For those hording toilet paper

Like last Wednesday, a Paranormal Activity film was on fx (the sequel, Paranormal Activity 2, although the first film was shown again right before it at 5 p.m.) and I was kind of in a “meh” mood. It was sort of the case of “well, it was on.” I can’t really say I’m much a fan of this one. I wasn’t all that wild and crazy about the first one, but I recognized its good moments here and there. In the sequel, I rarely felt much of anything at all. I just didn’t. It was just there on the screen and I wasn’t all that impressed.

This is right around the events of the first found footage box office independent sensation. Kristi is newly married to a widower (with a teenage daughter); Kristi is the sister of Katie from the first film. We soon learn that demonic possession runs in the family. Kristi’s husband, Daniel Ray, is your garden variety skeptic who scoffs away any notion of paranormal activity in his home. Daniel’s daughter, Ali, is far more receptive to the possibility that her home is susceptible to dark forces. When Kristi becomes the target of the force (a force that seems interested in Kristi’s son, Hunter), and Daniel can no longer avoid what is happening in his house, the sent-packing maid (who attempted to “cleanse” the house of the demonic force loose) is asked to return. The demon at play, however, won’t necessarily just go away quietly. Meanwhile, the PA series was far from done with using Katie further. What happened to her in the first film ties into the twist at the end in regards to the fates of the married couple (Kristi and Daniel).

The usual hi-jinks of a demonic spirit caught goofing around on security cameras show up, but for the exception of Kristi getting dragged by it through her house (down the stairs was a stunner) while Daniel and his daughter were taking the pet dog to the veterinarian after a “stroke”, the film features so little that equals it. Pulled into a particular closet, it appears she will emerge no longer the same. Her change creates anxiety and fear. There’s lights going on and off, the tea kettle whistling on its own, cabinet doors open, a door shutting on Ali (locking her out of the house; this leads to the harrowing “child leaves its crib and room” scene that leaves a gulp in the throat of parents). The ending has the demon in Kristi acting out with lots of fury as Daniel hopes his wife will soon be freed from the demon that uses her as its host (after using the home as its host). A roar, a face inhuman, and a house that tremors; Kristi is under possession.

The ending seems to indicate that all resulted well, but Katie has a little problem as well…we know that from the first film. It is hinted at--thanks to Ali’s growing interest in Kristi’s family line and demonic possession--that perhaps a relative in Katie and Kristi’s family made a deal with the devil for wealth. The sequel does elaborate further on some significance attached to the sisters and why a demon (or demons) would be interested in the boy child. Katie would return after this one; her part here is of a visiting sister who doesn’t want to talk about Kristi’s dilemma; their mother is mentioned in conversation (obvious she was somehow affected by similar circumstances of her girls) and Katie insists they drop the subject altogether. When she shows up at the end, Katie isn’t there…something else is entirely.

While not exactly the Saw 5 of the PA franchise (that would be PA4), Paranormal Activity 2 is more like Saw 4, a rather mediocre but not necessarily a total waste of time (if close). It doesn't ever quite hit on all cylinders, and besides Kristi being jerked around by a demonic force like a ragdoll, there aren't all that many scenes with the oomph that captivated or thrilled me. I have went on record in saying that the third film is actually my favorite because it does have a little razzle dazzle in it. This film never quite reached such heights. If anything, it felt like mostly a disappointing, lack-luster effort.