Movie Review: Paranormal Activity (Spoiler Alert)

Okay, my friend raved about this so I had to see it, risking not being able to sleep for a few nights, but it was definitely not as scary as I had expected. Of all the random movies out there ("Stuck," "Open Waters," to name a few), this is one of those movies that should be labeled as "based on a true story," however loosely. I went into the movie thinking that it's "based on a true story," and it had some scary scenes. Once my husband told me that it was entirely fictional, it took out the suspension of disbelief and the rest are just okay. Also, once it's established that this is fictional, it seemed there are room for improvement, specifically:-

(1) A better escalation. I would like to see the severity of it increase gradually. Or maybe I just prefer the Asian type of scariness -- intangibility. The door moving on its own was scary, but footprints and opened roof access etc. implied a physical body, took the joy out of it (at least for me).

(2) I really liked how the guy tried to systematically figured what was going on. The sprinkling of powder on the ground was ingenious, that definitely should have been the way it went. More systematic methods by the guy, internet research, and other paranormal fans/experts coming over.

And the ending just seemed abrupt, both the theatrical and original one, but I guess there's really only one way it can end. :(