With Halloween right around the corner, I ventured to go see the third installment of the Paranormal Activity franchise at the local movie theatre. Being a prequel to the first two films, the third movie takes the audience back to 1988, when Katie and Kristi are young girls.  Mysterious happenings around an “imaginary friend” named Toby start to occur in their family home, and the threatening presence becomes gradually more sinister as the movie progresses.

I found the third instalment less thrilling than the two previous movies.  The home-video style in which the movies are shot at first seemed like a novel and frightening concept, but by the third movie, the concept seems a bit old.  However, without spoiling the conclusion of the movie, I will say that the ending was quite shocking and included a rather chilling twist.  In honor of Halloween, I asked several Juniata students what they think is the scariest film of all time:

Aimee Radic ’12, Belle Vernon, Pa.: “Paranormal Activity, because the filming is like a home movie, and the surprises get me every time.”

Casey Kline ’13, St. Augustin, Pa.: “Rose Red, because Stephen King is a great writer/director and always keeps you on your toes.”

Will Powers ’14, Lancaster, Pa.: “Sever, because it’s just dope.”

Chris Fulton ’14, Westchester, Pa.: “Paranormal Activity 3, because it surprises at the least-expected moments.”

Casandra Torres ’15, Mt. Holly, N.J.: “The Exorcist, because the fact that it was based off of a true story made it that much more scary.  Being religious, I’m terrified of the possibility of demonic possessions.”

–Jenny Wang ’12, Juniata Online Journalist