Of all the names that I expected to pop up as a possible director for Paranormal Activity 2: Book of Shadows, Brian De Palma wasn’t even remotely among them. At all. In any way. I might have guessed Sergei Eisenstein before I would have guessed Brian De Palma.
But according to the LA Times he’s in the mix, and you know what? He’s a great choice. If Paranormal Activity 2 follows the first film’s video camera POV gag, De Palma could be the perfect director. Yeah, I know he kind of boned that POV stuff in Redacted, but maybe he learned his lesson. And the idea of a voyeuristic gaze being the central conceit of a De Palma film… well, he’s all about that! The more I think about it the more I think that a Paranormal Activity 2 from De Palma could be incredible. As for whether it would be profitable… well, that’s Paramount’s problem.
The other names the LA Times reports as being in the ring are Greg McLean, the Aussie behind Wolf Creek, and Brad Anderson, who between The Machinist and Transsiberian seems a little too ambitious to take the gig. But what do I know? Everybody needs money some times.
Whoever comes on has a helluva slog ahead of them. The movie has no script or actors, but it has a release date of Halloween. This year! Eight months from now. Let’s see who can get this fucker turned around that quickly.