Let's get the obvious out of the way right away. Not everybody likes the current trend in hand-held, found-footage movies. Whether it's Cloverfield, The Blair Witch Project, Diary Of The Dead or last year's breakout hit Paranormal Activity... audiences either love 'em or hate 'em. The same will apply to this year's sequel Paranormal Activity 2 which tells the story of a similar family, in a similar house, in a similar way. In short, if you didn't like the first one then there's nothing to see hear.
If, on the other hand, you though the original was a lesson in sustained tension, shock scares...all based on our primal fears of darkness and things that go bump in the night...the follow up is a corker. On a sheer technical level it matches the original for atmosphere, buttock clenching set-pieces and jump-out-of-your seat shock moments (there's one particular moment when the audience I saw it with collectively soiled themselves...me included). And on a story level too, it succeeds. It does exactly what a good sequel should; give you enough of the original in story and structure...but provide enough new situations, information, settings and characters for it to feel fresh. Focusing on the (mentioned but not seen) sister of Katie Featherston's heroine from the original, the writers skillfully expand the mythology of this movie franchise while carefully entwining it with the narrative of the first film (much like Saw 2 or Back To The Future 2 did).
The result is an effective horror experience that has you gripping your seat waiting for the next scare. If there's a criticism then it's the husband character who has CCTV camers all over his house but refuses to look at them (but, to be fair, this plot point is paid off later). A great film then...but I think they should stop here before getting into Saw territory and destroying all good will these films have.
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