You hear noises all over the house, so what do you do? Naturally, you put cameras all over and eventually  you’ll find a ghost. That’s the premise for, an independent film that would become a world wide phenomenon. Repeat this premise again, set it in the 80s, and you get, “Paranormal Activity 3: The Cash Cow.”
Taking place before the original “Paranormal Activity,” in the 1980s, we see young Kristi and Katie from the first two movies and how they first came across the ghost that has been haunting them. Here, we find out that the ghost’s name is “Toby.” The rest of the story is exactly like the first two: The male lead (stepfather Dennis, played by Christopher Nicholas Smith) sets up cameras all over the house and catches strange phenomena caused by a ghost.
It’s the same story we saw from the last two movies. Knowing when something scary happens is too predictable because we’ve seen it twice before and we’re expecting it. This loses some the effect that the filmmaker intended.
The movie also takes way too long to get started with the actual scares. The first few jump scares are nothing more than one of the characters appearing into the camera out of nowhere. The actual scares themselves are hit or miss. Some we’ve seen in the last two movies while others are new and are pretty inventive.
That’s where the positives from the movie come from. Technically, “Paranormal Activity 3” is better than the first two. One such example is the scene where, after an earthquake, dust falls on Toby and we see an outline of it. Another clever technique is when Dennis plays MacGyver by putting a camera on a fan motor in order to see both the kitchen and dining room. This sets up some interesting scares. One example is when Toby appears with a sheet over him standing in the dining room. When the camera pans back he’s gone and then we see him in the kitchen.
Despite what the trailer says, the last fifteen minutes will not scar you for life. The ending could’ve been done better and be scarier; instead it’s ho-hum at best. The ending to Paranormal Activity 2 was scarier.
This is the type of movie where it’s best viewed with a group. Watch it in theaters or wait to rent it, watch with friends late at night and laugh at each other’s reactions. Alone it’s boring and you’ll find yourself fall asleep. This movie screams to be viewed in groups which is shame on the director’s part.
“Paranormal Activity 3” is not the groundbreaking film that the first one was and it is not as scary. The best term would be one step forward, one step backward. The step forward is the improvements in camera work and effects. The step backward is the reusing the story from the first movie and placing it in a different era. If you want a movie with cheap scares that’s fun to watch with the right group of people then this movie is for you. If you want a good scary movie look elsewhere or watch Paranormal Activity 2.
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