Paranormal Activity 2 - 5 stars out of 10

Paranormal Activity 2 - 5 stars out of 10

"Paranormal Activity 2" delivers many of the same scares as the first one with less success.  Although the security cameras throughout the house cut down on the "Why would anybody be videotaping this?" criticism, that sentiment still came to my mind more than a few times.  Setting aside the cynic inside of me, the terror of this movie lies in the tricks of the subconscious, constantly making you question whether these sorts of things happen in your house when you are asleep.  While the fire on the stove, exploding cabinets, and dragging down the stairs are incredibly frightening, this film is not nearly as successful as the original.  Many moments of the first are enhanced by the belief that this is real found footage; unfortunately for this film, not even one second can be mistaken for real footage.  I also fault the writers for leaving out the first film's most famous (and freakiest) concept - a person standing over your bed watching you for several hours while you are asleep.  They could have created so much more edge by just using this once!  The inclusion of a daughter, baby, and dog into the plot opened more horrific options for tormenting this family.  I believe that the success of the film hinged on Molly Ephraim's effectiveness as a believable actress, and she succeeds and managed to steal the show in the process.  The rest of the actors are okay and there are several heartpounding moments if you watch this all alone and late at night, but I would recommend Paranormal Activity 1 or Quarantine for a second time before I'd suggest this one.