When I walked into the Cinemark Theater in Mansfield to watch “Paranormal Activity 3,” I instantly knew that it wasn’t going to be the most enjoyable experience. And unfortunately, that had nothing to do with the movie. The theater was swarming with bodies, most of them under the age of 18, so when the first commercial began to roll and the cell phones, laser pointers and talking didn’t subside or shut down, I knew that I was going to be irritated for the next hour and a half.

That being said, I enjoyed what parts of the movie I could see and hear. Out of the three “Paranormal Activity” movies, the plot moved along the best in this one. I also found this movie to be the scariest out of the three. The first movie had good plot movement but became unbelievable when the boyfriend absolutely refused to believe that his girlfriend sensed something scary and haunting. The first movie also failed to explain exactly what this paranormal activity was or what it wanted with the characters in the film.

So when the second movie came along, it seemed that more would be explained. The plot moved very slowly but the fantastic ending made up for it completely, and there were hints dropped about what could possibly be harassing the family. The movies could have stopped there.

I was under the impression that the third movie would explain exactly how the family was first introduced to their unfortunate encounters with demons. Unfortunately, little was explained and my friends and I left the theater with questions. On top of this, the end of the movie had the potential to be the scariest part but instead ended up feeling like an awkward one night stand. Just as it hit its climax, just as its potential became apparent, it abruptly and disappointingly ended.

“Paranormal Activity 3” had the best scary elements and a build up that had people excited. Unfortunately, it just fell a little short. I give it a B-.