Paranormal Activity (Movie)

[Xiaou2]

 Today, I was in the mood to get out of the house... and had read a few decent
reviews of the Film...

 Its a low budget flick, and with clever marketing, its been able to drum up enough
support to be shown at a good deal of theaters.

 I will say, that most Horror flicks do not really do much for me.  They are usually
just gore slashers, and are filled with horrible plots, unrealistic reponces, and terrible
acting.

 What gets to me... is when I see something that seems plausible.  The 1st
Nightmare on Elm street was a good one,  as it seemed at least somewhat
possible that a wicked Spirit could invade a persons Dreams.  The scariest
scene, was when the woman was climbing the walls, getting slashed.. and blood
flying everywhere.

 Poltergeist was another good one.  Had moments that were very typical
of Poltergeist behaviors... and really shook you inside to see them re-enacted.
One scene that shocked me... was when the mother opened Carolann's
door... and saw the pictures and toys flying round the room.   The reason,
is because my mothers sister had that same experience happen when she
went to search for my mother in her room.  She said that the faces on the
photos were actually laughing!  as they spun round the room.  She said that
she Never went into my mothers room after that day.  (They lived in a
very old haunted house for a good deal of their childhood)

 
 Anyways... the Paranormal Activity is reality based... so there arnt scenes
where people are walking backwards, without a flashlight, alone, in the
dark woods.   heh     There are some rough spots to the way the male actor
responds.. but generally, they both did a pretty good job in realistic responses.

 The movie is just what I Desired.  A movie that gives you some goose bumps,
and makes you jump "on the inside".

 I almost decided to download the thing... but Im glad I didnt.  It was actually
worth paying to see... and the audience responses were pretty comical at times 


 Now, what was interesting... is that mid point in the movie... just as something
bad seemed about to happen...  the film stopped.   I have suspicion that this was
staged.. but, maybe not.    A few minutes later... the film crew re-threaded the
film... and started it back up.

[RTSDaddy2]

Last weekend my wife and daughter were in Kansas visiting relatives. I love ghost stories, and before they left this movie began flying in kind of "low' on the radar.  Surprised that it was even showing in my area in limited release, I took off to see it, thinking it would be rather tame.

At the end of the movie, like several of my co-patrons, I sat plastered to my seat. I was literally so weak in the knees from the finale that I could not stand up. Just talking about it to this level still sends the hairs up on the back of my neck.  When I did get up, and moved back into the main hall of the theater, I noticed a 3-D marathon of the first two Toy Stories were showing.  I damn near went to that just to get my mind off what I"d just seen.  I kept teling myself "It's only a movie.....not real...only a movie."

As I said, I was alone that weekend.  To say that I stayed up all night Sunday would be nothing short of the truth. Monday I got sleep, but Sunday night I was scared to close my eyes for fear of the nightmares that would pursue me.

This is, quite frankly, the new king of horror for me. If buckets of blood are more your thing, you're gonna be severly disappointed.  But if you LOVE being scared by things that go bump in the night, you just cannot miss with this one.  Worse still, you'll be thinking about it for days afterwards and still feel your blood run cold as you contemplate everything about it....but especially that ending.  The Exorcist ain't got nothing on this one, in my opinion.

[shmokes]

 What gets to me... is when I see something that seems plausible.  The 1st
Nightmare on Elm street was a good one,  as it seemed at least somewhat
possible that a wicked Spirit could invade a persons Dreams.  The scariest
scene, was when the woman was climbing the walls, getting slashed.. and blood
flying everywhere.

God, I know.  Walking backwards in the woods is so . . . just out there.  Suspension of disbelief is very difficult when you see something so impossible as a person walking backwards.  If only more film directors would put more believable things in their movies like women climbing on the walls and ceiling getting cut up by an invisible assailant . . .

[pinballjim]

I liked it.  Wished it had ended about 20 seconds earlier but it may have been too reminiscent of Blair Witch that way. (boyfriend hitting the camera and the movie ending right there would have been good)


I also wished that they had made it a little more ambigious regarding 'psychic phenomenon' vs 'demon' but what the hell.


Told my wife about 60% of the way through that if it had been her she would have been sucker punched and hauled out over my shoulder.  We'll see if this thing actually follows you, if it does, you're outta here!

How many tank tops did that girl own, btw?   

[lordtodd75]

Can't find this movie anywhere if ya know what I mean 

[Xiaou2]

 Sorry, but walking backwards for more than a single step is awkward and
dangerous.   Most people would turn their heads back for a moment.. not walk
backwards several steps...  Especially in the dark,  where you could trip over a
log and break your ankle, and or crack your head on a rock from the fall.

 Ohh, and if you hear a sound... You dont go splitting up and search the
premises, especially without a flashlight and a nice weapon.   You stick together,
either waiting inside... or ganging up on whatever is out there, with plenty of
weapon power / long shovels, etc.


 As for the rest...  Poltergeist can move objects... and have been known to
toss people around.  There have also been cases where cuts and bite marks have
appeared.

 Weather you want to believe it is up to you.  But I can tell you that my Mother
has experienced some of this stuff in her life.  (Ive merely Seen a ghost once... which
isnt really comparable)   Ive also met many others, whom are honest people, who have
divulged their own personal experiences to me.

 
 To calm some fears... (Wet blanket) 
These things usually only appear to those who are sensitive to them. 
They gain power, only if you let them / believe they have power over you...
believe they can invade your space...etc.

 A ghost is fairly rare to witness for most.  Something like a poltergeist or demon, is much more rare to experience.

 Dont mess with a Ouija... most especially alone.

[pinballjim]

Eh, you can learn to walk backwards.  My undergrad school had this 'thing' where the tour guides walked backwards and they were really good at it.

[Flake]

  To calm some fears... (Wet blanket)  
These things usually only appear to those who are sensitive to them.  
They gain power, only if you let them / believe they have power over you...
believe they can invade your space...etc.

 A ghost is fairly rare to witness for most.  Something like a poltergeist or demon, is much more rare to experience.

 Dont mess with a Ouija... most especially alone.

Are you serious?  You think you've seen a ghost?

I would probably identify as agnostic, and thereby dont believe in the concept of heaven or hell (or there associated spirits).  Or at least I dont think living beings could possibly have any understanding of that reality if it were in fact so.  I would therefore conclude that the concept of ghosts/demons/angels, even if real, are beyond our ability to comprehend, but most likely dont exist anyway.

But I'm not trying to bash you here, just more interested in what you saw, or think you saw, and why you conclude that it was a ghost/spirirt.

[shmokes]

 Weather you want to believe it is up to you. 

Thank god 

[CCM]

 Weather you want to believe it is up to you. 

Thank god 

What does the weather have to do with ghosts?

[MustardTent]

I was hoping this thread didn't derail.  Anybody else see this?  I'm in for a good scary movie for Halloween.

[pinballjim]

If you liked and were scared by The Exorcist, you will be scared and like this movie.  Similar themes. 

If you don't like shaky cam movies, this will give you a headache.

[shmokes]

What if you don't like the Exorcist, but you like headaches?

[isucamper]

Loved the movie.  Hated the ending.  After seeing the plot, dialog, exposition, and pacing unfold so well, the ending just seemed off to me.  Did some research, and if you can believe wikipedia, the ending showing in theaters right now is not the original ending of the film as it has screened the past two years, but rather, one suggested by Steven Spielberg after the movie caught Hollywood's eye.  Bleh.

As far as real life goes, people say that certain people are more sensitivy to supernatural stuff than others.  Personally, I think in this day and age, if UFOs, ghosts, Bigfoot, or the Lochness Monster existed, one of the 6 billion people living on this planet would have captured proof of it on their cell phones. 

I think that the human mind is more mysterious and more powerful than any supposed supernatural forces out there.  I would be much more willing to believe that certain people are more capable of projecting supernatural like events into reality than others.

But what do I know.  To this day, I swear to god I saw Santa Clause when I was 7. 

[Xiaou2]

Age 10 or 11...   Fairly decent shape appt complex.   2am? in the morning.
(very dark outside.  Well past midnight)

 Went to go get a drink downstairs.  Went to take a step down the WELL LIT (bright)
staircase.  (Probably an 60 watt bulb, with off white walls... so very well lit)

 On the 4' * 8'  landing, there was an old lady rocking in a rocking chair.  Could see
thru her... but details were very clear as a traslucent white (much like you see in film).

 She was about 12 ft away from me.

 I of course was stunned, like a deer in headlights.  Heart skipping beats, then racing.
Searing Terror.   (Funny I was so scared considering it was an old lady!  But you
never expect to ever see something like that...)

 Pinched my hand..  Felt pain... she was still there.
 Slapped my face... felt pain.. She was still there.
 Bit my tongue.  Tasted Blood...  She was still there.

 Seconds felt like minutes...  But I know I was staring at her for at least 60 seconds..
if not more.

 I thought about trying to talk to her...  But quickly recalled the moment in Ghostbusters...
where the old lady "blew up"...  and with that, I left a trail of fire behind me as I cowered
back into the safety of the bedroom covers.

 Never saw anything like that again.
 Never did any drugs.
 Didnt drink till age 25.

 I remember it like it happened yesterday.

[Xiaou2]

 There are rare cases where ghosts have been captured on film.  However,
most will look at the pictures and just claim they are fake.  And heck,
I agree that most stuff probably is faked.  Today, with things like photoshop
and green screens..etc..  almost anything is possible.

 Seeing / Hearing / Feeling... is believing.  Especially when these things happen
frequently... and never used to happen before.   Also, I believe more in
integrety than any reality tv show.. or unknown person popping up some
supposed evidence.   I know people who are honest, whom Ive known for
years... who have seen and experienced similar things.  Who have nothing to
gain.. .and more to lose by confiding in me their experiences. 


 When I saw a ghost, it was well before the cell phones..etc.   However, even
IF I had one... I would have been too scared to even open it up.  When you
see something like that..  you are stunned beyond belief.  Overcome with shock...
you feel like you cant even move... no matter how you try.

 Also, not everyone can see them.  That does not mean they are not there...
or that they can not move things..etc.

 I liken it to Radio.   Most people are tuned to a perfect   99.7   .The spirits may
exist on Station 87.9     .Some spirits can see our station... and some of Us, can
see theirs, by tuning into their frequency.

 We are usually the gateway or amplifier.. that can give them power.   Its my believe
that anything strong enough to actually move something... is a team effort.  (Several
entities working together) 


 Also, remember that consciousness goes well beyond the mind.  Everything... down
to microscopic levels.. seems to have formed into an all too perfect dance... which
comes to form our total being.  We thing in terms of large scale.. often ignoring
what makes the small stuff tick.. and what could have created all the rules and
regulations to make that small stuff do its work so elegantly.  Pure chaos can
not account for all of this.
 

 Reality is a lot stranger than we usually give credit.

[shmokes]

Xiaou2, do you think that you are unable to experience pain or taste blood in dreams?

[isucamper]

X, I'm not saying you didn't see what you thought you saw, but as soon as you jump into the realm of the supernatural as a form of explaination, how can you be so sure that what you saw was a ghost?

Maybe what you were seeing was an unintentional mental projection from you or someone else? 

Maybe there was a small rift to a parallel dimension and what you saw wasn't a ghost, but a living breathing person that exists just under the fabric of our own dimension? 

Maybe your mind was being controlled by a telepathic prankster? 

I guess my point is, even if you think you've seen a ghost, it doesn't prove ghosts exist.  In fact, to me, ghosts are the least likely explaination for these sorts of happenings.  If ghosts existed.  There would be billions of them.  Trillions.  They'd be all over the place. 

[pinballjim]

I think the estimated 'total human dead' is ~30 billion, no?

[RayB]

yeah and you also have to include ghosts of dead animals over millions if not billions of years. There should have been sightings of dinosaur ghosts by now.

(the believers will ironically rationalize this with some bs explanation about human brains being bigger, and we're "more speshul" etc... )

[pinballjim]

Well, I know that when I die, I want to spend the afterlife terrifying relatives, and then when they're all dead, I want to terrify complete strangers.

 

[shmokes]

I have my very own ghost story, and it's recent.  I flew British Airways to Paris last summer and they give everyone on the plane those beauty mask things so you can blot out any light in the cabin to catch some sleep.

So anyway, my bedroom window in Paris faced east but I had to leave my window wide open cos the French (Europeans in general?) don't believe in air conditioning, so every morning at like 5 am the sun would start blazing into my window.  Anyway, for the first few days  I started putting that eye mask on so I could get a bit more sleep before the sun woke me up in the morning.

For reasons unknown to me I started dreaming like crazy as soon as I arrived.  I was waking up like 5 to 10 times per night.  One morning after I'd already been woken up once or twice from a dream I was sleeping, having another dream when I was suddenly and horrifically awoken by someone in my bed physically lifting my eyemask off my face -- like he/she had grabbed the bottom of the mask between thumb and forefinger under each eye and was slowly pulling it up.  It startled the ---fudgesicle--- out of me and it snapped me out of whatever dream I was having and I jumped up, pulled off the mask and I actually called out . . . not like a scream, but definitely a startled as hell, who the ---fudgesicle--- is in my room, "Heyyyaaahhh!!!!"

But nobody was there.  Of course it was part of my dream, but it wasn't part of my dream at all, if you know what I mean.   Like, I was having a dream about something innocuous, in a fictional dreamworld that had nothing to do with Paris or my room or my real life or the mask currently being pulled off my face by an unseen adversary.  And suddenly it happened.  Obviously I was dreaming, but it didn't fit in at all in any way with the other dream I was already having.

Anyway, if it was a ghost I can only imagine that he/she spent the next hour or more rolling (floating?) around on the floor laughing its ass off.  Definitely a mean trick.  

BTW, I don't believe in ghosts, but I'm embarrassed to admit that I also never wore the eye mask to bed again. 

[Xiaou2]

 

Xiaou2, do you think that you are unable to experience pain or taste blood in dreams?

 Sure you can.  But I wasnt dreaming.

 Anyone knows that as real as a dream can be... there are usual signs of it being a
dream.   One of the best cues, is that Something is Fuzzy.  Usually, you dont remember
how you got there, or how you got back... or some other details.

 Also, if something scares the pee out of you... You usually wake up very quickly.

 There is also a level of control that you lose with a dream.  While some people can
control their dreams (usually with a lot of practice) ...I can not. The level of control
Ive had was extremely limited. Partially waking, and not vivid or super conscious.

 Anyways, as said, there is not even the tinyist shread of doubt about me dreaming it up.


 "If ghosts existed.  There would be billions of them.  Trillions.  They'd be all over the place.  "

  The Theory is that Most spirits move on to the next realm or lifetime.   Usually guided
by other spirits.   However, there are a few lost souls here and there that will not
be convinced to move on.   Usually, its only the violent deaths or extreme personalities
(angry, hateful..etc.) that stay behind.

 Most spirits wouldnt want to kick around terrorizing the living... and can easily be
convinced to move on to something new.

 I can only guess that sub human level conscious creatures.. such as cats, pass
easily to other new creatures... possibly graduating to human level.  And humans
graduating to other beings, with even greater consciousness.

 
 There is also the fact that many people can not sense the other realm.  Most who
do not believe.. never will allow their radio to stray... and or will never loan power
to the others, that would grant them more ability to be known in the physical realm.

 Even the greatest efforts may not be enough... and the ones who are able to
move things, knock..etc.. usually run out of power to do things really quickly.

 

Maybe what you were seeing was an unintentional mental projection from you or someone else?

 Ive never projected anything before, or in my future.  And, if I was projecting,
wouldnt that Stop the moment I bit my tongue?  Wouldnt it be something more scary
than an old lady?   Not many people I know would try to project an old lady rocking
on a landing in an appt complex in the middle of the country, at 2am... on a staircase
landing 15 ft up.

Maybe there was a small rift to a parallel dimension and what you saw wasn't a ghost, but a living breathing person that exists just under the fabric of our own dimension?

 Slightly possible..   But logically, not all too sound.   Why wouldnt I see more of an
actual portal?  Such as a ripped window which one could see more than just the person?

 This also wouldnt describe the shadow figure event which I didnt mention yet...
which happened somewhere else in the house, in the daytime, twice in one day.

 Nor would it describe the stuff my mother has experienced, and sees on a constant basis.
As well as my aunts experience seeing pictures actually flying round the room.

Maybe your mind was being controlled by a telepathic prankster?

At age 16, I started to dabble in the NewAge beliefs and related things.  I played with
telepathy a lot, as we tried to pass things to each other in and out of classes.
I had some wild successes.   However, it was not very clear, and nothing like what
was described.  Not even close.

 Also, Logically speaking... If such a person had that level of power, it would upset
the balance of things.  People would be zapping each other constantly.  There are
rules put in place in this universe.  While some things can be bent here and there...
for the most part.. things are fairly sound.


 The reality is,  Its possible that what I witnessed was merely some strange
quantum image projection.  However, Because Ive had other experiences, and because
I know others who have had much different experiences..  and because it makes
decent sense that consciousness can live...  I have high confidence in the afterlife.

[shmokes]

Also, Logically speaking...

Finally! 

If such a person had that level of power, it would upset
the balance of things. 

Oh . . .   

[protokatie]

Also, Logically speaking...

Finally! 

If such a person had that level of power, it would upset
the balance of things. 

Oh . . .   

 

That made my day!

[RTSDaddy2]

Isu, if this is NOT the original ending, I hope they add it to the DVD.

Then again, I don't know if I want to see it or not....according to what I've read about Spielberg's involvement, he wanted no part of it after seeing the original (apparently the door to his study shut from the inside and locked itself).

I've got to go to bed soon - why in the hell am I even thinking about this right now?!?!?!

At any rate, between this and "Star Trek", Paramount must be laughing all the way to the bank. This move has made 33 million to date...at a cost of 15,000 to film. Number 3 this past weekend according to box office report.

[shmokes]

Xiaou,

Please understand that I don't think you are deliberately making this up (though you may possibly be deliberately dressing it up).  But I also don't think it ever happened.  Everybody invents memories.  We don't mean to.  It's just the nature of human memory.  I have done it myself -- had a clear memory of having a conversation with someone about something and later finding out that it wasn't possible and having to conclude that I invented the memory, likely from an unconsciously remembered dream, but who knows?

Anyway, for the purpose of the rest of this post let's both agree that you really did see a ghost.  I'd like to help you improve your story.

1- This is minor, but most people don't leave bright lights on in their homes at 2 am.  Maybe you do, and if so, fine.  But it's not real normal so it nevertheless seems a little incongruous.  If you turned on the light you should say so because it explains why the light was on at 2 am and it also makes the whole story a little more exciting because of the added surprise.  As I said, it's minor.  Maybe your family was simply strange and left a 60 watt bulb burning all night long.

2- Nobody, but especially a 10/11-year-old child would behave in the way you described when confronted by something horrifying.  You initially said that you were stunned like a deer in headlights.  While this is not the most probable behavior (as opposed to running), it is at least believable.  That is, it is believable until the next paragraph when you describe being in full control of your mental faculties.  You pinched your hand.  Interesting, horrifying apparition continues to rock on her horrifying ghost rocking chair.  You slap yourself in the face.  Very interesting; she remains.  Perhaps I just need to make myself bleed . . .    Xiaou, you're describing a small child; you need him to behave like one.  It's perfectly reasonable to hope your audience is gullible, but don't assume they are mentally retarded.  When an 11-year-old, by himself at 2 am, is confronted by a ghost there are exactly two possible reactions:

  1) Run
  2) Freeze

You did neither, according to your story.  

If you're deliberately exaggerating, stop because it ruins the whole story.  If you really remember it this way, understand that this happened when you were very young and it simply could not possibly have happened the way you remember it.  Regardless, cut this "am I dreaming?" nonsense out of your story because it didn't actually happen and its falseness poisons the rest of the story.

3- You did not stand there for 60 seconds.  And seconds did not feel like minutes.  First, those two propositions combined means that it felt to you like you stood there for at least two hours.  This is just puffery, of course, but it detracts from your overall credibility and trust me, when you're telling a ghost story you don't need to go out of your way to strain your credibility.  Second, double-click the clock in the corner and watch the second-hand make a revolution around the clock.  A minute is like an eternity.  Again, this is just not believable behavior.  An 11-year-old kid does not just stand in front of a ghost for a full minute or more.  And if he does, and while doing so is in full control of his faculties--pinching, slapping, biting--when he FINALLY decides to leave he's not going to "leave a trail of fire" behind him.  You cannot spend a full minute determining whether something scares the living bejeezus out of you.  One minute (literally) you're staring at the ghost pinching/slapping/biting yourself and considering a conversation, and the next you're running in terror?  It's not like it was just a brief "WTF do I do?" moment. We're talking about a full minute.  Again . . . I'm dead serious . . . watch the clock count down a full minute.  

These details in yours story simply don't add up.  You should tighten it up, not just because it sounds like things didn't happen the way you "remember", but because they simply didn't happen this way.  Of course I don't think they happened at all, but that's beside the point.  If they did happen, they didn't happen the way you describe.

[isucamper]

And, if I was projecting, wouldnt that Stop the moment I bit my tongue?  Wouldnt it be something more scary
than an old lady?

well don't as me how it works

[pinballjim]

At any rate, between this and "Star Trek", Paramount must be laughing all the way to the bank. This move has made 33 million to date...at a cost of 15,000 to film. Number 3 this past weekend according to box office report.

Heh, last I heard it was "$10,000 to make".  I've noticed that $10,000 seems to be the always quoted number when it comes to a cheap movie (Clerks, Pi, Prime...)

[shardian]

I'd be interested in seeing this movie, but my wife HATES shaky cam.


As for ghosts, my wife and I are quite rational folk. She had several ghost experiences in her childhood home. I always thought she was full of crap (she also was convinced of the little boy ghost in the curtains from "3 men and a baby" until I finally used Snopes AND a laser disc copy to convince her otherwise - it was not easy). One night we were watching TV and she got up and walked in the kitchen. I went to check on her and she was pale, clammy, and crying. She said she saw a floating white cloud in the hallway where the 'old woman ghost' usually was when she was a kid. I thought it was funny, but I humored her and went to check things out.

A little backstory: An old woman lived there before they moved in, and she died in the house. My wife had several encounters with the alleged old lady ghost throughout her childhood. Sometimes the bathroom sink would be on in the middle of the night. Many times her rinse cup would be moved/missing from the sink. The old lady ghost apparently only inhabited the bathroom, and the small bedroom directly across the hallway. Also note that only my wife used this bathroom. Her parents had built on an entire new wing to the house, and they had their own dedicated living room, bedroom and master bathroom.

So back to my story. I thought the whole situation was somewhat humorous because I thought it was all BS - probably something her older siblings invented to scare her as a kid. So I humored her and said I would check it out. I went down the hall and went to open that bedroom door across from the bathroom. As soon as I touched the doorknob, I got the creepiest whole body chill I have ever had in my life. It started at my hand and went all the way through me. I went back to the kitchen plopped right down beside her, and was just as pale and clammy as her.

I can't say I have ever seen a ghost, but that experience was weird to the extreme. If that is what the experts claim is what it feels like to have a ghost walk through you, then I don't want to experience it again.

[isucamper]

Dude.  That's pretty much the exact story of the movie.  You should force your wife to go see it .

Shaky cam is not that bad.  Much of the film is actually from a fixed camera in the bedroom. 

[pinballjim]

You know when something scary is about to happen when the camera goes steady and the low rumbling starts. 

My wife looked away during most of the yakking. 

[shmokes]

Yeah $10k is just nonsense.  A camera and a boom mic and you'd already have spent your budget.  No way.

[SNAAKE]

 


easily the most retarded "movie" ive ever seen. its not even a movie. more like an youtube documentary.

[Xiaou2]

1- This is minor, but most people don't leave bright lights on in their homes at 2 am.  Maybe you do, and if so, fine.  But it's not real normal so it nevertheless seems a little incongruous.  If you turned on the light you should say so because it explains why the light was on at 2 am and it also makes the whole story a little more exciting because of the added surprise.  As I said, it's minor.  Maybe your family was simply strange and left a 60 watt bulb burning all night long.

  We lived in a 2 story appt complex.  The staircase was quite tall, maybe 10 steps,
the landing, and ten steps the other direction.  The ceiling of the stairwell was roof
level... a very tall open space.

 The light lit up the stairwell, as well as the hall where the bedrooms and restroom
were.   The light left on, so if one had to go to the restroom, you wouldnt trip in
the dark.  My sisters were quite young at that time, so Im sure that also had
something to do with it.

 It was in fact, the Only light left on in the house at night.
 

2- Nobody, but especially a 10/11-year-old child would behave in the way you described when confronted by something horrifying.  You initially said that you were stunned like a deer in headlights.  While this is not the most probable behavior (as opposed to running), it is at least believable.  That is, it is believable until the next paragraph when you describe being in full control of your mental faculties.  You pinched your hand.  Interesting, horrifying apparition continues to rock on her horrifying ghost rocking chair.  You slap yourself in the face.  Very interesting; she remains.  Perhaps I just need to make myself bleed . . .   Roll Eyes  Xiaou, you're describing a small child; you need him to behave like one.  It's perfectly reasonable to hope your audience is gullible, but don't assume they are mentally retarded.  When an 11-year-old, by himself at 2 am, is confronted by a ghost there are exactly two possible reactions:

  1) Run
  2) Freeze

You did neither, according to your story.  

 Unlike some, I had to grow up a lot sooner than most.  At the age of 5, my psychotic father Duct Taped my hands, feet, and mouth.  Took out a power tool and reved it.
Said he was going to commit toolbox murder on me, cutting me into little pieces,
tossing them into the waters where the sharks would eat them up.. so nobody would
know.   He also tossed my brother in the dryer and turned it on... for several minutes.
Among serious beating with leather belts, coat hangers...etc.

 Seeing this behavior, I copied it.  I had my 4 yr old brother step up on a stool, placing
his head through an extension cord rigged to a lamp on the trailer wall.  A then kicked
the stool out from under him, laughing as he was suffocating.

 Luckily, mother heard something, and rescued him.  Equally luck... my father was
finally booted out from the house when I turned 6,  for gambling all the money we
had away.   A lifetime of his influence would have probably ruined me forever.
I still feel some guilt and remorse for what I did back then.. even though I was so
unenlightened, and a mess.

 Same age, walking to the bus stop, the elder kids picked me up, swung me round
threatening to let me go.  Threw solid ice balls at my head.

 As an older "kid", I was to watch over my younger brother and 2 sisters.  This included
cooking dinner and cleaning up.

 Also, we were never limited us to Disney flicks.  We watched whatever was
on.  In fact, because neither parent (nor step parent)  cared much... we were fairly
unsupervised.

 My mother was straight with us from the start.  Told us anything we asked or
wanted to know, regardless of how young we were.  This included stuff about
sex... and well as her supernatural experiences.

 Being aware of the paranormal also made our responses different than most.
We were brought up to believe.  Unlike most who are brought up told those things
are fake and stories to scare people.
 
 I was very far from a shielded and naive 10 yr old.

 All of these stories can be verified by relatives and people who know me and
my family... as well as from people from where I grew up.


NOW... WHY did I react that way?

 Firstly I was terrified.  A was stunned and couldnt move... "for several seconds".
My mind was whirring a thousand thoughts a second however.   Finally, when I
calm down to rational levels.. I was able to move.

 The thoughts, were pertaining to the experience:

1)  I want to make sure as hell Im not dreaming... or that this is some sort of mind
trick.   What to do?

   a) Pinch.   - still there   (consider ramifications.  Result:  Try stronger test)
   b) Bite tongue  - still there
   c) more violent:  Slap face!  - still there

 (each test was quiet, with exception to the slap.  Carried out slowly, and methodically.
IE: Pinch gradually.. until almost blood.  Trying to verify was awake for 100% sure,
as I was amazed at what I was watching.  I also initially tried not to make sudden,
fast, and large movements.  As scared as I was initially, I was also intrigued, and wanted
to keep watching it... wondering if it was really there... if It was going to just fade out...
and or what was going to happen next..


2) Ok.  Shes still there.  What to do now?
 
  a) Try to talk to her?  
  b) What to say?
  c)  What might happen IF I talk to her?
  d)  *Recalls Ghostbuster Scene*

 *runs like hell*

If you're deliberately exaggerating, stop because it ruins the whole story.  If you really remember it this way, understand that this happened when you were very young and it simply could not possibly have happened the way you remember it.

 Im Not exaggerating it.  That is Exactly what happened and Exactly the things
I though in my mind as written down.

Regardless, cut this "am I dreaming?" nonsense out of your story because it didn't actually happen and its falseness poisons the rest of the story.

 Wrong.  It happened.   The key here is that you cant accept that it happened.
Because to you... that would change lifelong foundations you have been
building upon.   I can see why this isnt easy for most people to accept.  Yet,
that does not change the facts one bit.

3- You did not stand there for 60 seconds.  And seconds did not feel like minutes.  First, those two propositions combined means that it felt to you like you stood there for at least two hours.

 Maybe I didnt word it correctly, or to your lawyer standards.  The point I was
trying to make... was that every second that ticked by, seemed in slow motion.
As my mind was suddenly in hyperdrive, trying to comprehend what was happening,
in front of me, as well as how i felt..  and what to do about it all.

 You could compare this to a near death experience.  Its said that some people
experience time like a slow motion sequence.. and some even start to see their
life memories flash before them.   The explanation Ive heard.. is that the brain
is trying to figure a way out... and cant, and so starts to go play thing in reverse.

 This is just puffery, of course, but it detracts from your overall credibility and trust me, when you're telling a ghost story you don't need to go out of your way to strain your credibility.  

 Ive got plenty of Credibility.   Ive been a fulltime manager at 3 places in my past.
An ice cream shop, and two Namco owned Arcades.  As well as work in the computer
field, having to deal with decent sized companies.  Im known in martial arts circles,
as well as collector circles  ( Ive some collectors games, We hang out and attend/run
events together,  and I also collect too).Ive got a reputation for being honest, and direct.

 If my Rep was so bad, I never would have gotten any of that.
One thing my mother was at least able to instill into me, was about Integrity.
I mirror her attitudes about hating liars.  As well as priding myself in being honest,
and not being timid about spreading the truths found... even if they are beyond
what most would believe.

Second, double-click the clock in the corner and watch the second-hand make a revolution around the clock.  A minute is like an eternity.  Again, this is just not believable behavior.  An 11-year-old kid does not just stand in front of a ghost for a full minute or more.  And if he does, and while doing so is in full control of his faculties--pinching, slapping, biting--when he FINALLY decides to leave he's not going to "leave a trail of fire" behind him.  You cannot spend a full minute determining whether something scares the living bejeezus out of you.  One minute (literally) you're staring at the ghost pinching/slapping/biting yourself and considering a conversation, and the next you're running in terror?  It's not like it was just a brief "WTF do I do?" moment. We're talking about a full minute.  Again . . . I'm dead serious . . . watch the clock count down a full minute.  

 I didnt have a watch with me.  All I can say, was that it felt like a long time.  From
the few 10 seconds I was solid as a stone... to the maybe 5 seconds each test...
and the several seconds contemplating and observing.   I was not like  
"OMG, a ghost, RUN!"    I was terrified at first, but I was also interested and transfixed
on what I was seeing.

 Imagine if a UFO landed right in front of your car.  How long would you sit there and
oodle all the details?  From the way the doors looked... to how it moved... and
locked in contemplation of disbelief, past memories, present shock, and deciding
what you should do next?   This isnt like a tv show.  The reactions and thoughts
are extreme.  Your entire being is in a state of shock.

 Staring at a clock moving one minute is in no way similar to that of this
experience.  Not even close.  Time one minute of your favorite movie, game, etc...
and see how that minute seems to have vanished like it was a mere 10 seconds.

These details in yours story simply don't add up.  You should tighten it up, not just because it sounds like things didn't happen the way you "remember", but because they simply didn't happen this way.  Of course I don't think they happened at all, but that's beside the point.  If they did happen, they didn't happen the way you describe.

 They didnt happen merely because you are not willing to believe it.
And hey, I can completely understand your position.  You came from a completely
different upbringing and mindset.  You never experienced the kinds of things I did
growing up... and most importantly... the supernatural Is hard to believe and
accept.  Hence, I was still biting my tongue - knowing what I was seeing was
real... Really knowing I was fully awake... Knowing what my mother has went
though... and STILL not fully prepared to believe what was less than 15 ft
away from my nose.

[shmokes]

LOL . . . I can't be bothered to really respond to all of that except to say that you should reread my post a few more times and reconsider.   

Except I'll point out that you seriously misread what I said about your credibility.  I said: trust me, when you're telling a ghost story you don't need to go out of your way to strain your credibility.  This was only nominally directed at you.  I wasn't actually making any reference to your general credibility.  What I meant was: trust me, when one is telling a ghost story one shouldn't go out of his way to strain his credibility.  The point is that the mere act of telling a "factual" ghost story is credibility-straining enough without adding wood to the fire.

[RTSDaddy2]

To go back to the movie portion of this thread, I saw where Paranormal is now available on "watch-movies.net", but DO NOT BOTHER.  It is a totally different ending from the theatrical version, and is not nearly the knee-shaker the one in the theater is.  As a matter of fact, had they released this one, they wouldn't have made a penny.

[pinballjim]

Well are you gonna tell us how it's different or what?

Use the spoiler /spoiler function.   

[RTSDaddy2]

My apologies for the long post, but I felt compelled to go in depth on one or the other to compare them.  Hey Jim, I hope you're loaded financially - my first heart attack will be billed to you  

I went back to look for the link where I could fast forward to the end of the online version - I just watched the online version Thursday but didn't have the volume up, so I wanted to be able to report how the audio changed as well...and I can't find it. I don't have time right now to sit through the whole movie again, but I'll edit this post if I come over it again in the next few days or so.

What I saw that is different between the two at the end is this - deep breath, because the theatrical one has beem burned in my head for two weeks -  and it STILL causes me to shake a bit when things go "bump" in the night at my house:

Theatrical ending: On the last night, Katie sits bolt upright in bed. She gets out of bed, almost in a trance and goes to Micah's side of the bed, and just stares at him. In real time, this is maybe three / four minutes, but by time on the tape she stands there, just looking at him, for something approaching 2 hours. Finally, she turns and goes downstairs. It is quiet for a minute or two, then she lets out what can only be describled as a blood-curdling scream...literally. I will remember the horror in her voice for years. Micah leaps out of bed, goes flying downstairs, and now their both screaming while the camera in the bedroom is rolling...impossible to really tell what is being said, but after a minute perhaps less, all is silent. My first thought was, "My god, it got them both."  Oh, if that were ONLY the case. For you see, about a minute later, after the silence,  you hear footsteps very methodically coming up the stairs - thump...thump...thump....thump....and whatever "it" is, it stops at the top of the stairs, at the door...and you still see nothing as it just stands there, out of view.  Suddenly, without warning, this white object about the size of a volleyball comes flying (and I mean flying) in the room towards the camera and knocks it over.  The camera now lies on the floor, filiming the doorway area, and I'm thinking "What the hell was that?"  In a second it's very clear what it was. It's Micah's body, now lying on the floor of the bedroom.  About 5 - 10 seconds after that Katie appears in the doorway, and the front of her shirt is covered in blood and her face is expressionless - like stone.  She gets down on all fours, does what can only be described as a mechanical animal like walk over to the body, where she stops, sniffs the body, and (I may be wrong here, but I'm almost sure) licks at the bloody body of her dead lover.  She then animal walks, again very mechanically, over to the camera...her face still like stone.  She looks wide eyed into the camera...and finally the face changes as she tilts her head, looking directly at the audience, and gives the most haunting closed mouth smile in the history of horror. She then clicks off the camera, and the movie ends with "Police found Micah's body on (I forget the date)....the whereabouts of Katie are still unknown." .

Online ending: Once again, I haven't heard it complete with screams, but in the ending I saw online Thursday night, everything stays the same EXCEPT the body of Micah is NOT thrown into the room. Katie simply appears at the top of the stairs with a knife in her hands, sits down at the edge of their bed, clutches her knees and begins to rock back and forth.  She will be in this position for the next 24 hours. The following night, she heads down the hall from their bedroom, and (based only on what I saw), apparently kills herself, because at the end of the online version, the movie is dedicated to the memory of both Micah and Katie.  I still want to hear it with audio, because I'd be willing to bet the farm she screams again as the demon that staked her actually kills her...there is a hint of this as there is the briefest flash (as I recall) of white light from down the hallway before the film ends...as if to say to the audience, "I got them."

Knowing what I know of the whole movie, I liked the theatrical one a LOT better. Our house is not known to be normal, strange things happen every so often....and it took me 3-4 hours to calm down enough that I could go back in my house after I saw this thing. I haven't had nightmares over it, but damned if I don't about do a 180 when something goes "bump" during the day or night.  The theatrical version of PA freaked me out GOOD.

[Edgedamage]

 Today, I was in the mood to get out of the house... and had read a few decent
reviews of the Film...

 Its a low budget flick, and with clever marketing, its been able to drum up enough
support to be shown at a good deal of theaters.

 I will say, that most Horror flicks do not really do much for me.  They are usually
just gore slashers, and are filled with horrible plots, unrealistic reponces, and terrible
acting.

 What gets to me... is when I see something that seems plausible.  The 1st
Nightmare on Elm street was a good one,  as it seemed at least somewhat
possible that a wicked Spirit could invade a persons Dreams.  The scariest
scene, was when the woman was climbing the walls, getting slashed.. and blood
flying everywhere.

 Poltergeist was another good one.  Had moments that were very typical
of Poltergeist behaviors... and really shook you inside to see them re-enacted.
One scene that shocked me... was when the mother opened Carolann's
door... and saw the pictures and toys flying round the room.   The reason,
is because my mothers sister had that same experience happen when she
went to search for my mother in her room.  She said that the faces on the
photos were actually laughing!  as they spun round the room.  She said that
she Never went into my mothers room after that day.  (They lived in a
very old haunted house for a good deal of their childhood)

 
 Anyways... the Paranormal Activity is reality based... so there arnt scenes
where people are walking backwards, without a flashlight, alone, in the
dark woods.   heh     There are some rough spots to the way the male actor
responds.. but generally, they both did a pretty good job in realistic responses.

 The movie is just what I Desired.  A movie that gives you some goose bumps,
and makes you jump "on the inside".

 I almost decided to download the thing... but Im glad I didnt.  It was actually
worth paying to see... and the audience responses were pretty comical at times 


 Now, what was interesting... is that mid point in the movie... just as something
bad seemed about to happen...  the film stopped.   I have suspicion that this was
staged.. but, maybe not.    A few minutes later... the film crew re-threaded the
film... and started it back up.

Ugh film, DCP all the way.