The surprise success in movieland this week is a bloody scary little thriller called Paranormal Activity. Shot over one weekend at the cost of NZ$20,000, the film is currently number four at the US box office. It made about NZ$10m last weekend â shamon!
How did it get this big?
Paramount Studios wasnât sure how to market the movie, so they organised free screenings at universities and hoped a buzz for the film would spread virally online. The punt worked. Itâs being tweeted about every micro-second and votes on the movieâs website for release in US towns have exceeded one million.
So does the hype match the movie? Most people are happy be shit-spooked by the low-budget effects and shaky hand-held camera, similar to the Blair Witch Project; only a few seemed disappointed.
General vibe on Twitter:
f**kin scary as hell
all I can say is I need a drink!!
It was f**king crazy.
paranormal activity was scarey! ughh shouldnt of watched it!
I’m afraid to be alone in my apartment right now
scared shitless
Read more about it at www.paranormalactivity-movie.com.