‘Paranormal Activity 3’ is Abnormally Scary

Third installment in this low-budget horror franchise is another technical marvel.

One of the greatest triumphs of independent filmmaking over mainstream franchises took place in Fall 2009, when micro-budget indie Paranormal Activity stole the box office crown away from Saw VI. Instead of relying on gore effects to produce easy shocks, first-time feature director Oren Peli found ingenious, deceptively simple ways to generate a sense of nightmare-inducing unease. The straightforward premise about a young couple terrorized by an unseen demons could’ve easily fallen victim to clichés, but Peli allowed the horrors to unfold in front of a stationary mounted camera. This minimalist technique proved to be enormously effective, playing on the audience’s paranoia of every odd noise, subtle movement and inexplicable shadow.  It …

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