I have to admit and make fun of me if you want to, but for a PG-13 horror movie, this thing is pretty scary. It’s not bloody or grotesque (at least not for the most part) but from the opening black and white credits you can tell this is a movie that aims to seriously creep you out.
What Works: The slow, methodical pace that builds dread like a steam engine. And also the washed out color scheme–usually annoying–made me feel like I was stuck in that B movie hell with them. I don’t get too affected by scary movies, but this thing gets under your skin. And the ending provides no relief from that. [I also like that the family moves half way during the movie to try to get away from the ghosts, which is always what I am thinking they should do while watching these movies.]
What Doesn’t Work: Some of the ghouls are less scary than funny, and–as with any horror movie–the less they show, the scarier it is. So the ending where we actually see the things that go bump in the night–something Paranormal Activity cleverly avoids–is less effective than the quick glimpses we get throughout the movie which absolutely make your skin crawl.
What I Would Have Done Differently: The “funnier” aspects of some of the characters (like the bickering technicians) aren’t funny, so I would have dropped them. Also, why make the dad skeptical of what’s happening to his son when he can clearly see what is happening? I would write it that neither parent is an idiot and they can see with their own eyes the situation they’re in, because these types of movies always have a skeptic and that skeptic is an idiot.