Monster Scholar

Billed as “the most anticipated horror event of the year” by Dread Central, the follow up to 2007’s bare-bones horror hit comes to theaters packing the same punch as the original. Paranormal Activity 2 is a slow burn and, like the original, much time is spent getting to know the family at the center of the paranormal events. These include teenage daughter Ali, parents Daniel and Kristi with toddler Hunter and the family dog. Kristi is the sister of Paranormal Activity’s Katie and the events in Paranormal Activity 2 run parallel to those in the first film. Before we get to any actual paranormal-ness there are several red herrings, a potty freak out involving the daughter and a pool cleaner that rises from the depths, that lull us into safety before the real scares begin. After a series of break-ins, patriarch Daniel beefs up his home security, installing security cameras all over the house equipped with motion sensors. These cameras provide the lens through which we will see most o...

One of the more interesting horror projects on the horizon is the much anticipated follow up to the independent hit, Paranormal Activity. All kinds of rumors are flying around the internet with speculation as to who will be cast to lead the movie. Katie Featherstone and Micah Sloat, the original couple haunted by demonic forces (above), are the natural go-to actors, but Katie hasn’t gotten the green light for her involvement while Micah is talking about the movie like he could be in on it. The resulting confusion leads the mind to wonder, just which actors will be helming Paranormal Activity 2 when it goes up against Saw VII 3-D in October? Here are some of my fantasy choices. The Obvious Pick: Justin Long and Jennifer Carpenter Long has proven he can play the lovable jerk with his patronizing portrayal of the psychologist boyfriend in Drag Me to Hell, and Jennifer Carpenter got her lessons in demonic possession with her title role in the Exorcism of Emily Rose. The WTF Pick: N...

Thanks to wonderful friend who writes for RedCarpetCrash.com, I was able to attend a screening of the much hyped Paranormal Activity . Though it was called the “scariest movie of the year” by LA Weekly, I'm sorry to say that my expectations of this film may have exceeded the reality. Paranormal Activity documents the experiences of Katie and Micah, a happy couple haunted by a demonic spirit and capitalizes on the success of its handicam horror predecessors, such as the Blair Witch Project and [REC] . When I first saw Blair Witch and fell for the whole “this is a true story” malarkey, it scared the bejesus out of me. But knowing that this film isn’t the found footage of true life events; the effect was less than true terror. Another reason for this let down is that most of the film’s scarier moments are given away in the trailer. The moving sheet, what we later find out is Micah’s body hitting the camera, the cloven hoofprints and slamming doors are all revealed before you step...