Film
Horror in the Caves: Paranormal Activity
- Director
- Oren Peli
- Certificate
- 15
- Running Time
- 85 mins
Video game designer-turned-writer/director Oren Peli’s 2007 feature debut – the first in a seemingly endless series – scored a $100m US box office return on an alleged budget of just $15,000 and swiftly eclipsed wobblecam pioneer The Blair Witch Project in terms of profitability. The marketing was just as interesting as the film. Canny distributor Paramount encouraged gullible internerds to believe they were part of a grassroots movement to win the film nationwide distribution. The hype was also fuelled by the existence of several different versions of the film, including a pirated (or, perhaps, deliberately leaked) cut that runs for an additional 12 minutes and has a different ending.
The whole thing unfolds in one house in San Diego, where student Katie (Katie Featherston) and her day trader partner Micah (Micah Sloat) have been experiencing Unexplained Spooky Stuff. Micah has just bought an expensive HD camera to capture it on film, and his footage is what we’re watching. Enter a psychic to give advice and allow the couple to convey the backstory. Turns out that Katie has been bothered by poltergeist activity ever since she was a teenager and – ulp! – the family home burned down. The psychic says there are two possible explanations: she’s either being bothered by a ghost, which is his speciality, or a demon, which is rather more serious. And since he reckons it’s the latter, he’s going to scarper pretty damn sharpish, with a parting admonition not to fuck with it.
Naturally, sceptical Micah decides to set all kinds of traps for their demon and acquires a Ouija board to communicate with it after promising whimpering Katie he wouldn’t. Peli goes easy on the shocks, which may annoy the popcorn crowd who are used to crash-bang-wallop at five minute intervals, but the few scenes of visible demonic activity are effectively staged. Mind you, if you thought there was a nocturnal demon romping around your home, would you really leave the bedroom door open all night?
is needed now More than ever
It’s back on screen in spooky ol’ Redcliffe Caves as part of this year’s Horror in the Caves Halloween warm-up weekend, courtesy of Bristol Film Festival. Go here for ticket details.
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