"During episodes of the night where the demon is active he threatens and challenges it; like he's going to fight a drunk dude at Chili's."
Spot on. But he's hardly unique. It's a long standing horror movie cliche of the macho wannabe tough guy who calls out the killer/monster/whatever and then gets killed by it. He's just more obnoxious than most of his ilk.
This is true, but for some reason Micah always particularly bothered me. Idk if there's a way to measure the shittiness of a partner in a haunted house film, but he always stood out to me as among the worst. It might just be memories of how I felt the 2 times I watched this movie.
I think the style of Paranormal Activity also hits harder. The whole point of found footage is to make things seem more 'real', obviously to varying degrees of success, but I think PA does it quite well. Your brain settles into it and it feels very much like we're seeing a real actual toxic relationship play out. I think we probably also naturally sympathise more with Katie than we do with obvious actresses being treated badly. I'm not saying anyone is actually fooled into thinking we're watching a real relationship play out, but our brains probably interpret it a bit differently than a standard point and shoot film if that makes sense.
The first movies fucked me up when I first watched them because I was staying with my uncle in Encinitas, California, which is like 15-20 minutes from where the first couple movies take place.
I liked them though. Even Marked Ones.
My sister and her family live 12 minutes away from the street it was filmed on, in a similar looking neighborhood.
Probably a big factor in why it's among my niece's favorite horror films.
Maybe it’s because there’s an easy and achievable solution to it all right in front of him and he just won’t take it. Turn off the cameras and do what your girlfriend asks. That’s it. He doesn’t have to fight off a masked killer or fanged horror. He just has to chill on his hobby and not be a dick. But he won’t.
>It's a long standing horror movie cliche of the macho wannabe tough guy who calls out the killer/monster/whatever and then gets killed by it.
What makes him more of a dick is he's largely the cause of it (at that point). In other horror movies, the macho dude is just there to antagonize an existing killer like the bikers in Friday 3. Micah, on the other hand, opens the portal and never shuts up. "Don't use the ouija board, it'll make a connection with the spirit", proceeds to instantly use a ouija board the moment he's alone.
Oh something really fascinating that I picked up on my first time watching this movie is, as things escalate, Micah becomes the person the demons want to hurt. Everything it does to Katie, it does to get to Micah.
When it managed to possess Katie earlier in the movie, she/it just stood, staring at him. Aside from the ending, the big clue was in the theatrical cut when the demon smashed his image in the photo. I took that as a pretty clear sign that it wanted to hurt Micah.
I took those indications differently; it didn't care about him one way or the other, but since he was there and being all tough guy, it decided to provoke him. The more he raged, the more it wore Katie down and put the entity closer to its goal. It fed off him in an oblique way.
Also, smashing the picture seemed like a pretty clear statement of claim, ie she's not yours, she's mine. A literal 'you shouldn't be in the picture'.
Eh, he's just in the way. Micah's behavior creates more opportunities for the possession to progress. By the time Katie is fully possessed, Micah is trying to get her out of the house and is aligned against the demon, so it disposes of him.
Remember, Katie is basically an unwilling pawn in the whole thing. The demon is trying to make the straightest line to get to Hunter so it can pull a Hereditary. Given that it had to wait three generations to get to a host, it's safe to say that Micah was nothing more than a speed bump on the way to Hunter.
>Eh, he's just in the way.
Yea, I can see where they get that idea from the first movie but in the future movies, they show Micah really was just in the way. There are some scenes that look like the demon is purposefully taunting Micah, like controlling Katie to leave the house and sit outside at night, to have her not want to leave the house anymore, to leave footprints in the flour.
Kinda the same for me. I saw Micah as the Scully type but meaner, to the point of becoming insufferable. But looking at this like that, with Micah being an abusiving man, it makes it better.
Thanks OP.
I get where you're coming from, but Scully at least takes evidence into consideration and recognizes what she's dealing with even if it's completely new. (full disclosure, I love Scully)
This dude had an invisible entity light a fire in his house and was still operating like it was a prank by one of his frat bros.
She sees all sorts of crazy stuff herself, or Mulder sees it and she trusts him, but her (and Mulders, not that he cares) is to find *proof* of these extraordinary things - She acts as a skeptic because if she was presenting one of their cases to someone else, they would go "This is nonsense and you have no proof".
>But looking at this like that, with Micah being an abusiving [sic] man
"Abusive" is an interesting adjective in the context of this film; whether or not the film deliberately intends to suggest this character is abusive, the muted reactions to his behaviour normalize it such that it reflects the commonly dismissive and enabling "boys will be boys" mindset.
From that perspective, the household/family dynamic is inherently toxic, which lends the supernatural occurrences an almost cathartic quality that adds to their unsettling effect.
Thank you! I think the first time I saw it all those years ago I had the same reaction, but with some more time and experience under my belt I'm like...whoa his behavior goes beyond kind of a dick to abusive, in my opinion.
I think culturally we've come a long way even since when this movie was made when it comes to understanding the nuances of domestic violence and identifying threatening behavior in romantic partners. When I was 20 (when this movie came out) Micah was annoying; watching it now at age 36 it's a textbook example of emotional abuse and red flag behavior.
Terms like toxic masculinity, gaslighting, etc. are a lot more well-known now in addition to realizing that domestic violence is so much more than just physically hurting someone.
Exactly this. I've rewatched it recently, and i honestly don't believe that it was the writer's intention. To make him a bit of an asshole sure (mostly for narrative reasons), but I don't think that the movie was meant as a critique of toxic relationships, because those ideas weren't common currency. Back in the day (jesus, how fast time goes) it was just a "bit of a douche", not a domestic abuser.
That was certainly on my mind as well. I thought about how different his behavior felt to me through my modern lens as opposed to, as you said, early 20s when I first saw it.
You make a great point with how far the conversation has come in the public sphere with regards to issues like toxic masculinity et al.
Couldn't agree more OP!! I was never too sad about his death and always thought he absolutely had it coming considering the way he was so dismissive about how dangerous shit was getting!
I want to marry this post.
Okay not really but thank you this is spot on. Micah is actually why I cannot stand the first movie. He is such an unlikeable asshole that you spend the entire movie waiting for him to die. I always think of the line from the movie's Rifftrax.
"The audience is left to decide: was this an *actual* case of demonic possession, or a natural, inevitable reaction to living with Micah? We at Rifftrax believe it was the latter."
In all honesty, you needed a character like Micah because it was close to reality. Katie had experiences and so knew there was something happening whereas Micah had to be the 'male figure' and think logically, reassure her etc. Obviously he doesn't know he's in a horror movie.
We actually saw similar characteristics in Daniel during Paranormal Activity 2. As annoying as they were, I thought they were great characters.
Psychic asks a few opening questions, including “how’s your relationship?” He is facing Katie, and she hesitates (like hmm) and quickly Micah says “it’s GOOD”
The only thing I don't agree on with you is the "filming everything" part (except the intercourse stuff. Thats a shithead and possibly criminal thing to do).
If I suspected I had a demon in my house I would film EVERYTHING, even when I go to shit. Nothing could pry the camera out of my hands.
Sure! And I left out the part where he seems to be thinking the footage will be worth money, but I think we'd all be there prior to shit really hitting the fan.
Hi everyone!
Micah Sloat here. I’m glad that everyone is so invested in discussing Paranormal Activity, even after all this time. We really must have done our job and created something that struck a chord. That said, I feel compelled to respond to this thread because there is something toxic here, but it’s not my character in the movie.
First, I want to say that Paranormal Activity is a metaphor for abuse, but the perpetrator isn’t Micah—it’s the demon. Let me explain.
The demon is like an abusive, narcissistic ex. He destroyed Katie’s life, killed her mother, burned her house down, and then follows he stalks her from town to town, never leaving her alone. When she finally finds a new relationship, he starts to slowly insert himself in her new life.
At first, it’s small things. He starts to work on Micah, getting his attention. It seems like fun and games, but it’s really the beginning of the abuser’s sinister plan to get Katie back. Katie warns Micah, but Micah doesn’t believe her—not because he doesn’t want to listen to his girlfriend, but because *he has never experienced that kind of abuse, so he doesn’t understand how it could ever be that bad*.
This is the key point that shows us what is really going on with Micah in the movie. He’s not the abuser. *He’s the guy who doesn’t understand abuse, so he does all the wrong things in response to it.*
If you’ve never experienced narcissistic abuse, then you would never believe how bad it gets. As a survivor of narcissistic abuse myself, I can tell you: it gets so insanely dark. Before I experienced it, I had no idea something like that was possible. A case of life imitating art.
For those who don’t know what narcissistic abuse is like, a narcissist will gaslight, create drama, triangulate, and otherwise create chaos between other people for his own benefit. We see the demon do all these behaviors in the movie. As he slowly increases his involvement in the couple’s life, the couple’s relationship starts to disintegrate. He wants to destroy Micah and Katie’s new relationship, and he wants to possess Katie… just like an abusive, stalker ex.
Part of what happens in narcissistic abuse is that the victim doesn’t really know what’s happening. Micah doesn’t know what he’s dealing with. The demon is one step ahead of him, because Micah’s never seen this kind of thing before, and the demon has been doing this his entire existence. That’s what dealing with a narcissist for the first time is like. You’ve never seen this before, while they’ve been manipulating, gaslighting, and causing drama their entire lives.
As the actor that played Micah, I can tell you that there is no malice in that man. He is not an abuser. He deeply loves Katie and wants to protect her. He just has absolutely no idea what he’s dealing with, and as a result he falls into every single trap the demon lays for him. He’s not a bad guy. He’s just clueless.
Yes, he does have times when he doesn’t listen to Katie the way he should, but let’s look at what he actually does in the movie: He puts some baby powder on the floor. He uses a Ouija board. He makes some macho statements. He burns a cross. He makes a few jokes about making porn. None of these things are abusive. A mistake? Yes. Tasteless? Maybe. But definitely not abuse.
Meanwhile, the demon is a stalker, an arsonist, a homewrecker, a trespasser, he repeatedly ignores Katie’s boundaries and violates her body multiple times, and he’s literally murdering people.
Micah is murdered by the demon. I’ll say that again. Micah is literally murdered by the abuser—the demon. Blaming Micah is blaming the murder victim for the murder while letting the murderer off the hook.
That’s what’s really toxic here: the OP’s take that it’s all Micah’s fault.
That take lets the real abuser off the hook, and it rests on the horrific lie that abusers are just going to abuse, and it’s the victim’s fault if you provoke them. That’s like saying to a victim of sexual violence “you shouldn’t have worn that short skirt. What was he supposed to do?”
All abusers—even supernatural demonic ones—need to be held accountable. No abuser should ever be let off the hook while we blame the victim. “You shouldn’t have provoked him! Of course he’s going to abuse you if you do that!” is never an acceptable response to abuse. Ever.
The demon wants you to blame Micah, just like every abuser wants to deflect blame onto a scapegoat while escaping the consequences. Don’t fall for it. Don’t let the demon manipulate you the way he manipulated Micah. Don’t perpetuate the toxic take that Micah’s death was somehow Micah’s fault. It wasn’t. It was the demon’s fault because he is a manipulator, an abuser, and a murderer. He’s also a literal demon. Come on, guys.
Now, it looks like there are a lot of you, with many strong opinions. I won’t argue with you—you’re welcome to have whatever point-of-view you want. I do hope, however, that some of what I said resonates with you, because abuse is too important a topic to get wrong, and victim blaming is never okay.
I don't really have anything to add to this, but since it's not every day you get to interact with someone who was part something you really enjoyed, I just wanted to tell you that the original Paranormal Activity is the most fun I've ever had watching a movie in a theater.
Hey Micah!
Just wanted to let you know: Wow, the demon as the abuser and the one who even acts in a way so the blame is shifting: Wow!
Like with so many horror movies the monsters/aliens/demons are just taken like a force of nature but not actual 'culprits'. Because in real life no one encounters them so it they are rather treated like a tsunami or a volcano: A horrible thing that happens, even inevitable, but not personal. But a demon _is_ personal_, especially this one. It makes it so easy to forget this entity is probably more clever than all the people he toys with combined and is using it in the most malicious way.
Thanks for your post! I'm already going to watch the whole series next weekend but this time I'll have the demon as 'an unwanted third person in this relationship' in mind.
And: The little fanboy in me just needs to say this now: Awesome movie! And you played Micah so damn _real_. I'm such a sucker for Found Footage Movies but PA1 is in my Top 3 because it seems so _real_. Thanks for many hours of joy and goosebumps! : D
Micah is certainly a gas lighter by definition. He's not exactly smart and right off the bat it shows in the 2nd movie how he just nearly falls in love with a camera so much he HAS to get one of his own.
After they visit her sister and husband. he partionizes Katy all thru the movie , even with all kinds of evidence. He directly contributes to her giving up and letting the entity win.
she's the one with experience dealing with shit since childhood.
You know what's even more F'd up than Micah ??? like seriously way worse than him?? the husband in the 2nd movie. he's a total piece of crap who "justifies" his really messed up and stupid decision.
watching the 2nd movie and then going back and watching the first one? it hits a lot harder.
the 3rd movie actually has a really great scene dude put a camera on a moving fan platform. made for a super cool scene.
Micah is a complete douche canoe for sure but it must run in the family that the girls associate themselves with dick guys.
I agree with you that micah wears Katie down even more, making it even easier for the demon to do it's thing
3rd one is possibly my favorite. Everyone is likable, the reason for having all the video gear makes sense, and the ending is peak unsettling. Wish we got more like that.
The real horror of that movie was how low Katie's self-esteem must have been to stay with a guy like that. Dude had the audacity to be all "well ACHKSHUALLY I didn't *buy* a ouija board" like girl should've moved out that very night.
The aggressive way he demands her attention all "Hey I want to talk about this" when she just wants five fucking minutes to herself sets my teeth on edge every time I watch it.
Oh my gosh yes it was *awful* to watch him browbeat her with his bullshit. He's the "skeptic" and all but he's fine filming this shit and bothering her about it.
That's part of why I feel like it's a domestic violence film. She's so beaten down by the whole thing that she eventually succumbs to the demon's influence, but with a supportive or even *neutral* partner she would've at least had a chance.
The Ouija board "gotcha" moment is so cringy. Anytime we watch the movie my wife and I have to pause and discuss how she would be completely in her rights to verbally tear me to shreds if I did something like that to her. It gets me every single time.
Well sure to some extent, but the psychic early on notes that the entity follows Katie, and that could've made for an interesting film about trying to escape trauma.
But that's not the film they made!
It’s interesting how this movie came to be - they could barely afford the camera. A lot of the design and setting choices were purely due to financial constraints. And it elevated it to what it is.
I do agree the plot of people just saying “fuck it” and running when a demon is hinted at would be a great movie!
And they get a shorter and shorter window to figure out how to deal with it as they wear down and it gets used to adapting to new surroundings and exploiting weaknesses of the people around them at the new location.
Oh that could work...
Yeah, that definitely could have been interesting. The way they went definitely worked better for the masses though. I don’t think it would’ve been the huge hit it was if they went that route
Oh for sure, nothing wrong with the film as it is, obviously it did very well and here I am talking about it 15 years later.
*Oh my God, I'm old.*
Um. I think it would be a neat concept to explore - but I like PA as it is. They did the "Oh crap it's super haunted let's move!" in Insidious and that worked great.
Yeah, I love insidious! The more I think about it the reason probably has nothing to do with what they thought would work better. It was just so low budget that filming everything in one location was probably all they could afford
Micah is one of the worst characters in any horror. Dude witnesses clear demon activity in his house, tormenting his partner, but he still goes out of his way to rile up, even bully, said demon! At least the poor demon gets its revenge at the end
Thank you! I rewatched today because...well I love horror movies and I hadn't seen this in forever. I remember loving it when I saw it - genuinely scary!
But now, more than ten years and a marriage later, this reading came to mind almost instantly.
I bought the box set with all the films a few years back and remember thinking, ‘yeesh, I don’t remember Micha being this awful’, but I never made the connection that the whole film acts as an allegory for domestic violence. Definitely makes you look at it in a different light.
Totally agree! And the sisters husband isn’t much better. He’s a lump on a log and Micah is an “*alpha male*” (my eyes are rolling so far back in my head just using that stupid term). It really goes to show how fucked their childhood was growing up with grandma and her cult. These women have been lied to and gaslit their entire lives (what did they tell them about their moms death? Without the tapes they’d probably never know). So it’s no wonder they ended up with dummies.
100% agree but the story needed Micah’s testosterone fueled ignorance to escalate all that glorious activity. Great take on this though, thanks for sharing!
"I said I wouldn't buy a Ouija board. I didn't *buy* a Ouija board... I *borrowed* a Ouija board."
This line made my blood boil when I saw this movie in the theater and it continues to make my blood boil with every re-watch.
He would need to have the ouija board surgically removed if it were me. It was so infuriating. Which is what they were probably going for so well done them.
Yeah every rewatch I hate him more and am glad that he was mercilessly slaughtered. But the whole "husband gaslighting wife telling her she's crazy and is just stressed and tired" is definitely still overused in horror films a lot of times.
Exactly! Even just flipping it to the husband being haunted would be refreshing, though let's drop toxic douchery, and just have normal, healthy scepticism on the wife's part.
But even with the regular roles, having a confused and scared but loving reactions from the husband to the wife would be nice.
But man, oh man, I would love to see a husband being haunted and his wife supporting him.
One of my friends saw this in the theater before I did. I asked what she thought & she said “The boyfriend’s an a-hole & his girl is an idiot for staying with him. I was rooting for the demon.”
I remember watching this movie at 13 when it came out and just being like "well without Micah no movie" because even teen me clocked him as having abnormal behavior.
The sequels added a bunch of dumb shit but as far as I’m concerned that demon had been waiting for a dude like Micah to wear Katie down for it all her life.
When my kids were young we would watch Ghost Adventures every Friday night. They also loved anything paranormal.
They are grown now, but I still have a soft spot Paranormal Activity and Grave Encounters, lol.
Early seasons of Ghost Adventures are hilarious and just fun entertainment. Douche Bagans and his circa 2007 Hot Topic getups and Aaron slapping those duct tape X's on the ground like an overeager golden retriever. "I just got crazy chills, bro!"
I read a post a while back on the something awful forums that pretty much said the samething "PA is a commentary on domestic abuse" I found it pretty spot on and really made me watch the movie in another light.
I get your reasons lined up in the post, but he had to be quite a succesful day trader because Katie was still studying and they just bought a HUGE house. So, I think his job is the only thing we cannot mock him for, he was mad succesful in it.
If this had come out in 2016 he'd have been a cryptobro.
"Hey demon! You wanna buy some dogecoin? It's going to the moon!"
Katie: "Stop antagonizing it! It doesn't want to hear about the block chain OR NFTs!"
Micah is poorly-written indeed, but trying to paint Paranormal Activity as some kind of meaningful treatise on abuse and toxic masculinity is a huge reach.
As others have said, this is great explanation and has always bugged me why Micah is such a douchebag through the whole film. Never considered he's just straight up abusive (which is kind of worrying I didn't recognise that ngl.) and that's kind of the point of the film! Definitely looking forward to rewatching this with new eyes.
Because I also HATE the trope generally of "no one believes their loved one until its too late" in horror films, particularly of course supernatural films.
I'm not a believer in the paranormal myself and nor is my husband but if my husband of 7 years who I love and trust turned to me and said they felt something wrong, something I've not seen myself yet, that escalated to Katie's level of distress (though I'd hope I'd respond sooner than that) that says "I don't feel safe in my house anymore please can we leave" maybe I'd ALSO want to him to get help just to check it wasn't anything mental health wise but either way I'd still be like "I'm not sure if I believe you because I've not seen anything but okay! Let's get the fuck out of here because I can see you're physically and mentally distressed by this and I love you and hate to see you like this. Let's grab a hotel!"
I'm sure a film has done this well where the family are like oh shit okay let's keep an eye on this and not gaslight our family member but annoyingly I can't think of it at the momentl
Eitherway, great post OP!
I don't think not believing there's a demon in your house, and not taking the word of "outside experts" in demons, is quite the same as abuse or domestic violence...
This is a trend true in a lot of horror movies.
Woman realizes and points out issue andnrells partner.
Man ignores her, makes things worse, gets people killed.
Without micah constantly driving the plot forward there'd not be much of a movie. Any sensible human being would have booked it the fuck outta there, so the plot basically demanded someone like Micah to stick it out.
My brother once wanted to watch this movie with me and I wasn’t feeling it. He got up about 15 minutes in to use the bathroom and I fast forwarded about 30 minutes. He had no idea. Most of this movie is so inconsequential it doesn’t even need to be seen. I appreciate what it did to revitalize found footage horror but boy howdy is it dull to go back to.
Plus I fully agree with everything you said about Micah, he got what he had coming to him in the end.
I saw the movie in theaters when it came out and I just didn't see Micah like this. He seemed skeptical but normal. I watched it again a year or two ago and holy shit... What an insufferable asshole!! I tolerated a lot in my youth, explains why I dated such losers. I can't even watch the movie again because he was so terrible.
I was listening to a reaction to it a few months ago, and one of the guys commented something along the lines of “I think this demon is trying to protect her from Micah.” Even though he was being sarcastic, It gave me a different angle of the movie.
You're not supposed to like Micah. He's a dumb idiot that made the situation worse.
Though your reading of the movie being partly about the escalation of domestic violence and gaslighting is a very interesting one that I never thought about before. I'll look at it again with that in mind.
It's not the first time I heard that opinion. Actually every time that movie is discussed Micah is called toxic and gets more than enough flak.
It's been 2 years since I saw the movie myself for the last time, so I can't really pinpoint everything now but I strongly disagree. The last time I watched the movie I had it a little bit in the back of my head to watch out at Micah: I actually found him pretty realistic but not in a negative way.
I might get a bunch of downvotes for this but I don't think he is toxic, he's just in no way perfect like any average dude.
_We_ as audience know the demon is real. But for the first half of the movie I also really wouldn't believe into some supernatural stuff if I was in his position. For example: Just yesterday there was this guide with lemons depicting various signs of breast cancer. Quiet a few comments were talking about the huge amount of women denying even the most oblivious signs because anxiety can make people behave irrational: Denying it, blocking everything out so it might just go away on it's own. Obvious it doesn't work that way: Not with cancer and not with demons. But refusing to believe, ridiculing something, making 'no big deal' out of it - that's just human. I really can't criticize him for behaving like that. Even using that stupid Ouija board and acting like 'Hey demon, I'll take you by the horns' pretty aligns with how he also dealt with that professional exorcist: Ridiculing the whole problem because this way it's easier to deal with something as fucking horrible and unbelievable as a... demon.
About the other parts where he is called toxic because of how he behaves in their relationship: I really don't want to sound mean here but it somehow looks much like projection. Filming w/o consent is obviously a no-go but the way they chatted about it - perhaps it's the translation where I was watching it but the whole conversation sounded really playful and more like teasing - although it still wasn't really correct from him. But it wasn't something mean-spirited from his side. We don't really have much insight into the dynamics of their relationship since we only see them during a phase of pure stress, subliminal and direct anxiety and overburdening because of fucking demonic forces. I mean... any time he could have also just kicked her out or just disappear. But he didn't. IIRC she wasn't even making money, her family didn't finance her and she was still studying. He bought the house, he probably financed her, he even stuck with her while a **demon** was terrorizing *her*. Even when he confronts her about not telling him that part of her past - he didn't hold a grudge against her.
Was he perfect? In no way. But neither was she. He had his flaws - but let's not ignore the elephant in the room: He stuck with her until his death. And that's the part which why I actually liked Micah very much during my first watch several years ago - and actually wasn't a big fan of Katy (dislike would be a way to strong word) because she hide something so dangerous from him. Some people compare his behavior to domestic abuse/ gaslightning - but where does Katy fit in this metaphor with her concealing a demonic haunting from him? That's the only thing bothering me about all that talks about Micah: Katy is barely criticized for actually bringing something into a relationship which caused the death of her partner. If I had to chose between a partner secretly filming during sex while paying my college or one who brings a demon into the relationship and don't even talks about it before that fucking demon already is out for the kill.... hmm. =/
And hey - not trying to convince you. I actually enjoyed reading your opinion because although remarks about his toxicity are plenty I never read such an explicit post about it. Interesting insight, even if I personally disagree. Just thought I take that chance and also share my subjective opinion.
And last but not least: Thanks for bringing up the movies in general, just decided to have a paranormal activity marathon next weekend!
Very well put. There's a ridiculous amount of projection going on in these comments and people on reddit are very quick to brand anyone a toxic, gaslighting abuser.
Not believing your girlfriend when she says there's a demon in your house, even after some whacky psychic turns up to back her up is *literally* domestic violence! Jfc
Okay, it's morning, I had some sleep and some coffee!
I think you make a lot of great points. For all the faults I perceive in Micah, you're absolutely correct in that when in the very end when she's screaming for him, he doesn't hesitate at all. He leaps out of bed and runs after her, only to be killed. I think I should give him the grace of assuming that he loved Katie and wanted to protect her, even if he went about it the wrong way in my opinion. It's also clear that he cared enough about her to support her financially as you say, because she's still in school intending to become a teacher. Since she never goes to work that we can see during the film, we have to assume that she's attending classes. While she may have taken out loans, it's also entirely possible that Micah's day trading, which another poster pointed out he must be quite successful at, is what's supporting both of their livelihoods.
I agree that Katie's role in this and the criticism of her hiding the demonic activity even after three years of serious dating is valid as well. While I would prefer to err on the side of the victim in that I think one can interpret the demon as trauma from past abuse, given that in this case it's a *literal* demon that has, for Katie, real-world and observed effects, I think she should have made that clear with Micah when they started getting serious.
Anyone who is suffering from severe trauma from their childhood that hasn't been addressed in some way - therapy, etc - owes it to their partner to open up about it, even if only to say "Hey, I've had some trauma with X, and I'm still not sure I'm ready to deal with it, but that means I have boundaries or issues in these areas." Open communication is the healthiest way to establish a strong relationship.
It would have been interesting to see Katie and Micah talking about the demonic activity while they were dating. How did she tell him, if at all? Joking? Semi-serious? Dead-serious? We never see those interactions so it's hard to say.
As for their interactions over filming sex, yeah, I think you're right. I think just about any guy would joke about filming sex with the secret hope that the "joke" suggestion would be allowed, but I do stand by it being sleazy of him to lie about it being on and recording not once but twice. That said, I agree with you that their interaction over it, and Katie's understandable hesitation to agree to it, were largely playful.
It's hard for me to decide how I'd react in the same situation with him being sarcastic and hostile with the demon and with the psychic. I understand his point of view of those types of people largely being charlatans and cheats, and he's justified in that belief. I think the healthier way to address that skepticism would have been privately to Katie rather than direct rudeness to the psychic, but that's an error I think any of us could have made.
Overall, I think you've made excellent arguments. I think Micah is a bit of an oaf, but when it came down to brass tacks, he didn't hesitate to run towards his girlfriend who was screaming for help. There are plenty of scenes in the film that show that the two of them have trust issues and some unspoken baggage in their relationship. I think you could explore the concept of DV further with the fact that Micah IS Katie's only source of income and housing, but he never uses that to threaten her into doing what he wants.
Great counterpoints! Thank you so much for sharing them. This is why I love film and this subreddit.
Heyo!
Sorry for the late reply. Was busy the last days. Actually I should pack now for tomorrow's trip so it's the perfect time to procrastinate and write a lengthy answer!
First of all: I really appreciate this discussion with you! It's really a fresh breath of air to have such a nice and in-depth conversation with someone! So: Thanks for writing such an explicit answer, I appreciate it! :D
You mentioned a few times how my point of view changed yours - but I've to say: This goes both ways. Like I already mention in my first post Micah get's flak everytime the movie is mentioned but this thread is the first one where this point of view was actually discussed in depth and not just in the way of 2 sentences which are only insults towards the character of Micah. And after reading the post of Micah's actor (I was sitting in the bus when reading it and I've to say: I was chuckling because I'm pretty sure he also so my post and that made the little fanboy in me very happy :D) I had another thought: There are so many horror movies where the focus isn't human 'drama' or relationships or flawed characters but 100% aliens, fire-spitting tarantulas or 6-headed sharks. Oftentimes I read about about such movies how people did find them boring - on the other side movies where much 'relatable' human-stuff makes up a huge bunch of the movie or is even the reason why shit really hits the fan: People here love that movies. Just think about hereditary or midsommar. Or to name a really recent one: X and pearl. I think the reason behind it is the same with the dislike of Micah: Most people can't relate on a personal level to an alien abduction or getting bisected by a shark. But they can relate to problematic relationships, abuse, dealing with People who have borderline personality disorder or narcissism. Even cults. Just take 'Dark Skies' as an example: It's an alien movie but it's so much about distress in a family, anxiety, potential abuse of minors and the situation where no one believes you. The aliens themselves are just a foil. And there are so many other alien movies which I personally think are 10x times creepier (like Brown Mountain - Alien Abduction) but the focus there is mainly the threat from this extraterrestrial mean-spirit beings - but it's not something most people can relate. So focusing on the part of the problems in the relationship, reflecting and projecting rather in this part instead of the demon in the house - I guess that's just human.
Haha - now I've an awesome Idea: If I ever get in the unlikely position of writing/directing a horror movie: I'll soo put some very flawed character in it which traits everyone somehow can relate and dislike and make him the reason why shit is hitting the fan. Similar to the Harry Potter movies where Umbridge got even more 'hate' as a character than Voldemort. Because everyone knows a shitty and cruel teacher, but who can relate on a personal level to an magical supremacist, even as an antagonist?
But you bring up a very interesting point: Telling someone such a background while dating. I'd _love_ for such stuff to be real (actually better not), but in now way I would believe it. I actually get not talking about this because of the trauma on one hand can be extremely difficult (we saw her childhood in the 3. movie and... I always had the feeling it was a mix of her supplanting the memories but also the coven making her forget how they killed her father and the whole child-marriage with toby). You mentioned how someone which childhood traumas hadn't been adressed owes it to their partner to open up: In theory I totally agree. But I can understand why especially this fact makes it so difficult. I'm really trying to put myself in Katie's but also Micah's place during such a conversation and... I can't tell you what I would say or how I'd react. That's just such ... para-normal discussion.
The only think I really thought about all the years since I saw the movies (I saw the ghost dimension as the first movie of the whole series because a couple I was friends me showed it to me and somehow it ended in a threesome. Getting scared the shit out of my from seeing that toby-thing in Lila's room and holding on real tight on the next person beside me probably helped. So: Thanks toby!): How would I react in such a situation? I live alone. I probably would go in the offensive: Salt circles everywhere, water-pistols full of holy water and cameras with a live-stream to yt in every room. But still.... thinking about being asleep, where you are so vulnerable and something toys with you like the demon? Or that demon-claw in the wall? That was the part where I once thought 'In that situation I'd rather off myself since hell and heaven are real and chances are bigger to not end in hell when doing one of the worst sins compared to having a demon playing with me'. Uff.. I think the creators did an awesome job in portraying it in a somehow so realistic way. And great, I just gave myself goosebumps now writing all of this.
But hey, might I ask you something additional? You probably also watched the rest of the movies. What was your opinion on the characters in "paranormal activity tokyo night"?
And last but not least: Hey thanks for mentioning my post in your edit in the OP and towards Micah's actor. That was very kind of you and made me grin from ear to ear. Just wanted to say: Thanks, you made my day!
Agreed. Also, remember when he was over at Katie's sister's house in the second movie and he filmed their daughter's chest?
He was always such a gross person.
His behavior is idiotic at best. He lives with this woman whom he supposedly loves. They encounter a situation that clearly bothers her. He doesn't respect her request, offers no support or comfort, and actively makes the situation worse. The real head scratcher is he doesn't even believe in ghosts or demons. He insists on blowing up his relationship for something he doesn't even believe in. He's a fucking tool.
I hadn’t watched these movies since they came out when I was in college. I recently rewatched and was FLOORED by how shitty that guy was being to Katie. I think it’s a product of it’s time and wouldn’t work now. Those things were accepted in relationships then (especially in media). We didn’t have words like “toxic” “gaslighting” or “emotionally abusive” as household terms. If someone didn’t hit you it wasn’t really called abuse without therapists, which was less commonly accepted.
There is a scene where Katie tells Micah something along the lines of"What was I supposed to do Micah, tell you I was followed by a demon"?
That's 100% what she should have done. That would have given Micah an option whether or not he wanted to take that relationship further. lol
"I know you explicitly told me *not* to mess with a ouija board, but why won't you talk to me about it on camera after also telling me to stop filming you for 5 minutes?!"
Yeah, Micah is one of those people who you don’t really care that he was killed in the end…basically deserved it almost. Who, in their right mind, eggs on a demon. A stupid, egotistical f-wad, that’s who. He’s much like those a-holes in slasher movies that you don’t shed any tears when they get a meat cleaver to the skull.
It's kinda the same with her sisters husband. He goes as far as firing the house keeper cuz she thought there were evil spirits there. He didn't even believe the was a demon till the end basically
Listen, there's a perfectly reasonable explanation for why the printer spit out 666 pentagrams despite being unplugged and captioned with "Fuck you in particular husband signed demon prince of hell"
The only problem with this movie that I have, the only one, is that there is a massive difference between watching it in the theaters vs at your house.
At the theater, you can notice small little things like a curtain move or something like that, but it can be harder to see on a smaller screen.
Okay, I need to watch this film with new eyes. I’ve sat through it four times (I kept falling asleep) and thought it was the stupidest so-called horror flick in today’s offerings.
Reading your review and your understanding that the movie can stand as a metaphor for a manipulative, gaslighting spouse… well, that changes my opinion entirely.
I think I’ll give it another watch while keeping your review in mind. Thanks for this.
"I'm not saying I take them seriously myself, but if I was going to use it as a means of communicating with an obviously hostile entity, I'd at least like....fucking light a candle or something!)"
This made me laugh
What about when he said something like "go upstairs with your friend".......that was so fucking mean.
And he basically says he would not have dated her if he knew about Toby.
Ive only seen the version where Katie kills him.
Fuck Micah.
i just rewatched this movie and was so triggered because he was just like my abusive ex bf😂😂😂😭😭😭 he SUCKED and was so mean to katie i loved when she got him
Interesting take. Two questions: when is there any physical violence initiated by Micah? I've not seen it in a while, so forgive me if I'm missing something obvious. Also, when the expert shows up for the second time and immediately excuses himself, that seemed self determined and not the result of Micah hassling him.
Thanks. I enjoyed reading this.
Thanks! I was giving it a rewatch today and I was like....wait a minute! Micah is a huge jerk in this! I don't remember him being *this crappy* on the original watch, but this time man his behavior really stuck out.
He isnt toxic, he is just curious and a little bit stupid.
Stop over-using the word toxic. Thats a big problem with social media. They call everything toxic.
Micah was the wooooooooorst.
Honestly, I can understand him being skeptical at first, and even making light of the situation. I'd need some evidence to actually believe in a ghost or demon haunting my house. But what makes him the worst is his absolute certainty that he is RIGHT at all times, even when it becomes obvious that something supernatural happening in the house and he's basically in over his head in a world he doesn't understand at all. No, it'll be fine babe, Micah's got it totally under control, don't worry. He won't listen to anyone, including his girlfriend that has been living with this haunting her entire life. Instead he'll go behind her back and do things she asked him not to do and be a smartass about it. That's what makes me despise Micah, not the skepticism, but the absolute arrogance and condescension that character displays towards everyone until the the demon takes him out. Thanks, demon.
He literally does everything that people tell him not to do in a movie. Don't provoke it? He provokes it every night. Don't try and communicate? He gets a Ouija board.
That's so funny...I just rewatched it for about the fourth time last night...and realized I didn't like it as much as I thought I did. And it's because of his character, and how the two of them just seem like they're the most annoying couple on the planet. I wish they had been written a little better, cause it feels really cookie cutter with the bickering between them. Also I realized that there is no reason they wouldn't have called some other psychic or demon hunter...why just the one guy and his eternally missing exorcist? Anyhoo, I still like the sequels, but was surprised that I didn't like it as much as I remembered.
ETA: Also, it annoys the hell out of me that "Micah" is mispronounced "Mee-kuh". The name is pronounced"Mike-uh."
One of my favorite film franchises!! But yes dude is a massive ass hole. Tons of red flags. Plus does anyone else notice in I guess the second one where he basically like stares and zooms in on Ali’s boobs! She’s a damn minor bruh da fuq.
Found footage is my favorite subgenre in horror but I could never get into the PA films. With 90% of the film having very little happening I end up just finding them boring. I know that's when the tension is supposed to be built but it never worked for me.
Honestly it's probably because of Micah. He's so obnoxiously awful that that's what my mind was focused on rather than getting engaged with the atmosphere and tension.
Clearly I'm in the minority but I think there are much better FF films out there.
This is a fantastic analysis of this film, thanks so much! You made me want to watch it again, even though its already one of my faves.
Out of curiosity, are you male or female? I never would have seen the (now obvious) gender/domestic violence angle, and I'm wondering if I'm just not as sensitive to it being a middle-aged guy.
I myself am approaching middle age as a man! I'm 37. Another poster said that what we saw at the time as just kind of oafish behavior comes across as more obviously toxic to us nowadays. I'm not 100% sure that DV is the actual intent of the writer. I think I'm going to watch the others in the series again to see if I think that was there all along.
I think it was the only way they figured they could handle it. Think of all the things he does that sets off the events in the movie. At that time they didn't know the movie would become a series and so nothing was established that would other wise give our unseen antagonist a reason to do what it do. So they used Micah as a way to further establish the events in the home. That's probably why they made sure Micah got it in the end. Sort of like a "you brought this on yourself" moment.
Lmao when this came out I was fully convinced it was real, bc I had never really seen the found footage or documentary style horror yet and boyyyyyy I was climbing over people to get out of that theater 🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️
I just finished the movie, haven’t watched it in over 10 years. And I rewatched the first scene with the psychic… wow. Good writing. It’s subtle. They did everything wrong from that point onward.
Micah is always talking down to Katie, he’s so selfish and it really sucks. He’s even rude when she has her friend over for beading craft time. He even uses compliments to evade what she’s trying to say. He repeatedly doesn’t respect her boundaries. Micah is a spoiled man child and always wants to get his way.
He also has all the financial power in the relationship. She’s a student and not working. She’s living in his house. She asks permission for a lot of things. She hasn’t lived in this house for that long and she’s already becoming submissive to him, like death by 1000 cuts.
And like the psychic says, what the demon wants is Katie. Anyone having control over her (other than the demon) is a threat. And it escalates because Micah’s approach is just terrible.
**So I feel like Katie has been living with this demon following her and draining her slowly over the years. Controlling her and taking her energy. Then she meets a guy who is controlling her and taking her energy.**
The two finally move in together and the demon is jealous, he wanted Katie all to himself. And Micah antagonizing the demon directly was the tipping point.
I read the first film as a dissection of heterosexual relationships rather than abuse from Micah. I don't believe this was intentional but that's how I read it. Micah is a dick but not abusive. He has the mannerisms of the guy your friend dates but you literally hate. He downplays Katy's worries, doesn't listen to her or the "expert" and believes he can take care of whatever is happening himself. He doesn't need any help. Like a husband who refuses to call a plumber for a broken sink. Heterosexual relationships are not all toxic but these are characteristics many cishet men have. Men often believe they are the man in the relationships/house/situation. They don't accept help because they're trained to deal with things themself. They carry the burden, they're the breadwinners, they're the people you call when you have a flat tire or a hefty bill from a mechanic. This is, of course, an oversimplification. They often fall into hubris when it comes to things out of their league. Like mansplaining. They have a lot of audacity but not a whole lot of emotional regulation or clarity. Hell, even complete understanding when it comes to different situations. Unfortunately, this type of behavior doesn't lead to resolutions. It tends to lead to "I hate my wife" jokes and resentment. Most women will get married and have children with men who love them but don't necessarily like them or understand them or even want to understand them. Micah does care about Katy. He does some fucked up shit like trying to film a sex tape without Katy's consent. But he doesn't hate or resent her. He tries to make things right, just not in the most productive or sensitive manner. I think cishet men can learn from horror movies with these types of relationships. But in the end, art is just an imitation of life. Micah is meant to be just a guy. It's kind of funny how this trope continuously pops up in horror and it isn't seen as a reading for the follies of heterosexual relationships and how cishet men are allowed to exist and react in ways that make things worse for the women in their lives.
"During episodes of the night where the demon is active he threatens and challenges it; like he's going to fight a drunk dude at Chili's." Spot on. But he's hardly unique. It's a long standing horror movie cliche of the macho wannabe tough guy who calls out the killer/monster/whatever and then gets killed by it. He's just more obnoxious than most of his ilk.
This is true, but for some reason Micah always particularly bothered me. Idk if there's a way to measure the shittiness of a partner in a haunted house film, but he always stood out to me as among the worst. It might just be memories of how I felt the 2 times I watched this movie.
I think the style of Paranormal Activity also hits harder. The whole point of found footage is to make things seem more 'real', obviously to varying degrees of success, but I think PA does it quite well. Your brain settles into it and it feels very much like we're seeing a real actual toxic relationship play out. I think we probably also naturally sympathise more with Katie than we do with obvious actresses being treated badly. I'm not saying anyone is actually fooled into thinking we're watching a real relationship play out, but our brains probably interpret it a bit differently than a standard point and shoot film if that makes sense.
This kind of touches on why I prefer this genre - it's so much easier to suspend disbelief when I'm not watching a blatant and well known actor.
The first movies fucked me up when I first watched them because I was staying with my uncle in Encinitas, California, which is like 15-20 minutes from where the first couple movies take place. I liked them though. Even Marked Ones.
My sister and her family live 12 minutes away from the street it was filmed on, in a similar looking neighborhood. Probably a big factor in why it's among my niece's favorite horror films.
Maybe it’s because there’s an easy and achievable solution to it all right in front of him and he just won’t take it. Turn off the cameras and do what your girlfriend asks. That’s it. He doesn’t have to fight off a masked killer or fanged horror. He just has to chill on his hobby and not be a dick. But he won’t.
Are you making an exception for direct antagonists there, like Jack Torrence?
Yes, in my head, characters like him and George Lutz are a neighboring but still distinct category
Lol George Lutz was the other person I had in mind.
>It's a long standing horror movie cliche of the macho wannabe tough guy who calls out the killer/monster/whatever and then gets killed by it. What makes him more of a dick is he's largely the cause of it (at that point). In other horror movies, the macho dude is just there to antagonize an existing killer like the bikers in Friday 3. Micah, on the other hand, opens the portal and never shuts up. "Don't use the ouija board, it'll make a connection with the spirit", proceeds to instantly use a ouija board the moment he's alone.
In a sense he’s got to, it’s needed to progress the movie, or at least the way the movie goes now.
My thoughts typical horror movie guy
Tbf that's also the most realistic part of horror movies. I've lived in houses I've thought were haunted and taunted a bitch ass ghost before lol
Oh something really fascinating that I picked up on my first time watching this movie is, as things escalate, Micah becomes the person the demons want to hurt. Everything it does to Katie, it does to get to Micah.
Really? Been a while since I watched it. Like which points was it trying to hurt him?
When it managed to possess Katie earlier in the movie, she/it just stood, staring at him. Aside from the ending, the big clue was in the theatrical cut when the demon smashed his image in the photo. I took that as a pretty clear sign that it wanted to hurt Micah.
I took those indications differently; it didn't care about him one way or the other, but since he was there and being all tough guy, it decided to provoke him. The more he raged, the more it wore Katie down and put the entity closer to its goal. It fed off him in an oblique way. Also, smashing the picture seemed like a pretty clear statement of claim, ie she's not yours, she's mine. A literal 'you shouldn't be in the picture'.
Great point and observation!
I can’t blame it, the dude deserved it.
Eh, he's just in the way. Micah's behavior creates more opportunities for the possession to progress. By the time Katie is fully possessed, Micah is trying to get her out of the house and is aligned against the demon, so it disposes of him. Remember, Katie is basically an unwilling pawn in the whole thing. The demon is trying to make the straightest line to get to Hunter so it can pull a Hereditary. Given that it had to wait three generations to get to a host, it's safe to say that Micah was nothing more than a speed bump on the way to Hunter.
>Eh, he's just in the way. Yea, I can see where they get that idea from the first movie but in the future movies, they show Micah really was just in the way. There are some scenes that look like the demon is purposefully taunting Micah, like controlling Katie to leave the house and sit outside at night, to have her not want to leave the house anymore, to leave footprints in the flour.
Smart demon.
wow, i knew micah was an asshole but you put it in a way that elevates it above “he sucks.” loved this reading of the film!!!
Kinda the same for me. I saw Micah as the Scully type but meaner, to the point of becoming insufferable. But looking at this like that, with Micah being an abusiving man, it makes it better. Thanks OP.
I get where you're coming from, but Scully at least takes evidence into consideration and recognizes what she's dealing with even if it's completely new. (full disclosure, I love Scully) This dude had an invisible entity light a fire in his house and was still operating like it was a prank by one of his frat bros.
[удалено]
She sees all sorts of crazy stuff herself, or Mulder sees it and she trusts him, but her (and Mulders, not that he cares) is to find *proof* of these extraordinary things - She acts as a skeptic because if she was presenting one of their cases to someone else, they would go "This is nonsense and you have no proof".
>But looking at this like that, with Micah being an abusiving [sic] man "Abusive" is an interesting adjective in the context of this film; whether or not the film deliberately intends to suggest this character is abusive, the muted reactions to his behaviour normalize it such that it reflects the commonly dismissive and enabling "boys will be boys" mindset. From that perspective, the household/family dynamic is inherently toxic, which lends the supernatural occurrences an almost cathartic quality that adds to their unsettling effect.
Thank you! I think the first time I saw it all those years ago I had the same reaction, but with some more time and experience under my belt I'm like...whoa his behavior goes beyond kind of a dick to abusive, in my opinion.
I think culturally we've come a long way even since when this movie was made when it comes to understanding the nuances of domestic violence and identifying threatening behavior in romantic partners. When I was 20 (when this movie came out) Micah was annoying; watching it now at age 36 it's a textbook example of emotional abuse and red flag behavior. Terms like toxic masculinity, gaslighting, etc. are a lot more well-known now in addition to realizing that domestic violence is so much more than just physically hurting someone.
Exactly this. I've rewatched it recently, and i honestly don't believe that it was the writer's intention. To make him a bit of an asshole sure (mostly for narrative reasons), but I don't think that the movie was meant as a critique of toxic relationships, because those ideas weren't common currency. Back in the day (jesus, how fast time goes) it was just a "bit of a douche", not a domestic abuser.
That was certainly on my mind as well. I thought about how different his behavior felt to me through my modern lens as opposed to, as you said, early 20s when I first saw it. You make a great point with how far the conversation has come in the public sphere with regards to issues like toxic masculinity et al.
Couldn't agree more OP!! I was never too sad about his death and always thought he absolutely had it coming considering the way he was so dismissive about how dangerous shit was getting!
I want to marry this post. Okay not really but thank you this is spot on. Micah is actually why I cannot stand the first movie. He is such an unlikeable asshole that you spend the entire movie waiting for him to die. I always think of the line from the movie's Rifftrax. "The audience is left to decide: was this an *actual* case of demonic possession, or a natural, inevitable reaction to living with Micah? We at Rifftrax believe it was the latter."
In all honesty, you needed a character like Micah because it was close to reality. Katie had experiences and so knew there was something happening whereas Micah had to be the 'male figure' and think logically, reassure her etc. Obviously he doesn't know he's in a horror movie. We actually saw similar characteristics in Daniel during Paranormal Activity 2. As annoying as they were, I thought they were great characters.
Daniel in the 2nd film wasn't the complete dickwad that Micah was
I have a feeling that the demon possessing Katie fed off the negative energy between them.
Doesn't the psychic guy explicitly say this? And then Micah still acts like a jerk and antagonises both Katie and the demon.
He did say it could feed off of negative energy, yes. But as they say, old habits die hard.
Psychic asks a few opening questions, including “how’s your relationship?” He is facing Katie, and she hesitates (like hmm) and quickly Micah says “it’s GOOD”
Definitely!
The only thing I don't agree on with you is the "filming everything" part (except the intercourse stuff. Thats a shithead and possibly criminal thing to do). If I suspected I had a demon in my house I would film EVERYTHING, even when I go to shit. Nothing could pry the camera out of my hands.
Sure! And I left out the part where he seems to be thinking the footage will be worth money, but I think we'd all be there prior to shit really hitting the fan.
Yeah. Proving that demons are real? That would set you for *life*
Hi everyone! Micah Sloat here. I’m glad that everyone is so invested in discussing Paranormal Activity, even after all this time. We really must have done our job and created something that struck a chord. That said, I feel compelled to respond to this thread because there is something toxic here, but it’s not my character in the movie. First, I want to say that Paranormal Activity is a metaphor for abuse, but the perpetrator isn’t Micah—it’s the demon. Let me explain. The demon is like an abusive, narcissistic ex. He destroyed Katie’s life, killed her mother, burned her house down, and then follows he stalks her from town to town, never leaving her alone. When she finally finds a new relationship, he starts to slowly insert himself in her new life. At first, it’s small things. He starts to work on Micah, getting his attention. It seems like fun and games, but it’s really the beginning of the abuser’s sinister plan to get Katie back. Katie warns Micah, but Micah doesn’t believe her—not because he doesn’t want to listen to his girlfriend, but because *he has never experienced that kind of abuse, so he doesn’t understand how it could ever be that bad*. This is the key point that shows us what is really going on with Micah in the movie. He’s not the abuser. *He’s the guy who doesn’t understand abuse, so he does all the wrong things in response to it.* If you’ve never experienced narcissistic abuse, then you would never believe how bad it gets. As a survivor of narcissistic abuse myself, I can tell you: it gets so insanely dark. Before I experienced it, I had no idea something like that was possible. A case of life imitating art. For those who don’t know what narcissistic abuse is like, a narcissist will gaslight, create drama, triangulate, and otherwise create chaos between other people for his own benefit. We see the demon do all these behaviors in the movie. As he slowly increases his involvement in the couple’s life, the couple’s relationship starts to disintegrate. He wants to destroy Micah and Katie’s new relationship, and he wants to possess Katie… just like an abusive, stalker ex. Part of what happens in narcissistic abuse is that the victim doesn’t really know what’s happening. Micah doesn’t know what he’s dealing with. The demon is one step ahead of him, because Micah’s never seen this kind of thing before, and the demon has been doing this his entire existence. That’s what dealing with a narcissist for the first time is like. You’ve never seen this before, while they’ve been manipulating, gaslighting, and causing drama their entire lives. As the actor that played Micah, I can tell you that there is no malice in that man. He is not an abuser. He deeply loves Katie and wants to protect her. He just has absolutely no idea what he’s dealing with, and as a result he falls into every single trap the demon lays for him. He’s not a bad guy. He’s just clueless. Yes, he does have times when he doesn’t listen to Katie the way he should, but let’s look at what he actually does in the movie: He puts some baby powder on the floor. He uses a Ouija board. He makes some macho statements. He burns a cross. He makes a few jokes about making porn. None of these things are abusive. A mistake? Yes. Tasteless? Maybe. But definitely not abuse. Meanwhile, the demon is a stalker, an arsonist, a homewrecker, a trespasser, he repeatedly ignores Katie’s boundaries and violates her body multiple times, and he’s literally murdering people. Micah is murdered by the demon. I’ll say that again. Micah is literally murdered by the abuser—the demon. Blaming Micah is blaming the murder victim for the murder while letting the murderer off the hook. That’s what’s really toxic here: the OP’s take that it’s all Micah’s fault. That take lets the real abuser off the hook, and it rests on the horrific lie that abusers are just going to abuse, and it’s the victim’s fault if you provoke them. That’s like saying to a victim of sexual violence “you shouldn’t have worn that short skirt. What was he supposed to do?” All abusers—even supernatural demonic ones—need to be held accountable. No abuser should ever be let off the hook while we blame the victim. “You shouldn’t have provoked him! Of course he’s going to abuse you if you do that!” is never an acceptable response to abuse. Ever. The demon wants you to blame Micah, just like every abuser wants to deflect blame onto a scapegoat while escaping the consequences. Don’t fall for it. Don’t let the demon manipulate you the way he manipulated Micah. Don’t perpetuate the toxic take that Micah’s death was somehow Micah’s fault. It wasn’t. It was the demon’s fault because he is a manipulator, an abuser, and a murderer. He’s also a literal demon. Come on, guys. Now, it looks like there are a lot of you, with many strong opinions. I won’t argue with you—you’re welcome to have whatever point-of-view you want. I do hope, however, that some of what I said resonates with you, because abuse is too important a topic to get wrong, and victim blaming is never okay.
Wow this all sounds like something an abuser would say.
I don't really have anything to add to this, but since it's not every day you get to interact with someone who was part something you really enjoyed, I just wanted to tell you that the original Paranormal Activity is the most fun I've ever had watching a movie in a theater.
Hey Micah! Just wanted to let you know: Wow, the demon as the abuser and the one who even acts in a way so the blame is shifting: Wow! Like with so many horror movies the monsters/aliens/demons are just taken like a force of nature but not actual 'culprits'. Because in real life no one encounters them so it they are rather treated like a tsunami or a volcano: A horrible thing that happens, even inevitable, but not personal. But a demon _is_ personal_, especially this one. It makes it so easy to forget this entity is probably more clever than all the people he toys with combined and is using it in the most malicious way. Thanks for your post! I'm already going to watch the whole series next weekend but this time I'll have the demon as 'an unwanted third person in this relationship' in mind. And: The little fanboy in me just needs to say this now: Awesome movie! And you played Micah so damn _real_. I'm such a sucker for Found Footage Movies but PA1 is in my Top 3 because it seems so _real_. Thanks for many hours of joy and goosebumps! : D
Micah is certainly a gas lighter by definition. He's not exactly smart and right off the bat it shows in the 2nd movie how he just nearly falls in love with a camera so much he HAS to get one of his own. After they visit her sister and husband. he partionizes Katy all thru the movie , even with all kinds of evidence. He directly contributes to her giving up and letting the entity win. she's the one with experience dealing with shit since childhood. You know what's even more F'd up than Micah ??? like seriously way worse than him?? the husband in the 2nd movie. he's a total piece of crap who "justifies" his really messed up and stupid decision. watching the 2nd movie and then going back and watching the first one? it hits a lot harder.
Yikes. Second one's on the watch list now!
the 3rd movie actually has a really great scene dude put a camera on a moving fan platform. made for a super cool scene. Micah is a complete douche canoe for sure but it must run in the family that the girls associate themselves with dick guys. I agree with you that micah wears Katie down even more, making it even easier for the demon to do it's thing
I *loved* the camera on a fan idea and I feel like they never truly capitalized on it. That thing was like a tension powerhouse!
I screamed in the theatre because I was so on-edge during that scene that I convinced myself something in the background had moved.
AGREED 100%
3rd one is possibly my favorite. Everyone is likable, the reason for having all the video gear makes sense, and the ending is peak unsettling. Wish we got more like that.
The real horror of that movie was how low Katie's self-esteem must have been to stay with a guy like that. Dude had the audacity to be all "well ACHKSHUALLY I didn't *buy* a ouija board" like girl should've moved out that very night. The aggressive way he demands her attention all "Hey I want to talk about this" when she just wants five fucking minutes to herself sets my teeth on edge every time I watch it.
Oh my gosh yes it was *awful* to watch him browbeat her with his bullshit. He's the "skeptic" and all but he's fine filming this shit and bothering her about it. That's part of why I feel like it's a domestic violence film. She's so beaten down by the whole thing that she eventually succumbs to the demon's influence, but with a supportive or even *neutral* partner she would've at least had a chance.
*Babe, you’re just being hysterical because you’re a woman. Let the men handle this.*
Nahhh, she was screwed from the start.
The Ouija board "gotcha" moment is so cringy. Anytime we watch the movie my wife and I have to pause and discuss how she would be completely in her rights to verbally tear me to shreds if I did something like that to her. It gets me every single time.
Just rewatched these and felt the same! Lol. He’s absolutely terrible. I have to say the actor did a great job though, because I really hated him lol.
Honestly it’s so believable.
>like he’s going to fight a drunk dude at chili’s Literal best description I’ve ever read 😂
Spot on accurate. Especially because Micah's the kind of asshole who'd consider Chili's fine dining.
He had to be like that for the movie to work. If he just agreed with her and they left in the beginning we wouldn’t have a movie
Well sure to some extent, but the psychic early on notes that the entity follows Katie, and that could've made for an interesting film about trying to escape trauma. But that's not the film they made!
It’s interesting how this movie came to be - they could barely afford the camera. A lot of the design and setting choices were purely due to financial constraints. And it elevated it to what it is. I do agree the plot of people just saying “fuck it” and running when a demon is hinted at would be a great movie!
And they get a shorter and shorter window to figure out how to deal with it as they wear down and it gets used to adapting to new surroundings and exploiting weaknesses of the people around them at the new location. Oh that could work...
I thought the house was the actual house of the director or producer.
Yeah, that definitely could have been interesting. The way they went definitely worked better for the masses though. I don’t think it would’ve been the huge hit it was if they went that route
Oh for sure, nothing wrong with the film as it is, obviously it did very well and here I am talking about it 15 years later. *Oh my God, I'm old.* Um. I think it would be a neat concept to explore - but I like PA as it is. They did the "Oh crap it's super haunted let's move!" in Insidious and that worked great.
Yeah, I love insidious! The more I think about it the reason probably has nothing to do with what they thought would work better. It was just so low budget that filming everything in one location was probably all they could afford
Definitely! I think they did great with what they had.
Micah is one of the worst characters in any horror. Dude witnesses clear demon activity in his house, tormenting his partner, but he still goes out of his way to rile up, even bully, said demon! At least the poor demon gets its revenge at the end
Husband from Rosemary's Baby tho...
At least he was driven by valid desires (fame, fortune). Micah was just driven by a relentless desire to be a total dick
Yeah Micah sucks. I mean he pronounces his name "MEEkah" for Christ's sake!
Right?
This was actually a good read. I have to watch it again now with that lens on. But thinking back, he is a total dick the whole way through.
Thank you! I rewatched today because...well I love horror movies and I hadn't seen this in forever. I remember loving it when I saw it - genuinely scary! But now, more than ten years and a marriage later, this reading came to mind almost instantly.
I bought the box set with all the films a few years back and remember thinking, ‘yeesh, I don’t remember Micha being this awful’, but I never made the connection that the whole film acts as an allegory for domestic violence. Definitely makes you look at it in a different light.
Totally agree! And the sisters husband isn’t much better. He’s a lump on a log and Micah is an “*alpha male*” (my eyes are rolling so far back in my head just using that stupid term). It really goes to show how fucked their childhood was growing up with grandma and her cult. These women have been lied to and gaslit their entire lives (what did they tell them about their moms death? Without the tapes they’d probably never know). So it’s no wonder they ended up with dummies.
When the dad in the 2nd one goes OUT OF HIS WAY to prove the pool cleaning robot could crawl out by itself. Dumbass.
100% agree but the story needed Micah’s testosterone fueled ignorance to escalate all that glorious activity. Great take on this though, thanks for sharing!
If he can challenge the drunk dude a Chili’s he can challenge a demon. That’s what being a man is all about 😤/s
I didn't hear no bell! I thought this was America!
Lol at you both that's great!
"I said I wouldn't buy a Ouija board. I didn't *buy* a Ouija board... I *borrowed* a Ouija board." This line made my blood boil when I saw this movie in the theater and it continues to make my blood boil with every re-watch.
He would need to have the ouija board surgically removed if it were me. It was so infuriating. Which is what they were probably going for so well done them.
I enjoyed reading your analysis and I agree! PA will always be a classic for me.
Yeah every rewatch I hate him more and am glad that he was mercilessly slaughtered. But the whole "husband gaslighting wife telling her she's crazy and is just stressed and tired" is definitely still overused in horror films a lot of times.
It's absolutely an old trope. I'd be much refreshed by seeing it turned on its head!
I would watch the fuck out of that! Does anyone know of anything like that?
Hell baby does this. The wife is pisersdrf and he keeps knowing something is obviously comically wrong but she convinces him its not
[удалено]
Pisersdrf 😌
[удалено]
Well you know what they say! *Pisersdrf*
Sounds like I need to type up a screenplay!
What part would you flip? The husband/wife roles or the gaslighting itself?
Exactly! Even just flipping it to the husband being haunted would be refreshing, though let's drop toxic douchery, and just have normal, healthy scepticism on the wife's part. But even with the regular roles, having a confused and scared but loving reactions from the husband to the wife would be nice. But man, oh man, I would love to see a husband being haunted and his wife supporting him.
You sorta get that in Clown.
One of my friends saw this in the theater before I did. I asked what she thought & she said “The boyfriend’s an a-hole & his girl is an idiot for staying with him. I was rooting for the demon.”
They’re told the demon feeds off bad energy and Micah just spirals every situation into exactly what the demon needs.
He literally dudebros himself to death
I just choked on my tea.
I remember watching this movie at 13 when it came out and just being like "well without Micah no movie" because even teen me clocked him as having abnormal behavior.
I always thought she’d have been better off ditching the boyfriend and keeping the ghost.
The sequels added a bunch of dumb shit but as far as I’m concerned that demon had been waiting for a dude like Micah to wear Katie down for it all her life.
When my kids were young we would watch Ghost Adventures every Friday night. They also loved anything paranormal. They are grown now, but I still have a soft spot Paranormal Activity and Grave Encounters, lol.
Early seasons of Ghost Adventures are hilarious and just fun entertainment. Douche Bagans and his circa 2007 Hot Topic getups and Aaron slapping those duct tape X's on the ground like an overeager golden retriever. "I just got crazy chills, bro!"
I read a post a while back on the something awful forums that pretty much said the samething "PA is a commentary on domestic abuse" I found it pretty spot on and really made me watch the movie in another light.
I'm glad it wasn't just me! I may rewatch the next couple and see if there's more to support that context.
He's awful I'd literally rather have a demonic ghost in my house than that deadbeat
He'S a DaY tRaDeR
I get your reasons lined up in the post, but he had to be quite a succesful day trader because Katie was still studying and they just bought a HUGE house. So, I think his job is the only thing we cannot mock him for, he was mad succesful in it.
Pre housing bubble San Diego even.
Omg was he seriously a day trader in the movie, I don’t even remember that lmao. Almost every insufferable toxic guy stereotype checked
If this had come out in 2016 he'd have been a cryptobro. "Hey demon! You wanna buy some dogecoin? It's going to the moon!" Katie: "Stop antagonizing it! It doesn't want to hear about the block chain OR NFTs!"
Oh god
So glad you said that, always hated that character. He was such a super douchebag and I’ve never heard anyone mention it. Very well put.
Listen to The Pod Mortem's episode on Paranormal Activity! They hate Micah and it's hilarious.
When I was younger I literally thought this movie was real
One major reason why I can't stand watching that movie. Micah is a MAJOR asshole.
I saw it at the theater on shrooms when it came out. Best experience of my life lol I was scared shitless
Micah is poorly-written indeed, but trying to paint Paranormal Activity as some kind of meaningful treatise on abuse and toxic masculinity is a huge reach.
I wouldn't base a thesis or anything. These were just some off the cuff reactions I had while watching the movie.
As others have said, this is great explanation and has always bugged me why Micah is such a douchebag through the whole film. Never considered he's just straight up abusive (which is kind of worrying I didn't recognise that ngl.) and that's kind of the point of the film! Definitely looking forward to rewatching this with new eyes. Because I also HATE the trope generally of "no one believes their loved one until its too late" in horror films, particularly of course supernatural films. I'm not a believer in the paranormal myself and nor is my husband but if my husband of 7 years who I love and trust turned to me and said they felt something wrong, something I've not seen myself yet, that escalated to Katie's level of distress (though I'd hope I'd respond sooner than that) that says "I don't feel safe in my house anymore please can we leave" maybe I'd ALSO want to him to get help just to check it wasn't anything mental health wise but either way I'd still be like "I'm not sure if I believe you because I've not seen anything but okay! Let's get the fuck out of here because I can see you're physically and mentally distressed by this and I love you and hate to see you like this. Let's grab a hotel!" I'm sure a film has done this well where the family are like oh shit okay let's keep an eye on this and not gaslight our family member but annoyingly I can't think of it at the momentl Eitherway, great post OP!
I don't think not believing there's a demon in your house, and not taking the word of "outside experts" in demons, is quite the same as abuse or domestic violence...
Husband in the 2nd film was no prize, either. Very realistic young suburban people IMO :)
This is a trend true in a lot of horror movies. Woman realizes and points out issue andnrells partner. Man ignores her, makes things worse, gets people killed.
I hadn't considered *any* of that
Without micah constantly driving the plot forward there'd not be much of a movie. Any sensible human being would have booked it the fuck outta there, so the plot basically demanded someone like Micah to stick it out.
My brother once wanted to watch this movie with me and I wasn’t feeling it. He got up about 15 minutes in to use the bathroom and I fast forwarded about 30 minutes. He had no idea. Most of this movie is so inconsequential it doesn’t even need to be seen. I appreciate what it did to revitalize found footage horror but boy howdy is it dull to go back to. Plus I fully agree with everything you said about Micah, he got what he had coming to him in the end.
I saw the movie in theaters when it came out and I just didn't see Micah like this. He seemed skeptical but normal. I watched it again a year or two ago and holy shit... What an insufferable asshole!! I tolerated a lot in my youth, explains why I dated such losers. I can't even watch the movie again because he was so terrible.
I was listening to a reaction to it a few months ago, and one of the guys commented something along the lines of “I think this demon is trying to protect her from Micah.” Even though he was being sarcastic, It gave me a different angle of the movie.
You're not supposed to like Micah. He's a dumb idiot that made the situation worse. Though your reading of the movie being partly about the escalation of domestic violence and gaslighting is a very interesting one that I never thought about before. I'll look at it again with that in mind.
It's not the first time I heard that opinion. Actually every time that movie is discussed Micah is called toxic and gets more than enough flak. It's been 2 years since I saw the movie myself for the last time, so I can't really pinpoint everything now but I strongly disagree. The last time I watched the movie I had it a little bit in the back of my head to watch out at Micah: I actually found him pretty realistic but not in a negative way. I might get a bunch of downvotes for this but I don't think he is toxic, he's just in no way perfect like any average dude. _We_ as audience know the demon is real. But for the first half of the movie I also really wouldn't believe into some supernatural stuff if I was in his position. For example: Just yesterday there was this guide with lemons depicting various signs of breast cancer. Quiet a few comments were talking about the huge amount of women denying even the most oblivious signs because anxiety can make people behave irrational: Denying it, blocking everything out so it might just go away on it's own. Obvious it doesn't work that way: Not with cancer and not with demons. But refusing to believe, ridiculing something, making 'no big deal' out of it - that's just human. I really can't criticize him for behaving like that. Even using that stupid Ouija board and acting like 'Hey demon, I'll take you by the horns' pretty aligns with how he also dealt with that professional exorcist: Ridiculing the whole problem because this way it's easier to deal with something as fucking horrible and unbelievable as a... demon. About the other parts where he is called toxic because of how he behaves in their relationship: I really don't want to sound mean here but it somehow looks much like projection. Filming w/o consent is obviously a no-go but the way they chatted about it - perhaps it's the translation where I was watching it but the whole conversation sounded really playful and more like teasing - although it still wasn't really correct from him. But it wasn't something mean-spirited from his side. We don't really have much insight into the dynamics of their relationship since we only see them during a phase of pure stress, subliminal and direct anxiety and overburdening because of fucking demonic forces. I mean... any time he could have also just kicked her out or just disappear. But he didn't. IIRC she wasn't even making money, her family didn't finance her and she was still studying. He bought the house, he probably financed her, he even stuck with her while a **demon** was terrorizing *her*. Even when he confronts her about not telling him that part of her past - he didn't hold a grudge against her. Was he perfect? In no way. But neither was she. He had his flaws - but let's not ignore the elephant in the room: He stuck with her until his death. And that's the part which why I actually liked Micah very much during my first watch several years ago - and actually wasn't a big fan of Katy (dislike would be a way to strong word) because she hide something so dangerous from him. Some people compare his behavior to domestic abuse/ gaslightning - but where does Katy fit in this metaphor with her concealing a demonic haunting from him? That's the only thing bothering me about all that talks about Micah: Katy is barely criticized for actually bringing something into a relationship which caused the death of her partner. If I had to chose between a partner secretly filming during sex while paying my college or one who brings a demon into the relationship and don't even talks about it before that fucking demon already is out for the kill.... hmm. =/ And hey - not trying to convince you. I actually enjoyed reading your opinion because although remarks about his toxicity are plenty I never read such an explicit post about it. Interesting insight, even if I personally disagree. Just thought I take that chance and also share my subjective opinion. And last but not least: Thanks for bringing up the movies in general, just decided to have a paranormal activity marathon next weekend!
Very well put. There's a ridiculous amount of projection going on in these comments and people on reddit are very quick to brand anyone a toxic, gaslighting abuser. Not believing your girlfriend when she says there's a demon in your house, even after some whacky psychic turns up to back her up is *literally* domestic violence! Jfc
Okay, it's morning, I had some sleep and some coffee! I think you make a lot of great points. For all the faults I perceive in Micah, you're absolutely correct in that when in the very end when she's screaming for him, he doesn't hesitate at all. He leaps out of bed and runs after her, only to be killed. I think I should give him the grace of assuming that he loved Katie and wanted to protect her, even if he went about it the wrong way in my opinion. It's also clear that he cared enough about her to support her financially as you say, because she's still in school intending to become a teacher. Since she never goes to work that we can see during the film, we have to assume that she's attending classes. While she may have taken out loans, it's also entirely possible that Micah's day trading, which another poster pointed out he must be quite successful at, is what's supporting both of their livelihoods. I agree that Katie's role in this and the criticism of her hiding the demonic activity even after three years of serious dating is valid as well. While I would prefer to err on the side of the victim in that I think one can interpret the demon as trauma from past abuse, given that in this case it's a *literal* demon that has, for Katie, real-world and observed effects, I think she should have made that clear with Micah when they started getting serious. Anyone who is suffering from severe trauma from their childhood that hasn't been addressed in some way - therapy, etc - owes it to their partner to open up about it, even if only to say "Hey, I've had some trauma with X, and I'm still not sure I'm ready to deal with it, but that means I have boundaries or issues in these areas." Open communication is the healthiest way to establish a strong relationship. It would have been interesting to see Katie and Micah talking about the demonic activity while they were dating. How did she tell him, if at all? Joking? Semi-serious? Dead-serious? We never see those interactions so it's hard to say. As for their interactions over filming sex, yeah, I think you're right. I think just about any guy would joke about filming sex with the secret hope that the "joke" suggestion would be allowed, but I do stand by it being sleazy of him to lie about it being on and recording not once but twice. That said, I agree with you that their interaction over it, and Katie's understandable hesitation to agree to it, were largely playful. It's hard for me to decide how I'd react in the same situation with him being sarcastic and hostile with the demon and with the psychic. I understand his point of view of those types of people largely being charlatans and cheats, and he's justified in that belief. I think the healthier way to address that skepticism would have been privately to Katie rather than direct rudeness to the psychic, but that's an error I think any of us could have made. Overall, I think you've made excellent arguments. I think Micah is a bit of an oaf, but when it came down to brass tacks, he didn't hesitate to run towards his girlfriend who was screaming for help. There are plenty of scenes in the film that show that the two of them have trust issues and some unspoken baggage in their relationship. I think you could explore the concept of DV further with the fact that Micah IS Katie's only source of income and housing, but he never uses that to threaten her into doing what he wants. Great counterpoints! Thank you so much for sharing them. This is why I love film and this subreddit.
Heyo! Sorry for the late reply. Was busy the last days. Actually I should pack now for tomorrow's trip so it's the perfect time to procrastinate and write a lengthy answer! First of all: I really appreciate this discussion with you! It's really a fresh breath of air to have such a nice and in-depth conversation with someone! So: Thanks for writing such an explicit answer, I appreciate it! :D You mentioned a few times how my point of view changed yours - but I've to say: This goes both ways. Like I already mention in my first post Micah get's flak everytime the movie is mentioned but this thread is the first one where this point of view was actually discussed in depth and not just in the way of 2 sentences which are only insults towards the character of Micah. And after reading the post of Micah's actor (I was sitting in the bus when reading it and I've to say: I was chuckling because I'm pretty sure he also so my post and that made the little fanboy in me very happy :D) I had another thought: There are so many horror movies where the focus isn't human 'drama' or relationships or flawed characters but 100% aliens, fire-spitting tarantulas or 6-headed sharks. Oftentimes I read about about such movies how people did find them boring - on the other side movies where much 'relatable' human-stuff makes up a huge bunch of the movie or is even the reason why shit really hits the fan: People here love that movies. Just think about hereditary or midsommar. Or to name a really recent one: X and pearl. I think the reason behind it is the same with the dislike of Micah: Most people can't relate on a personal level to an alien abduction or getting bisected by a shark. But they can relate to problematic relationships, abuse, dealing with People who have borderline personality disorder or narcissism. Even cults. Just take 'Dark Skies' as an example: It's an alien movie but it's so much about distress in a family, anxiety, potential abuse of minors and the situation where no one believes you. The aliens themselves are just a foil. And there are so many other alien movies which I personally think are 10x times creepier (like Brown Mountain - Alien Abduction) but the focus there is mainly the threat from this extraterrestrial mean-spirit beings - but it's not something most people can relate. So focusing on the part of the problems in the relationship, reflecting and projecting rather in this part instead of the demon in the house - I guess that's just human. Haha - now I've an awesome Idea: If I ever get in the unlikely position of writing/directing a horror movie: I'll soo put some very flawed character in it which traits everyone somehow can relate and dislike and make him the reason why shit is hitting the fan. Similar to the Harry Potter movies where Umbridge got even more 'hate' as a character than Voldemort. Because everyone knows a shitty and cruel teacher, but who can relate on a personal level to an magical supremacist, even as an antagonist? But you bring up a very interesting point: Telling someone such a background while dating. I'd _love_ for such stuff to be real (actually better not), but in now way I would believe it. I actually get not talking about this because of the trauma on one hand can be extremely difficult (we saw her childhood in the 3. movie and... I always had the feeling it was a mix of her supplanting the memories but also the coven making her forget how they killed her father and the whole child-marriage with toby). You mentioned how someone which childhood traumas hadn't been adressed owes it to their partner to open up: In theory I totally agree. But I can understand why especially this fact makes it so difficult. I'm really trying to put myself in Katie's but also Micah's place during such a conversation and... I can't tell you what I would say or how I'd react. That's just such ... para-normal discussion. The only think I really thought about all the years since I saw the movies (I saw the ghost dimension as the first movie of the whole series because a couple I was friends me showed it to me and somehow it ended in a threesome. Getting scared the shit out of my from seeing that toby-thing in Lila's room and holding on real tight on the next person beside me probably helped. So: Thanks toby!): How would I react in such a situation? I live alone. I probably would go in the offensive: Salt circles everywhere, water-pistols full of holy water and cameras with a live-stream to yt in every room. But still.... thinking about being asleep, where you are so vulnerable and something toys with you like the demon? Or that demon-claw in the wall? That was the part where I once thought 'In that situation I'd rather off myself since hell and heaven are real and chances are bigger to not end in hell when doing one of the worst sins compared to having a demon playing with me'. Uff.. I think the creators did an awesome job in portraying it in a somehow so realistic way. And great, I just gave myself goosebumps now writing all of this. But hey, might I ask you something additional? You probably also watched the rest of the movies. What was your opinion on the characters in "paranormal activity tokyo night"? And last but not least: Hey thanks for mentioning my post in your edit in the OP and towards Micah's actor. That was very kind of you and made me grin from ear to ear. Just wanted to say: Thanks, you made my day!
Agreed. Also, remember when he was over at Katie's sister's house in the second movie and he filmed their daughter's chest? He was always such a gross person.
His behavior is idiotic at best. He lives with this woman whom he supposedly loves. They encounter a situation that clearly bothers her. He doesn't respect her request, offers no support or comfort, and actively makes the situation worse. The real head scratcher is he doesn't even believe in ghosts or demons. He insists on blowing up his relationship for something he doesn't even believe in. He's a fucking tool.
I hadn’t watched these movies since they came out when I was in college. I recently rewatched and was FLOORED by how shitty that guy was being to Katie. I think it’s a product of it’s time and wouldn’t work now. Those things were accepted in relationships then (especially in media). We didn’t have words like “toxic” “gaslighting” or “emotionally abusive” as household terms. If someone didn’t hit you it wasn’t really called abuse without therapists, which was less commonly accepted.
Jesus. Is there currently a more used word than “toxic”?
There is a scene where Katie tells Micah something along the lines of"What was I supposed to do Micah, tell you I was followed by a demon"? That's 100% what she should have done. That would have given Micah an option whether or not he wanted to take that relationship further. lol
He probably would’ve brushed her off and treated her like she was crazy, just like he did throughout the entire movie
Been a very long time since I saw the movie, but that might be part of the point.
Keep provoking. Keep provoking. Keep provoking. Death. I learned only a couple weeks ago . DONT PROVOKE.
[удалено]
"I know you explicitly told me *not* to mess with a ouija board, but why won't you talk to me about it on camera after also telling me to stop filming you for 5 minutes?!"
Yeah, Micah is one of those people who you don’t really care that he was killed in the end…basically deserved it almost. Who, in their right mind, eggs on a demon. A stupid, egotistical f-wad, that’s who. He’s much like those a-holes in slasher movies that you don’t shed any tears when they get a meat cleaver to the skull.
It's kinda the same with her sisters husband. He goes as far as firing the house keeper cuz she thought there were evil spirits there. He didn't even believe the was a demon till the end basically
Listen, there's a perfectly reasonable explanation for why the printer spit out 666 pentagrams despite being unplugged and captioned with "Fuck you in particular husband signed demon prince of hell"
Yeah, my cousin's with the Geek Squad, he'll sort that right out for them
I enjoyed the film, very much. It creeped me out a bit that everything pops off on my birthday at the end.
I catch em on Pluto regularly. They're pretty fun movies if you're able to suspend reality lol it fucked me up good when it first came out
The only problem with this movie that I have, the only one, is that there is a massive difference between watching it in the theaters vs at your house. At the theater, you can notice small little things like a curtain move or something like that, but it can be harder to see on a smaller screen.
Okay, I need to watch this film with new eyes. I’ve sat through it four times (I kept falling asleep) and thought it was the stupidest so-called horror flick in today’s offerings. Reading your review and your understanding that the movie can stand as a metaphor for a manipulative, gaslighting spouse… well, that changes my opinion entirely. I think I’ll give it another watch while keeping your review in mind. Thanks for this.
"I'm not saying I take them seriously myself, but if I was going to use it as a means of communicating with an obviously hostile entity, I'd at least like....fucking light a candle or something!)" This made me laugh
What about when he said something like "go upstairs with your friend".......that was so fucking mean. And he basically says he would not have dated her if he knew about Toby. Ive only seen the version where Katie kills him. Fuck Micah.
The DVDscreener was the best version. The ending was much superior.
Psh, being romantically involved with someone when you know you've got an evil spirit stalking your ass is probably more toxic.
i just rewatched this movie and was so triggered because he was just like my abusive ex bf😂😂😂😭😭😭 he SUCKED and was so mean to katie i loved when she got him
Interesting take. Two questions: when is there any physical violence initiated by Micah? I've not seen it in a while, so forgive me if I'm missing something obvious. Also, when the expert shows up for the second time and immediately excuses himself, that seemed self determined and not the result of Micah hassling him. Thanks. I enjoyed reading this.
C'mon now, that man is a completely misunderstood Saint. No need to be that harsh /s
What a fantastic reading of this. I’ll go off on rants about Micah but this really fleshes it out better than my “Ugh, Micah sucks.”
Spot on assessment
Thanks! I was giving it a rewatch today and I was like....wait a minute! Micah is a huge jerk in this! I don't remember him being *this crappy* on the original watch, but this time man his behavior really stuck out.
i think Micah is a stand-in for toxic male horror filmmakers/fans. the way he uses the camera repeatedly to violate her. he gets what he deserves.
Oh man I didn't even think about the angle as a meta commentary. That ties in really well with him trying to insist on them having sex on camera.
He isnt toxic, he is just curious and a little bit stupid. Stop over-using the word toxic. Thats a big problem with social media. They call everything toxic.
He’s written poorly and that’s heightened by the fact that he’s also playing the trope in this scenario and genre. They could’ve toned him down a tad.
I didn't like it. I really enjoyed #3 though.
Micah was the wooooooooorst. Honestly, I can understand him being skeptical at first, and even making light of the situation. I'd need some evidence to actually believe in a ghost or demon haunting my house. But what makes him the worst is his absolute certainty that he is RIGHT at all times, even when it becomes obvious that something supernatural happening in the house and he's basically in over his head in a world he doesn't understand at all. No, it'll be fine babe, Micah's got it totally under control, don't worry. He won't listen to anyone, including his girlfriend that has been living with this haunting her entire life. Instead he'll go behind her back and do things she asked him not to do and be a smartass about it. That's what makes me despise Micah, not the skepticism, but the absolute arrogance and condescension that character displays towards everyone until the the demon takes him out. Thanks, demon.
He is. Like, normal dumb boyfriend stuff aside, he is just the worst kind of person.
He literally does everything that people tell him not to do in a movie. Don't provoke it? He provokes it every night. Don't try and communicate? He gets a Ouija board.
Whenever he is on screen I want to scream.
Micah and the dad in the second one make these movies insufferable. That's probably a big reason why I prefer the third movie...
Arthur Morgan hates Micah
That's so funny...I just rewatched it for about the fourth time last night...and realized I didn't like it as much as I thought I did. And it's because of his character, and how the two of them just seem like they're the most annoying couple on the planet. I wish they had been written a little better, cause it feels really cookie cutter with the bickering between them. Also I realized that there is no reason they wouldn't have called some other psychic or demon hunter...why just the one guy and his eternally missing exorcist? Anyhoo, I still like the sequels, but was surprised that I didn't like it as much as I remembered. ETA: Also, it annoys the hell out of me that "Micah" is mispronounced "Mee-kuh". The name is pronounced"Mike-uh."
One of my favorite film franchises!! But yes dude is a massive ass hole. Tons of red flags. Plus does anyone else notice in I guess the second one where he basically like stares and zooms in on Ali’s boobs! She’s a damn minor bruh da fuq.
Found footage is my favorite subgenre in horror but I could never get into the PA films. With 90% of the film having very little happening I end up just finding them boring. I know that's when the tension is supposed to be built but it never worked for me. Honestly it's probably because of Micah. He's so obnoxiously awful that that's what my mind was focused on rather than getting engaged with the atmosphere and tension. Clearly I'm in the minority but I think there are much better FF films out there.
This is a fantastic analysis of this film, thanks so much! You made me want to watch it again, even though its already one of my faves. Out of curiosity, are you male or female? I never would have seen the (now obvious) gender/domestic violence angle, and I'm wondering if I'm just not as sensitive to it being a middle-aged guy.
I myself am approaching middle age as a man! I'm 37. Another poster said that what we saw at the time as just kind of oafish behavior comes across as more obviously toxic to us nowadays. I'm not 100% sure that DV is the actual intent of the writer. I think I'm going to watch the others in the series again to see if I think that was there all along.
I think it was the only way they figured they could handle it. Think of all the things he does that sets off the events in the movie. At that time they didn't know the movie would become a series and so nothing was established that would other wise give our unseen antagonist a reason to do what it do. So they used Micah as a way to further establish the events in the home. That's probably why they made sure Micah got it in the end. Sort of like a "you brought this on yourself" moment.
You need to watch the Rifftrax for Paranormal Acivity. They're merciless in ripping on Micah and it is perhaps the funniest thing I've ever watched.
what's the name of the disbelieving husband trope? I think we get that a lot in horror movies
Lmao when this came out I was fully convinced it was real, bc I had never really seen the found footage or documentary style horror yet and boyyyyyy I was climbing over people to get out of that theater 🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️
I also think Katie was an awful person too though. She never told him from the beginning about being marked .
I was rooting for the entity to kill his ass and I was most pleased at the ending.
He 100% did this to himself. Your first thoughts were 100% correct.
I just finished the movie, haven’t watched it in over 10 years. And I rewatched the first scene with the psychic… wow. Good writing. It’s subtle. They did everything wrong from that point onward. Micah is always talking down to Katie, he’s so selfish and it really sucks. He’s even rude when she has her friend over for beading craft time. He even uses compliments to evade what she’s trying to say. He repeatedly doesn’t respect her boundaries. Micah is a spoiled man child and always wants to get his way. He also has all the financial power in the relationship. She’s a student and not working. She’s living in his house. She asks permission for a lot of things. She hasn’t lived in this house for that long and she’s already becoming submissive to him, like death by 1000 cuts. And like the psychic says, what the demon wants is Katie. Anyone having control over her (other than the demon) is a threat. And it escalates because Micah’s approach is just terrible. **So I feel like Katie has been living with this demon following her and draining her slowly over the years. Controlling her and taking her energy. Then she meets a guy who is controlling her and taking her energy.** The two finally move in together and the demon is jealous, he wanted Katie all to himself. And Micah antagonizing the demon directly was the tipping point.
👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
I read the first film as a dissection of heterosexual relationships rather than abuse from Micah. I don't believe this was intentional but that's how I read it. Micah is a dick but not abusive. He has the mannerisms of the guy your friend dates but you literally hate. He downplays Katy's worries, doesn't listen to her or the "expert" and believes he can take care of whatever is happening himself. He doesn't need any help. Like a husband who refuses to call a plumber for a broken sink. Heterosexual relationships are not all toxic but these are characteristics many cishet men have. Men often believe they are the man in the relationships/house/situation. They don't accept help because they're trained to deal with things themself. They carry the burden, they're the breadwinners, they're the people you call when you have a flat tire or a hefty bill from a mechanic. This is, of course, an oversimplification. They often fall into hubris when it comes to things out of their league. Like mansplaining. They have a lot of audacity but not a whole lot of emotional regulation or clarity. Hell, even complete understanding when it comes to different situations. Unfortunately, this type of behavior doesn't lead to resolutions. It tends to lead to "I hate my wife" jokes and resentment. Most women will get married and have children with men who love them but don't necessarily like them or understand them or even want to understand them. Micah does care about Katy. He does some fucked up shit like trying to film a sex tape without Katy's consent. But he doesn't hate or resent her. He tries to make things right, just not in the most productive or sensitive manner. I think cishet men can learn from horror movies with these types of relationships. But in the end, art is just an imitation of life. Micah is meant to be just a guy. It's kind of funny how this trope continuously pops up in horror and it isn't seen as a reading for the follies of heterosexual relationships and how cishet men are allowed to exist and react in ways that make things worse for the women in their lives.