What to See This Weekend: Mystery Chills in 'Paranormal Activity 2'

Even though Halloween is nearly upon us, October has been fairly light on horror movies so far. That changes with this week's release of the highly anticipated 'Paranormal Activity' sequel and next week's release of 'Saw 3D.'

New and Noteworthy: 'Paranormal Activity 2'

Starring: Katie Featherston
Directed by: Tod Williams
What It's About: Plot details for this prequel to last year's faux-documentary horror hit 'Paranormal Activity' have been largely kept under wraps, but we know that Featherston is back as Katie, and that the plot centers around a family that gets more than it bargained for when its members set up security cameras to capture the mysterious intrusions and disturbances in their house.
Why Should You See It? The same team that made the first film is back, including writer/producer Oren Peli, so the original movie's effective, less-is-more scare machinery should be intact.
You Might Like It If You Like: 'The Blair Witch Project,' 'The Last Exorcism,' 'Poltergeist,' 'Paranormal Activity'

•Showtimes & Tickets
•Trailers & Clips
•Reviews | Mr. Moviefone's Six Second Review

'Paranormal Activity 2' - Trailer No. 2

In Limited Release

•'Inhale' is a thriller in which Dermot Mulroney takes a hellish journey south of the border in order to score a black-market pair of lungs for his daughter, who's in desperate need of a transplant. Showtimes & Tickets
•'Kalamity' is also a thriller, in which a haunted Nick Stahl fears that his old hometown buddy (Jonathan Jackson) may be a killer. Showtimes & Tickets
Still in Theaters, Still Awesome

•'Jackass 3D' - In which Johnny Knoxville learns that Roger Miller was right: You can't roller skate in a buffalo herd. Showtimes & Tickets
•'Red' - In which poor Mary-Louise Parker, dragged along for the ride, shows just how good she is at reaction shots. Showtimes & Tickets
•'Hereafter' - In which 80-year-old Clint Eastwood, through much younger surrogate Matt Damon, explores the afterlife. Showtimes & Tickets
Staying In This Weekend?

New on DVD This Week: The Robert Rodriguez-produced reboot 'Predators' stars Adrien Brody as the leader of a group of killers on a strange planet being pursued by the dreadlocked alien hunters of the title. Dude nearly got stomped and/or eaten by dinosaurs, giant apes, and other beasties in 'King Kong,' so running in terror from Predators should be an easy gig for him. Buy or rent the DVD | More new DVD releases

Movie Homework: The 'Paranormal Activity' franchise's debt to earlier films -- the pretend documentary style of 'The Blair Witch Project,' the suburban horror of 'Poltergeist' -- is easy to spot, but the real granddaddy of this genre is probably 1979's 'The Amityville Horror.' Based on a purportedly true story (but not really), the film effectively charts the story of a family driven mad by the unseen menace haunting their new home. Good scenery chewing all around, especially by Oscar-winner Rod Steiger as the exorcist priest. Buy or rent the DVD

On My Netflix Queue: Now that 'Mad Men' is over for the season, how will I get my fix of square-jawed, fedora-wearing, men in Madison Avenue offices confronting their dissatisfaction with postwar conformity, media culture, marriage woes and Freudian nightmares from their past? How about with a three-martini lunch of Gregory Peck in the 1956 drama 'The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit'? That should tide me over for a while. Buy or rent the DVD
•Follow Gary Susman on Twitter @garysusman.

View the original article here