Have you ever heard the saying, "Put your money where your mouth is?" Well if not, here is a perfect example of it in action: I LOVE scary movies. The gorier the better, the creepier the better, and the crazier the better. No matter what type of horror film it is, from alien-based to child toy-themed, you name it, I'll see it. When Matt sent me word about this movie called Paranormal Activity, I had not heard any word about this movie previously and did some background searching. This movie was my type of movie to a Tee. Knowing Matt's aversion to all things spooky, I jumped on the opportunity. I spent the next few days bragging that it would not faze me in any way. Matt, just let me have my fun, with the occasional sigh or head shake at my remarks. Wednesday night finally came around. I was situated in my seat, trying to pass the time by people watching, and excited for what was in store for me. The lights dimmed and it was time for me to put my money where my mouth was. What I didn't realize though, was how hard that was going to be.

Paranormal Activity is a film with a simple concept. A man named Micah and his girlfriend Katie are experiencing some weird things at their San Diego house. Katie is starting to suspect that it is a spirit that has been following her since childhood. Micah, seeing this as an opportunity to buy another hi-tech gadget (sigh, men), he buys a video camera in order to see if anything is happening in their room while they sleep. What they don't know, is that by beginning to record the events in their room, the spirit is not happy and becomes more and more enraged with each passing night. With options for fixing their problem fading away, the couple must cling to each other, and pray for something to save them.

Everything about this movie is AWESOME! The actors in this movie were remarkable. With no other film credits to their name, it is amazing how believable they were. Great actors make the audience believe and feel what they are feeling, and both actors did. With splendid acting, the plot was able to become its own character. Most horror films would fall prey to the usual mistakes in this genre. The most common mistake is the cheap scare where the music gets tense, the cameras zooms in, and then CRASH a loud noise-- only to me caused by a kitten. While that is irksome, the less frequent but far more infuriating problem is predictable timing. When a character goes into the bathroom and opens up their medicine cabinet, I know that there will be a figure standing behind them when they close the cabinet and a villainous reflection is there, every time, every movie. Thankfully Paranormal Activity does not stoop so low to perform such cheap scares. Each and every scene creates goose bumps and shivers down the spine. The air in the theater got thick every time the video camera was set up in the bedroom and the lights went off.

This movie is rated R for language. Language! It makes me chuckle just thinking about the sheer terror this movie creates without even showing anything! While you do not ever see a spirit or a special effects demon, your imagination plays far worse tricks on you than any on screen monster could. This film had a budget of $14,000 which is absolutely unheard of by Hollywood standards. Maybe Hollywood should stop spending hundreds of millions on films like Transformers 2 and begin noticing that you can get more bang for your buck, and in some cases less is more. This movie is perfect if you love a good scare. I would highly recommend it to a couple going on a date. Gentlemen: your gal will be attached to your arm the entire film, and you both will scoot closer to one another for comfort. I would not recommend this movie to anyone not a teenager at least for the sheer fact that a child's mind will run rampant in a film like this.

I give Paranormal Activity a perfect 5 out of 5 Ouija boards. This film will terrify you and make you sleep with one eye open for a long time. With chilling noises, intense acting, and incredible story finesse, this movie is a must see for any scary movie lover. And for the record, to Matt Mungle: You were right. This movie FREAKED ME OUT! Even though I couldn't fall asleep for hours, I loved every minute of that movie, and would gladly see it again. So I have just been served a slice of humble pie and I have learned my lesson well through a great film.