Paranormal Activity

After a young, middle-class couple moves into what seems like a typical suburban house, they become increasingly disturbed by a presence that may or may not be demonic, but is certainly the most active in the middle of the night.

Oren Peli's found-footage debut divided critics sharply: admirers argued that its restraint and domestic ordinariness made the slow-burn dread far more effective than conventional horror spectacle, while detractors found the same qualities tedious and derivative of what found-footage had already worn out. The audience response has remained warmer than the more measured critical middle ground suggests.