Movie TalkHidden Easter Eggs Give Clues About the Spooky Stuff in ‘Paranormal Activity 2′
Part of what made the original "Paranormal Activity" such a topic of conversation last year was how it took audiences by surprise. The trailers didn't give away much of the story, showing how audiences reacted to the movie more than the actual footage. The actors didn't pop up on talk shows. And anticipation for the movie grew organically on the Web, and it quickly became the "must-see" movie of last fall.
When the first movie made an astonishing $107 million at the domestic box office, it was inevitable that a sequel would be haunting theaters once again. Now it's a year later, and "Paranormal Activity 2" is opening this Friday. And like before, the film's studio, Paramount Pictures, is releasing very little information about what's in this new movie. But a few little Easter eggs have surfaced that hint at the amped-up creepiness in this second installment. And a brand-new exclusive preview reveals the return of a key figure from the original film.
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The original teaser trailer showed very little from the new movie other than the appearance of a shadowy figure in the doorway of a baby's nursery. But if you pause it and look closely, you'll spot a buried secret: the crib is empty, but you can see a reflection of the baby in the mirror.
That's not the only mirror trick, though. If you examine the poster, you'll see the baby is standing in his crib, but he's missing in the reflection. What does this mean? No idea. But odds are that big mirrored wall in the nursery is going to play a role in the story.
Speaking of the story, Paramount subsequently released a "Fan Trailer" for the movie that offered a bit of insight as to what the new movie is actually about. A family with a teenage daughter and baby boy discover the inside of their house has been wrecked. The father has security cameras installed in the different rooms to watch out for prowlers, but of course their problems are a lot worse than that. Doors open and shut on their own; something is disturbing the dog and baby; and an invisible presence grabs a woman and drags her away.
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But perhaps the biggest clue as to how this new movie connects to the first is uncovered in a new exclusive spot for the movie you can watch below. In the Fan Trailer, the teenager shows a photo of a young girl and a voice off-camera says, "It's your Aunt Katie." In this new video, it is revealed that the Katie they are referring to is the same character from the first movie.
Played again by Katie Featherston, she is seen holding the baby boy on her lap. She is asked about Micah, her husband from the first movie. She answers, "He wasn't up for hanging out today." Of course, if you saw the first movie you know why. There is also a quick shot of someone who looks to be Katie with a splatter-covered shirt coming through the front door. And in the final shot, a woman is flung through the air by an invisible force. Watch the spot below to see it for yourself:
There are more secrets to be uncovered on the film's official site. Go to paranormalmovie.com
and click on the link to "Continue to the Site." It will play the
original teaser trailer, and when it gets to around 40 seconds into the
video, click on the progress bar and drag it backwards. This will
unlock some more hidden footage and spooky audio.
If all these little hints have you excited about seeing the movie, you might not have to wait until Friday to find out what's really going on. In 20 cities across the country there will be free midnight screenings on Wednesday. Go to www.paranormalmovie.com/rsvp to try to reserve a seat. Or, if you pre-order a ticket from the official site, you can get a free iTunes download of the first movie. "Paranormal Activity 2" is rated R for some language and brief violent material.
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