10 Most Overrated Horror Films Of The Past 20 Years

3. Paranormal Activity

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What The Critics Said: “With its this-is-really-happening vibe, Paranormal Activity scrapes away 30 years of encrusted nightmare clichés. The fear is real, all right, because the fear is really in you.” (Entertainment Weekly)

Why They’re Wrong: Here’s the pitch - some boring nobodies think their house is haunted, so they start taping themselves sleeping and walking down corridors. Every so often, a door opens. 86 minutes later, a ghost says, “BOO!”

Credit where it’s due: Paranormal Activity was the first “aspirational” horror film. After watching it, every pinhead with a camera ripped it off in the hope of scoring a huge hit, but they didn’t realise there was nothing there to begin with. No wit, no resonance, and no reason to get involved in a “story” where a door opening by itself is considered a major plot point. From the sequels to A Haunted House, all it did was help launch a cottage industry of crap.