Disclaimer: Contains spoilers!
Plot Summary: A young couple is terrorized in their home by the growing presence of a demon.
Review: With PA 4 coming out soon, I figured it was time to knock out this franchise in preparation. Considering how low the budget was on this film, it pulled off an incredible feat as far as creative special effects and ingenuinty in scares. The footprints effect, dragged out of bed, creepy shadows, and burning quija board were all nice touches that stood out for me. The two leads, Katie and Micah, played by actors with the same names, do a decent enough job in convincing you they are real. I will note that Micah may be one of the dumbest characters in film history; how many creepy and supernatural things need to occur to convince you to either get help or get the hell outta there?! In some ways this did hurt the film as he crossed the line of stupidity into plot contrivance. I need to give some credit to Oren Peli as he directed, wrote, and even used his house for the filming location. For the most part this movie is one of the most effective horror films of recent years with that slow buildup in scares to a surprising conclusion. On the other hand, unlike my favorite horror films, this movie does not stand up to repeat viewings for me. I understand any scary movie will lose its effect with multiple viewings, but this one was so weak on a second, and beyond, viewing. You know what's coming and because most scares played off your intrigue and curiosity, it can't instill that sense of the unknown upon you again. Going back to the ending, there are at least three different endings that I'm aware of. Obviously the canon ending is the one where Katie throws Micah at the camera and then looks demonic. I do think that is the most scary ending but not the best fitting the tone. The other two involve Katie killing herself or Katie being found by the police days later and being shot. I feel the Katie killing herself ending fits the tone best, because what else other than wreaking havoc would a demon want to do? I judge this one for what it is, but the sequels would have us believe a demon wants to possess you for years and get some dumb kid for "unknown reasons." Obviously the original was not written with these notions in mind. While the hype might have been too much, this film is a great horror movie that accomplishes so much with so little. Give this one a chance or revisit it and the franchise with me!
Notable Moment: When Katie is dragged from her bed off into the shadows of the hallway.
Final Rating: 7.5/10
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