This edition of Versus should probably incorporate Neill Blomkamp somehow as his extraordinary film District 9 kind of paved the way for more low(ish) budget/high concept films.  Even better, he did it by creating an imaginative short film called Alive In Joburg first which I included below.

XTRA: I  Call These Movies…  Awesome Movies.

It’s an inspiring tale that opened doors for talented directors like Oren Peli and Gareth Edwards to make their mark.

Paranormal Activity was my favorite movie of 2009.

Director Oren Peli did an amazing job with a tiny budget and created a massively successful horror franchise.  He proved that it doesn’t take a ton of money to create a horrific atmosphere if you have a solid concept and clear direction.

2010′s Monsters showed us that you don’t need a massive budget to create a successful alien invasion story.

Director Gareth Edwards created the incredible visual effects by himself but more than that, he created an pretty fantastic film driven by wonderful characters.

Each took relatively small budgets (Peli especially with a budget of $15,000) and armed with entertaining stories, launched themselves into the Hollywood spotlight.

Sometimes all it takes is a good idea and the passion to pull it off.  Blomkamp did it and is now seen as one of the leading young directors today.

So which director will win this battle?  Lets break it down.

The Hype

Paranormal Activity

Oren Peli and company made this film in 2007.  It was a long time before it got into the hands of Steven Spielberg.

The marketing team did an incredible job of creating hype for this film.  Basically, daring people to demand it in their cities.  Using the web, social media and positive word of mouth, a tremendous amount of hype was generated.

And the film delivered as promised.

Monsters

This film didn’t get nearly enough publicity leading up to it’s release.  It’s unfortunate.

I did like how they released it online.  I wish it was available somewhere On Demand in Canada early on.  I would have definitely payed to rent it.

Instead, I was forced to wait.

Winner: Paranormal Activity

The Directors

These films are both incredibly alike and incredibly different.  Both films involve 2 main characters facing enormous challenges and both keep things relatively simple.  Where they differ is scale.

Paranormal Activity

Shot in one house with hand held techniques.  The ‘found footage’ style is executed perfectly and provides some of the best scares in recent memory.  Peli does a fantastic job showing you just enough to keep you at the edge of your seat while holding back for the spectacular finale.

Monsters

Monsters is a much more polished film.  While P.A remains locked in one location, Monsters takes you on a journey filled with Aliens, Armies, Battles and much more.  Edwards has a great eye for visual effects.  You’d never know they were done on such a low budget.

Using clever placements of signs, debris and other effects, the director creates a perfect ‘Infected Zone’ that pulls you into the story.

I give the edge to Monsters here for the sheer scale the director managed to achieve.

Winner: Monsters

The Cast

Paranormal Activity

Both main characters did a great job selling the story to the audience but there were still moments here and there where it felt a little over the top.

Monsters

The strength of this film is the character work and a lot of credit has to go to the cast.

Winner: Monsters

The Films

Paranormal Activity

To this day it remains one of the best theater experiences I’ve ever had.  Such a simple concept.  Such an entertaining movie.

Review

Monsters

Monsters had a different impact on me.  The way the film is presented was inspiring.  I may not know a lot about visual effects but I’ve certainly applied it to my screenwriting.  I’m no longer afraid to go a little further instead of constantly worrying about escalating costs.

Review

Winner: Tie

The Reactions

Paranormal Activity

Rotten Tomatoes: 82%

Monsters

Rotten Tomatoes: 72%

Winner: Paranormal Activity

The Cash

Source: Box Office Mojo

Paranormal Activity

Budget: $15,000

Worldwide Box Office: $193,355,800

A staggering number.

“How much profit?”

“Oh just 193 million…  No biggie.”

Monsters

Budget: $500,000

Worldwide Box Office:$2,724,490

It’s unfortunate the film didn’t get a larger release.

Winner: Paranormal Activity

The Future

Paranormal Activity

The film will now be a trilogy of demonic madness and I can’t wait to see how it all ends.

XTRA: Wouldn’t It Be Awesome If Paranormal Activity 3 Was About…

Oren Peli didn’t direct the second or the upcoming third installment but he has served as a writer and producer on the projects.

He also has another ‘found footage’ film coming out that centers on aliens and more specifically on Area 51.

XTRA: Paranormal Activity 2 review

Monsters

Early word has surfaced that Gareth Edwards will be taking on Godzilla next.  If that’s the case, it will be a while before we see anything new so the edge still goes to Peli.

Winner: Paranormal Activity

Overall

Each category is worth one point with ties counting as a point for each.

Paranormal Activity: 5 Points

Monsters: 3 Points

The Winner: Paranormal Activity

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I’m a happy film fan these days.

More and more, there are films being released that I absolutely adore.  These films are unique, original and incredibly entertaining.

The only problem is I can’t figure out what to call them.

Big concept/Character driven?

Found Footage?

Low Budget cost with Big Budget looks?

Take your pick or suggest a better one by commenting below.

I’m a huge fan of the usual suspects like Scorsese, Spielberg, Jackson, Tarantino and more.  Personally, you can add J.J Abrams to that list.

Yet, more and more I find myself drawn to some new filmmakers out there creating absolute masterpieces.

Some of them are even mentored by the titans of the industry. District 9 was produced by Peter Jackson while J.J Abrams seems to have a hand in every awesome movie being released.  (Cloverfield, Star Trek, Mission Impossible 3 to name a few.)

This new trend of mixing independent style (and budget) with high concept stories is literally changing everything.

What started years ago with The Blair Witch Project has now gone mainstream and exploded into huge blockbusters.

District 9 was the first.

I think District 9 is responsible for bringing the independent feel to blockbuster films.

Thanks to these types of films, the line between studio and independent is disappearing.  Pulling off an incredible movie no longer takes a gargantuan amount of cash.  All it takes is an idea and the commitment to execute.

It was produced with a moderately small budget considering the subject matter and earned both financial and critical success.

District 9 relied on it’s amazingly original concept, well executed effects and the strength of the story and characters.  Director Neill Blomkamp brought the story back to the forefront.

Audiences are smarter now and we demand good great stories.  The summer’s biggest movies were packed with massive set pieces and effects sequences but many lacked the necessary amount of heart needed to connect to the story.

Cloverfield

Things got even better when Cloverfield’s marketing campaign took over the internet.

J.J Abrams and Co. brought the mystery back to the movie trailer.

I remember sitting in the theater wondering…

What the hell is this?!

What is this movie called!?

Giant monster movie?  Found footage? It started an amazing trend I feared would one day become overused but so far I’m not complaining.

Cloverfield completely reinvented the ‘Monster’ movie by creating a unique experience for movie goers.

We didn’t need to see the monster every 5 minutes.  We needed to be engaged in the mystery and ride along with the main characters.

Monsters & Skyline

Those movies opened the door for 2010′s monster/alien invasion in the form of Monsters and Skyline.

Not too mention The Troll Hunter and many more movies made on a smaller scale but with HUGE IDEAS.

NOTE: I’m not entirely sure about The Troll Hunter but it definitely looks like a crazy/weird ride.

Paranormal Activity

Paranormal Activity came along and proved that with enough creativity and dedication, you can turn $15,000 into over 100 million.

Unbelievable.

Director Oren Peli created my favorite movie of 2009 by creating a horrific and completely gripping story.  When it works it works.

Technically, it’s worked twice as 2010′s follow up was equally chilling.  Read my full review here.

I for one cannot wait to see the Peli’s next film.  The alien themed: Area 51.

Even big action directors like Roland Emmerich are jumping on board as the director is losing the big budget in order to direct The Zone.  A ‘small’ alien invasion movie.

[UPDATE] It appears Mr. Emmerich has canceled the project.

J.J Abrams is even scheduled to return in what could be one of my most anticipated movies of all time.

Super 8

Super 8 is being produced by Steven Spielberg and I fully expect this movie to be J.J Abrams E.T: The Extra Terrestrial.

The hype has begun.

The viral marketing machine is already going with mysterious websites and cryptic messages popping up everywhere.

I believe this type of marketing has changed the way movies will be released forever.  By engaging your audience early on, you build a relationship with them.  You build hype and keep the momentum going right up until the release.

There are times when films will fail to live up to the amazing amounts of hype they generate but so far, I have yet to be disappointed.

Following movies has never been more satisfying and fun.

These are all new and original franchises made by incredibly talented and imaginative people.

I want to do that!

Battle: Los Angeles

Whoa.  This trailer came along and completely kicked my ass.  It’s unfortunate that Skyline was so terrible but amazing that we still have another alien invasion movie to look forward to in 2011.  Check out the trailer below and tell me it doesn’t look bad ass?

It’s an inspiring time to be a fan of film.

My favorite movie site Joblo.com has a sister site devoted to horror films called Arrow In The Head.  I visit both sites frequently and came across this interview the other day.  In it, Director Oren Peli talks about the creation of one of the summer’s biggest surprises, Paranormal Activity. (My favorite movie of 2009)

For those of you who have the DVD version of the film, you were probably disappointed in the lack of special features.  The next best thing is reading about it and I’ve included a few links below.

Click here for the interview.

Click here for the Wikipedia entry.

Click here for my take on Paranormal Activity.