Paranormal Activity 2 is a 15 rated supernatural horror film. It is a found footage film following the CCTV and handheld camera footage from a family who believe that they have a supernatural presence in their household. The film was released in October 2010, directed by Tod Williams and distributed by Paramount pictures. The film was made on a very small budget of $3 million and made $177 million at the box office. The film was a not a very successful follow up on the first instalment of paranormal activity; achieving a mediocre critical reception with an average score of 6 out of 10. However with the lower budget it did manage to make a larger profit.
Genre and Target Audience
This film supposedly panders to a very wide demographic. It is targeted at an audience of anyone above 15 years old, however I believe that it appeals most to an audience of 15-25 year olds. My reasoning behind this being that I think the supernatural sub-genre of horror is less appealing to older audiences as it tends to concentrate less on the psychological frightening of the audience and more on fun jump scares, which could be considered to be a slightly more immature version of horror.
Opening credits
The first thing that the audience is introduced to in the film is a piece of text on a white background, stating that the production company is thanking 'the families of the deceased and the Carlsbad police department'. The use of these opening credits portrays to the audience the idea of this film being a documentary, therefore creating a sense of realism; which in turn makes the film scarier to the viewer because it appears factual. It also creates an enticing atmosphere for the viewer as we are curious to find out what strange paranormal events (as the title suggests), occurred to these 'real life' people. 
The next image that we are presented with is an establishing shot of a car pulling up outside of an ordinary neighbourhood house. This shot therefore provides information as to where the film is set. The text ‘Carlsbad, CA’ is displayed over the top of this image which also sets the scene for the viewer as it provides us with a more specific location.
The title of the film is also never displayed as this is supposed to be a 'documented' series of events, and by excluding the title from the opening sequence is makes the story appear to be more realistic.
Location and Atmosphere representation
The opening scenes are shot with a hand held camera, giving the point of view of the characters. This is very successful for the purpose of the movie, which is to present a ‘documented’ horror story to the audience; therefore creating more fear as the events appear to be real. Nothing but diegetic sound is used in this film opening, again, in order to create a more realistic effect to add to the idea of this being a 'documented' film.
However the mis en scene of the film opening opposes the horror genre of the film as it is set in what appears to be a friendly and ordinary neighbourhood. The sunny setting and light hearted voices of the characters all imply a happy atmosphere; one of joy and excitement as they bring a new baby home for the first time. However the audience are most likely to be aware of the genre of this film, so this dextrously creates an unsettling environment as the audience know that this scene of a happy family will not last.
The setting of the house is presented when the father tours the building, whilst describing the rooms to his son in the future. A jump cut editing technique is used to combine the shots together in order to provide a detailed description of where the story takes place.
Narrative
The tone of the beginning of the film is actually quite pleasant. It is an exciting and hopeful scene that we are introduced to as the characters talk about and bring their new born son home for the first time. The mis en scene of the opening scenes is cheerful as the setting is brightly lit with natural sunlight, reflecting a bright and enjoyable day. This juxtaposes the genre of the film as horror distinctively has dark and dreary connotations. Therefore, in the opening scenes, the tone of the film is unclear. As the audience most likely know that this is a horror film, this happy opening sets the film off to a confusing start. However it does set up a sense of interconnection between the characters and the audience as we have an insight into their normal, mundane life, before any of these paranormal events begin.
It is clear that this story will be told through the eyes of the characters that have just been introduced through the use of handheld cameras. Also there is running commentary provided by the character as they talk to the camera in order to provide a documented series of events for their son and them to watch when they get older.
Character representation
The first character that is spoken about is Hunter, and he is also the first person to be present on camera. This highlights his significance in the story as the plot revolves around this little boy. The baby is presented through a high angle shot which shows venerability as a newborn baby and suggests that he will later become exposed to these 'paranormal' events as he is also an important character. He is also dressed in white which connotes purity and innocence which juxtaposes this genre of film. Other characters are introduced into the film whilst the camera tours the house. They all are presented in a joyous and happy manner due to the new arrival of a baby boy. This again highlights Hunter's importance to the story and also sets an apprehensive tone to the beginning of the film as the audience are waiting for the typical conventions of horror to come through and spoil this idea of a lovely, happy family scene.
Conclusion
I think that this is an effective opening to a horror film, however it defies most of the typical conventions of a horror movie. The opening is happy and pleasant instead of tense and scary. This is effective as it confuses the audience and sets an unsure tone to the beginning of the film therefore creating tension as the viewers are waiting for this happy scene to turn into a less pleasant one. It also allows the audience to relate to the characters on a personal level as we are shown their ordinary lives and can relate to that.
However the mis en scene of the film opening opposes the horror genre of the film as it is set in what appears to be a friendly and ordinary neighbourhood. The sunny setting and light hearted voices of the characters all imply a happy atmosphere; one of joy and excitement as they bring a new baby home for the first time. However the audience are most likely to be aware of the genre of this film, so this dextrously creates an unsettling environment as the audience know that this scene of a happy family will not last. The setting of the house is presented when the father tours the building, whilst describing the rooms to his son in the future. A jump cut editing technique is used to combine the shots together in order to provide a detailed description of where the story takes place.
Narrative
The tone of the beginning of the film is actually quite pleasant. It is an exciting and hopeful scene that we are introduced to as the characters talk about and bring their new born son home for the first time. The mis en scene of the opening scenes is cheerful as the setting is brightly lit with natural sunlight, reflecting a bright and enjoyable day. This juxtaposes the genre of the film as horror distinctively has dark and dreary connotations. Therefore, in the opening scenes, the tone of the film is unclear. As the audience most likely know that this is a horror film, this happy opening sets the film off to a confusing start. However it does set up a sense of interconnection between the characters and the audience as we have an insight into their normal, mundane life, before any of these paranormal events begin.It is clear that this story will be told through the eyes of the characters that have just been introduced through the use of handheld cameras. Also there is running commentary provided by the character as they talk to the camera in order to provide a documented series of events for their son and them to watch when they get older.
Character representation
The first character that is spoken about is Hunter, and he is also the first person to be present on camera. This highlights his significance in the story as the plot revolves around this little boy. The baby is presented through a high angle shot which shows venerability as a newborn baby and suggests that he will later become exposed to these 'paranormal' events as he is also an important character. He is also dressed in white which connotes purity and innocence which juxtaposes this genre of film. Other characters are introduced into the film whilst the camera tours the house. They all are presented in a joyous and happy manner due to the new arrival of a baby boy. This again highlights Hunter's importance to the story and also sets an apprehensive tone to the beginning of the film as the audience are waiting for the typical conventions of horror to come through and spoil this idea of a lovely, happy family scene. Conclusion
I think that this is an effective opening to a horror film, however it defies most of the typical conventions of a horror movie. The opening is happy and pleasant instead of tense and scary. This is effective as it confuses the audience and sets an unsure tone to the beginning of the film therefore creating tension as the viewers are waiting for this happy scene to turn into a less pleasant one. It also allows the audience to relate to the characters on a personal level as we are shown their ordinary lives and can relate to that.
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