Paranormal Activity 3

Release Date: Oct 21, 2011 

Runtime: 1 hr. 24 min.

Director: Henry Joost, Ariel Schulman

Cast: Katie Featherston, Sprague Grayden.

If you've seen them once, you've seem them all, and the third installment of Orlin Peli's break-out hit, "Paranormal Activity," proves just that. Continuing on its course of reverse storytelling, the second prequel returns to its origins where the terror all began. By way of childhood videos, we learn the past of cursed sisters, Katie and Kristi, as they grow up living in fear. But whereas the previous two films instilled an unsettling impression, part three leaves little to the imagination, and suffers from the unavoidable case of déjà vu. Joost and Schulman stick close to the set formula, drawing out heavy silences followed by jumpy scenes and shadowy figures. And for the most part, it works, since children scare far easier than adults. However, the sense of surprise is no longer applicable when it's obvious as to what's going to occur next. As time goes on, the scares get more expected and conspicuous than before, making this outing a rather tiresome one. The ending twist, sequentially, feels out of place when coinciding with its prior narrative. While Peli may have inadvertently conjured up this found-footage franchise, one can hope that this 'activity' is now over.

Rating: 2½ stars