Scream Bloody Entertainment

It runs in the family.

A family is terrorised by paranormal events after two young sisters befriend an invisible entity inside their house.

- effective and novel scares
- surprisingly comedic at times
- impressive use of surroundings
- unexpected twist
- evokes a sinister atmosphere
- solid sound design and editing
- well-paced and thoroughly entertaining

- mediocre acting
- clunky opening minutes
- could have used a slightly longer running time
- relies too much on cheap jump scares

- low violence and gore
- very high scares and frightening scenes
- low nudity and sexual themes
- moderate profanity

- people owned HD video camers back in the 80s
- demons can be quite crafty at times
- Bloody Mary isn't a very fun game
- an imaginary friend named Toby isn't as friendly as one may think

With the original Paranormal Activity having kick-started a new wave of the found footage subgenre of horror a few years back, the series of films that followed in its wake has now become a standard Halloween fare, and, to some extent, rightfully so. While Paranormal Activity 3 doesn't exactly bring anything new to the table, it's definitely a step up from its predecessor, orbiting surprisingly close to the first one in terms of scares and thrills. It does rely a lot more on jump scares than the previous entries in the series, yes, but that doesn't make the experience any less enthralling. There's also an increased attention given to the actual story this time around, with the finale delivering quite an unexpected twist. To cut to the chase, those who enjoyed the previous two films in the series will most likely be quite pleased with Paranormal Activity 3.

horror meter: 4 imaginary stars (out of 5)