Starring: Sprague Grayden, Brian Boland, Molly Ephraim
Directed by: Tod Williams (“The Door in the Floor”)
Written by: Michael R. Perry (debut)

After the first film hauled in a shocking $108 million domestically last year while only taking a measly $11,000 to make, there was absolutely no doubt Paramount Pictures would strike again this fall with the sequel “Paranormal Activity 2.”

Like the original, “PA2” (actually a prequel) has been shrouded in secrecy so moviegoers are not familiar with much of the storyline. If you’d like to keep it that way, don’t read any farther.

In “PA2,” Katie (Katie Featherston) and Micah (Micah Sloat), the couple who are haunted by a demon in the first film, are relegated to supporting roles. This time Katie’s sister Kristi (Sprague Grayden), her husband David (Brian Boland), teenage daughter Ali (Molly Ephraim), toddler son Hunter, and their German shepherd Abby are the ones who start experiencing strange occurrences in their home during all hours of the night.

Their housekeeper/nanny Martine (Vivis Cortez) swears there are bad spirits in the house, but David ignores her intuition even when video evidence shows some freakish things happening inside and around the house.

Slowly paced for the first half before the supernatural events really start getting out of hand, “PA2” is a rare second film in a horror series that actually lives up to it’s predecessor’s hype.

There’s also more at stake in “PA2,” which makes it all the more frightening. Eerily silent moments, long establishing shots seen through night vision security cameras, and a clever tie-in to the first movie make “PA2” an unsettling experience for anyone who shudders when even the slightest things go bump in the night.