After experiencing what they think are a series of "break-ins", a family sets up security cameras around their home, only to realize that the events unfolding before them are more sinister than they seem.
Review
As soon as Paranormal Activity was released and became a horror phenomenon you knew a remake would be on the cards. So here's PA2 along with the same set pieces, same camera setups and unfortunately the same old frights as its predecessor. Oh except this time its much, much slower.
PA2 is setup as a prequel of sorts to the original, this time concentrating on Katie's sister and her family. There's the sceptical husband, the inquisitive step-daughter, a new born and the family dog, oh and don't forget the Latino housemaid who 'knows' something is amiss. You get glimpses of the original story and as a companion piece sits quite nicely along the first. But there is a problem, a very big problem.
PA2 is a tough watch, not due to its content or scare value but just because its so damn boring. You can see that its trying to build up the tension but surly there is a sensible time limit for this. The film runs for about ninety minutes except, for sixty minutes of this, nothing is happening. There really is no need for such a long period of time to complete a setup, especially for a sequel where everyone knows what is supposed to be coming.
The scares, when they finally arrive, are disappointing and are of the cheap kind, doors opening and closing on their own, loud bangs, again nothing new or different from the original. There is one set piece in the kitchen which is the only real scare throughout and done very cleverly, its just a shame that the same thought didn't go into the others. The ending is quite messy and because of the delay what has gone on before seems rushed and ridiculous. It tries to loop back to Katie and Micah's story but just comes across as a desperate attempt to cash in on the original scares.
Soap opera acting, cheap scares and a dull first hour don't do the film any favours. I wasn't that keen on the first, I also thought that was a little slow but this just drags on and on and on. They both sit nicely together but not really for the right reasons.
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