Trailer: Paranormal Activity

There's so much buzz surrounding this low-budget horror flick it's too bad that seeing it might not be that easy. The backstory to the release of this Blair Witch-y movie is a knotty one: made two years ago by Oren Peli, it was originally picked up by Dreamworks, who didn't really know what to do with it but had plans to remake it, only to back off when industry insiders who saw it gave it the thumbs up (among them Steven Spielberg apparently). The film is now being handled by Paramount, who is giving it a limited release in the States (IMDB has NZ's release date as January 2010, but who knows if that'll stick at this stage?). Unfortunately they - or whoever organised the event - totally made a mess of a free screening of the film in New York that has angered a lot of people. Read about this horror story here.

Interestingly, they've devised an interesting strategy to gauge interest by allowing fans to "demand it" on this website. So if you want to see Paranormal Activity in your town - and if you're a self-respecting scary movie fan you will want to - please register your vote! Here's the trailer complete with night-vision audience reactions and all:

15 Minutes of Avatar To Be Screened for Free

A lot of people are excited about this, but I'm not particularly crazy about the idea. I don't really have any interest in seeing 15 minutes of any film out of context - that's what trailers are for. Cameron has kept us hidden in the dark for so long, couldn't he wait a few more months and just show us the entire thing in one go? I think this'll ruin the magic of being completely surprised by the film (trailers are just as guilty these days). But if you're keen click here to see the details of the screening times and venues. Here's the first official still of the film that's been released. It's a shot of star Sam Worthington and his avatar in the background: