Crossing the Veil of the Paranormal to Reality: Paranormal Activity Revisited ~ 28DLA

This is a piece written by blogger, movie reviewer, part time paranormal investigator and UVic English Grad', Ed Sum. Ed is one of the primary writers for the blog "Two Hungry Blokes" (URL found below) and here Ed talks about one of his hobbies, paranormal investigation. He relates this editorial content to the Paranormal Activity series of films from Paramount Pictures. This content is especially relevant as Paranormal Activity 2 comes out in theatres October 21st. Have a read below:

The popularity of ghost hunting television shows is only growing, and with mockumentary style cinema following closely behind, the challenge is if anyone in the filmmaking world can treat the subject matter of paranormal activity seriously. Director Oren Peli comes close and what Tod Williams will soon offer in Paranormal Activity 2 has many fans inspecting the trailer for clues of what’s to come.

There’ll no doubt be interest for the second film, and when it comes to the adage see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil, what succeeds in the world of cinema is the conflict with demonic forces. That helps spins a good story.

Sadly, that's not what the paranormal is all about.

For moviegoers groomed by films like Poltergeist, The Entity and the Exorcist, the emotional response from these creations is chilling. They play with mankind's greatest fear with the unknown in subtle levels that make these films enjoyable to watch time and time again. But add in a new style of personal storytelling in more modern examples—like Paranormal Activity, Death of a Ghost Hunter and The Last Exorcism — the results are not always all that exciting.

Even a real ghost hunter enjoys getting a scare in the cinema too, but these recent films are hardly startling. The terror can only feel real if one is new to the scene. And just how many people even want to live in a haunted house or take up ghost hunting as a hobby? Can they identify with this movie? Very few will and not all hauntings are vindictively demonic.

Peli claims to have done extensive research on the subject through books. “So now I have a large library about every angle of haunting, possessions and exorcisms," says Peli to ShockTillYouDrop. "There are even some good TV shows. So yes, I got my hands on everything. From my research, I learned the more violent entities are demonic. We wanted to be as truthful as we could be."

If what Peli says is true, then it’d be interesting to see how The Atlantic Paranormal Activity (TAPS) from SyFy’s "Ghost Hunters" would handle the haunting of Micah and Katie from the first movie. But even their television series is not without its critics. If their show is to be believed, they have yet to encounter an evil entity that's resulted in the death of a client or a teammate.

Neither Peli or Williams have to be versed in the pursuit of the paranormal and they don’t even have to recreate insane moments from "Ghost Adventures," the latest drama that’s adding fuel to the fire—it’s not a show that can be taken seriously. They should at least try to live in a passively haunted house for a good month or two just to realize that not all hauntings are harmful.

There are documented cases of ghosts going about their own daily lives and treating humanity as a ghost themselves. But when the two sides collide, the interaction may prove shocking. It'll leave more people asking if what they encountered was simply a lost soul. Also, it is only when people go looking for ghosts in places like prisons and sanitariums—where intensive emotional trauma has occurred—where harm can happen to mortal man if he’s not careful. In reality, ghost hunting is never about getting a thrill and having a cameraman along to film reactions; these elements do not count.

And when the supernatural becomes bothersome, that's when experienced investigators are called in. Some will find a way to help the entity move on or teach the living in how to deal with it.

The first movie is laughable when psychic/paranormal investigator, Dr. Fredrichs interprets that Katie is being haunted by a demon. Shades of Ed and Lorraine Warren can be felt here. They’re two well-known paranormal investigators who made their name in the Amityville House case, and they’re often quick to call many hauntings demonic. While the fictional house in San Diego may seem like the Amityville all over again, the result is hardly the same.

Although Fredrichs recommends a demonologist to help, this assistance fails to show and Fredrichs finds himself quick to run tail. That’s not what any credible ghost hunter will do. If either of them were serious, they’d be obligated to assist as best they can instead of passing the buck. Even for the sake of dramatic storytelling, Peli misses an important point. He has to respect the ghost hunting profession.

The only reason why this film franchise works is because it plays with audiences who aren't familiar with the subject. Ignorance is bliss when seeing Paranormal Activity for the first time, but on the second viewing, or possibly viewing the sequel, Paranormal Activity 2 all the fun is simply gone.

The interview with writer Oren Peli on Shock Till You Drop mentioned in this piece is here:

Peli on Shock Till You Drop

The "Two Hungry Blokes" blog can be found here and is recommended for foodies of all kinds:

Ed's Two Hungry Blokes Blogspot

These are some of the titles mentioned in Ed's editorial. These are offered for entertainment purposes and not as research manuals;)

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