A promising sequel of 'Paranormal' proportion?
Caitlin Gardner
Issue date: 3/4/10 Section: Arts and Entertainment
"Paranormal Activity," regardless of whether you thought it was scary or even good, was a pretty incredible achievement. When a film with a $15,000 budget relying on nothing but word-of-mouth for a large part of its release made over $150,000,000 at the box office, you have to admit that they did something right. Needless to say Paramount, who basically took the film made in seven days in 2007 out of Dream Works storage, has gotten a little greedy with this movie.
A sequel was reported to be in the works months ago but details at the time were thin. Director Oren Peli, a film technician by trade, was relegated to role as a producer. Initially, the film's director was supposed to be one of the guys of those dozens of Saw films but that fell through-thankfully. But now rumors hit the web that the director tabbed to do the sequel is Brian De Palma.
Brian De Palma?! Scarface? Carrie? The Untouchables? Gulp-Bonfire of The Vanities?
Unsurprisingly, my reaction was negative. Paranormal Activity was about raw subtlety. De Palma's films are mostly over-cooked ham from his in-your-face type of filmmaking or they tread on the line of pretentiousness. Plus his movies of late, the painful bore The Black Dahlia and the controversial war film Redacted (on the Al-Mahmudiah rapings and killings in Iraq), have not exactly inspired the masses. But perhaps this can be something great.
Most De Palma films have focused on the tough male, but my personal favorites, Carrie and The Fury, focused on two unforgettable female characters (Sissy Spacek and Amy Irving, respectively) with supernatural powers and the stories of them learning to use their abilities. If Paranormal Activity 2 follows the character audiences last seen on screen, maybe this is just the start of something great and the chance for De Palma to finally go back to the basics.
A sequel was reported to be in the works months ago but details at the time were thin. Director Oren Peli, a film technician by trade, was relegated to role as a producer. Initially, the film's director was supposed to be one of the guys of those dozens of Saw films but that fell through-thankfully. But now rumors hit the web that the director tabbed to do the sequel is Brian De Palma.
Brian De Palma?! Scarface? Carrie? The Untouchables? Gulp-Bonfire of The Vanities?
Unsurprisingly, my reaction was negative. Paranormal Activity was about raw subtlety. De Palma's films are mostly over-cooked ham from his in-your-face type of filmmaking or they tread on the line of pretentiousness. Plus his movies of late, the painful bore The Black Dahlia and the controversial war film Redacted (on the Al-Mahmudiah rapings and killings in Iraq), have not exactly inspired the masses. But perhaps this can be something great.
Most De Palma films have focused on the tough male, but my personal favorites, Carrie and The Fury, focused on two unforgettable female characters (Sissy Spacek and Amy Irving, respectively) with supernatural powers and the stories of them learning to use their abilities. If Paranormal Activity 2 follows the character audiences last seen on screen, maybe this is just the start of something great and the chance for De Palma to finally go back to the basics.
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