suggested.
Read Full Review >USA Today Claudia Puig
No-frills chills are what Paranormal Activity offers in unrelenting supply.
Read Full Review >San Francisco Chronicle Peter Hartlaub
Succeeds in its modest goals of building tension slowly and generating a handful of legitimate scares. A few people in the audience were laughing during the first half of the film. No one was laughing during the long walk out of the theater.
Read Full Review >New York Magazine David Edelstein
I’ve never seen a movie that so cunningly exploits our anticipation.
Read Full Review >Slate Dana Stevens
It comes by its screams honestly, earning them with incremental, at times agonizing gradations of old-fashioned, what's-that-noise-in-the-hallway suspense.
Read Full Review >Miami Herald Rene Rodriguez
The movie's faults aside, this is the kind of show where half the fun is watching it in the company of a large group of people.
Read Full Review >Time Out New York Ben Kenigsberg
Often has the feel of a film-school exercise in which the object is to wring maximum suspense from rudimentary tools.
Read Full Review >The Hollywood Reporter Kevin Lally
"Paranormal" ultimately does deliver in a way that "Blair Witch" never did, but its achingly slow buildup is a test not just of an audience's patience but the power of hype surrounding the latest alternative scary movie.
Read Full Review >New York Daily News Joe Neumaier
A "Blair Witch"-y creepshow that owes a lot to Japanese horror.
Read Full Review >The New York Times A.O. Scott
A crudely made, half-clever little frightener that has become something of a pop-culture sensation and most certainly the movie marketing story of the year.
Read Full Review >Boston Globe Justine Elias
Even at 85 minutes, the movie contains maybe 50 minutes that scare.
Read Full Review >Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov
Don't believe the hype: Paranormal Activity may be a lot of things, but the words "scary" and "movie" are not among them. It is instead nothing more or less than an excruciatingly tedious YouTube gag cleverly marketed to go viral in the broadest and most box office-friendly way.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this movie is 5.2 (out of 10) based on 288 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
J B gave it an8:
Anyone calling themselves a horror fan that doesn't recognize the genius of this has no clue. This is a landmark film in the genre, and genres need a huge kick in the pants every now and then to keep them fresh. Deserves to be mentioned with the likes of Night of the Living Dead, Halloween, Ringu, and Blair Witch.
Larry W gave it a10:
If you need blood and CGI to scare you then don't see this movie. If you like minimalist horror in which your imagination provides the effect, you will love this movie
Ian H gave it a4:
First of all, if you are looking for a real scary movie, don't look for paranormal activity. There are only two genuinely scary parts, and one is shown on previews. The movie is only scary to those who don't watch scary movies. A door slam scared the crap out of people in the TV ads for the DVD. It's not scary, it's more like well-written suspense. The movie delivers enough depth to be a cut above other "scary" films, and I? have to say the acting is pretty good. Still, if you're looking for a real scare, look elsewhere.
Noah D gave it a9:
I love scary movies...I mean i search everywhere for movies that actually give me nightmares. And most movies don't but this one did. I actually found myself sleeping with a nite lite. I heard the hype...but i don't ever listen or believe it. I went into this movie with no knowledge of it except that it was supposed to be scary and it was. Imagination...imagination is what u need to get this movie. obviously those dorks who give the movie 3's and 0's have none and are forced to watch gore filled movies for a chill...personally gory movies only make me laugh...any how this is one of the scariest movies I've ever seen.Its a must see!
Elias C gave it a0:
Leave it to the Reality TV generation to think that this tedious and unscary film is entertaining. I'd rather watch my sister's travel videos.
Sam H gave it a9:
This movie is scary. I don't care what people think. It is truly scary. It's not the typical, gory killer thrasher movie that we're used to. No, the scare of this movie is all psychological. The fear of some unknown being lurking around haunting someone for years is the exact thing that scared me to death when I was a little girl. The fact that you can't see it makes the movie even scarier. The movie was made to look real, just like previous movies such as Cloverfield and Quarantine. Some believed it was real. And when it got out that it wasn't, I heard many people say it wasn't scary anymore. Now, I don't understand this. Why can't the movie itself be scary without it being real? It's also true that very few scary parts happen in the movie. This is to add to the fear of anticipating more things to happen, and goes on along with the underlying meaning of the movie plot. Plus, it adds to the real feeling of the movie.
z gave it a3:
All i watch are scary movies...ive been waiting for this movie to come out on dvd so i could get it...to be totally honest i was bored the first half of the movie...at no time while watching was i scared...i was amused...barely...at a couple things that happened in the movie...the movie sucked and what sucks is that i got it expecting it to be great and wanting it to be great so i was disappointed...i wouldnt recommend this movie to anyone...at all...ever...no clue how it got such good ratings.
