Paranormal Activity 3 - Jan. 24th, 2012 - Review

[K i r a]

Paranormal Activity 3 Blu-ray

Paranormal Activity 3 Blu-ray Review

Next year, Paramount Home Entertainment will bring Paranormal Activity 3 to Blu-ray. Directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman (Catfish), this third installment in the popular horror franchise examines "found footage" from 1988 that reveals the beginning of the supernatural disturbances impacting sisters Katie (Katie Featherston, Paranormal Activity) and Kristi (Sprague Grayden, Paranormal Activity 2).

Paramount's Blu-ray/DVD/UltraViolet Digital Copy combo pack presents two versions of the film - the 83-minute-long theatrical version and an all-new 93-minute-long unrated cut - in their original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 with 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio soundtracks. The set also contains the following special feature:
Lost Tapes feature with footage not included in the theatrical and unrated cuts
Paranormal Activity 3 streets on January 24th, 2012.

--via Blu-ray.com

Discuss your love or hate for the franchise or these "mock-u-mentary" like films, thoughts of which one was most effective with the scares and if you would like to see them churn these out every Halloween or not.

Originally Posted by Morsoth

Here is what is shown in the trailer, organized by chronological dates (Indicated in the trailer):

[Show spoiler]September 15, 1988: A demonologist is invited into the house and is attacked by the demon. [PA3 Trailer]

MOVIE ENDING - Same Date: The family leaves to Lois' house. [PA3] Julie is hung at the top of the stairs from an invisible noose and Dennis is ultimately killed by the grandmother who is revealed to be a member of an ancient coven of witches. Grandma Lois walks up the stairs with Kristi and Katie with Kristi looking back and calling for Toby to join them. [PA3]

September 16, 1988: Someone investigate the abandonned house. [PA3 Trailer]

September 17, 1988: The house where Katie and Kristi lived in burn. [PA3 Trailer]

September 24, 1988: The girls are brain washed to forget everything from the haunting to the house burning down. They play the Bloody Mary Game together in a bathroom. The shadow of a demonic woman appears in the mirror. [PA3 Trailer]

Now, I just bought the Blu-ray today and didn't watched the Extended cut yet, so I cannot say if they moved the 2nd Bloody Mary scene to an earlier scene...

[Wally Q]

I love this franchise and I think it's the best horror Hollywood has produced in quite a while. It's effective and creepy and the elements of violence against the girls really spooked me. In a perfect world, they would end this story on the third film and leave it ambiguously for people to work out the plot on their own and do their own research on covenants and what not.

Really wish this would be a trilogy pack on release date or some kind of special that lowers the price on the first two.

[K i r a]

I agree that the film is one of the better trilogies of horror to come in quite some time, but with the major success and the profit margins, I doubt they will stop at three, and if they continue to make them cause effective scares and elaborate on the plot, I would be down for midnight screenings until they start to go sour.

I loved this one the most, as far as the spookiness went, and was REALLY, REALLY surprised at how great of a job directing the guys who did Catfish have done with the third one. I thought Catfish was boring, but for whatever reason still a good watch; one of those love/hate thing.

Anyways, spoiler tags follow for those who haven't seen it yet, but what's up with the major plot holes? I mean,

[Show spoiler]didn't they state in the first film when Katie was being interviewed by the psych that SHE was the one being disturbed most by the demon and her sister, Kristi, would see it? In the third one, the demon-- who Kristi called "Toby"-- definitely was following her around a lot more. Still, this could have been one of those fillers, where as if you look at it through Katie's perspective, she didn't know Kristi was talking to Toby as much, as she was asleep most of the encounters.

And I really, REALLY hope those 6 scenes that were in the trailer that were COMPLETELY gone are added as an extended director's cut. Some of them seemed to be really creepy, or elaborate on the plot.

[Show spoiler]Like the scene where the house is on fire. They mentioned their house was burned down by the second one, but that scene was missing from the theatrical cut of the third one, despite them showing how she met up with and lived with the grandmother.

And...

[Show spoiler]I do like how they mentioned in the first tow how they just knew they were raised by grandmother, their dad wasn't around and their mom and stepdad died, but didn't remember. Despite me being in a FULL HOUSE midnight showing, I managed to hear one bit of information over the screams that their grandmother was part of a witch cult, who were also brainwashed into forgetting memories-- Perhaps the grandmother learned and used those methods on Katie and Kristi. Would REALLY like to see any fillers in between those gaps.

[Wally Q]

[Show spoiler]I'd think I was the primary focus of the demon's wrath if he locked me in the crawl space, stood in my way and proceeded to pick me up by my hair and have me hang midair screaming.

[K i r a]

Originally Posted by Wally Q

[Show spoiler]I'd think I was the primary focus of the demon's wrath if he locked me in the crawl space, stood in my way and proceeded to pick me up by my hair and have me hang midair screaming.

[Show spoiler]Yeah, I suppose so. He did do more haunting to Katie as far as physical contact. Also, that hair pulling scene made me jump; did not expect that and was really spooky.

[remake]

3 months and 3 days. Wish all movies came out that fast.

[K i r a]

Yeah, that would be awesome. I've been really wanting to see Super 8 again, and it's JUST NOW coming out in about 2 weeks. That movie release back in June. I hate waiting more than 4 months for a movie I enjoyed, let alone 5 for that one in particular.

When this one releases, I wanna watch them in sequential order...

[Show spoiler]The third one first, the second one up until the near end, all of the first and then resume on the second one to end it so far.

[remake]

Originally Posted by veritas

Yeah, that would be awesome. I've been really wanting to see Super 8 again, and it's JUST NOW coming out in about 2 weeks. That movie release back in June. I hate waiting more than 4 months for a movie I enjoyed, let alone 5 for that one in particular.

When this one releases, I wanna watch them in sequential order...

[Show spoiler]The third one first, the second one up until the near end, all of the first and then resume on the second one to end it so far.

I'm waiting for Footloose to come out because I didn't get to see it in theatres. Definitely a blind buy for me on day one. I know I'll love it.

[seanjonmc]

Loved this one, might pick it up.

[K i r a]

Originally Posted by victim

I'm waiting for Footloose to come out because I didn't get to see it in theatres. Definitely a blind buy for me on day one. I know I'll love it.

Feb. 7th, 2012 on that one. But that's for another thread to discuss.

[Edword]

Will definitely be picking this one up day one! Loved the third installment.

And about some of the missing scenes.

[Show spoiler]I think they just filmed a bunch of "scare" type scenes and picked out the best ones to keep in the movie. I noticed that in the second trailer the "Bloody Mary scene with the girls has a time stamp of Sept 24th, which is well after the events of the film. So it could have just been scrapped. And the fire scene had a time stamp of Sept 17th which was two days after the mom and boyfriend were killed. They could use that for the fourth film maybe :shrugs:

[remake]

Originally Posted by veritas

Feb. 7th, 2012 on that one. But that's for another thread to discuss.

There is no thread for that blu-ray yet.

[K i r a]

Originally Posted by Edword

Will definitely be picking this one up day one! Loved the third installment.

And about some of the missing scenes.

[Show spoiler]I think they just filmed a bunch of "scare" type scenes and picked out the best ones to keep in the movie. I noticed that in the second trailer the "Bloody Mary scene with the girls has a time stamp of Sept 24th, which is well after the events of the film. So it could have just been scrapped. And the fire scene had a time stamp of Sept 17th which was two days after the mom and boyfriend were killed. They could use that for the fourth film maybe :shrugs:

Holy crap! I didn't even notice that. Very keen eye, man! I hope that in the fourth one, which is inevitable, they go deeper with the story. Kind of cool how they took a movie that didn't really have plans for a franchise into one, developing an intriguing plot and fun franchise to watch come Halloween time.

[Edword]

Originally Posted by veritas

Holy crap! I didn't even notice that. Very keen eye, man! I hope that in the fourth one, which is inevitable, they go deeper with the story. Kind of cool how they took a movie that didn't really have plans for a franchise into one, developing an intriguing plot and fun franchise to watch come Halloween time.

Well I actually saw it on a website where they were talking about some of the questions that the third movie brings up. Can't remember what site now though. Then I went and re-watched the trailer and noticed.

I do think it's funny how PA went from just what seemed to be a normal "horror" film and now it's developing quite well and is starting to get a good story plot.

[Forever Knight]

This release date sounds more reasonable.

[SlaughterHighMe]

I hope some country does a steelbook for the BR release, it'd be a shame to have one for the first two and not the 3rd.

And as far as

[Show spoiler] Katie remembering HER being haunted, I think that's going to be the 4th. Because she also said she often saw a black figure at the foot of her bed, which didn't happen in the 3rd. Also there's the whole house catching fire plot aspect, which hasn't happened yet, so most of these should be wrapped up in the 4th. Plus they said the witches brainwash the children so they don't remember certain things...

Also in regards to the commercial, they did that on purpose so people wouldn't feel like they've seen all the good stuff in the trailer...

Love the franchise, they've made a solid little self contained movie-verse and I enjoy when a series does that...

[Forever Knight]

There has to be a 4th film to tie loose ends from 3 to 2 and 1. There is still a gap missing and I'm sure we will get that next Halloween since the SAW franchise is done with.

[RYJAPE21]

I love the first two and have yet to see the third. This will be a blind buy.

[Forever Knight]

Originally Posted by RYJAPE21

I love the first two and have yet to see the third. This will be a blind buy.

Rating

Part 2 = #1
Part 3 = #2
Part 1 = #3

[MaCruz]

Part 3 was the only movie I watched in theaters. The rest were blind buys when they came out on BD.

Will be picking this one up for sure.

Hopefully Paramount Pictures provides a $5 coupon again like they did earlier this year when PA 2 came out.