Like the charity haunted house at your nearest community centre, Paranormal Activity 3 arrives in time for Halloween with familiar but nevertheless effective scares. A prequel to its two predecessors, the film travels back to 1988 and the childhoods of sisters Kristi and Katie as they are plagued by a sinister apparition. Mom’s boyfriend attempts to record anything strange happening in the home, which prompts the film’s scariest moment when we see the size of his VHS camera gear. Clunky ’80s references aside, Paranormal Activity 3 features the requisite number of “jump” moments, as well as a surprising amount of humour for a story of demonic assault. Some questions from previous outings attempt to be answered, but everyone’s really here for the scares. Go to a late show packed with terrified teenagers and try to pretend you’re not freaking out.
This article appears in Oct 20-26, 2011.