Editor’s note: A Jacksonville resident has been reviewing movies for friends for several years and has offered to share his thoughts with Daily Progress readers. His reviews come in personal letters to his nicknamed friend, Spud Nut. Our reviewer is Tater Tot, so consequently, the movies get ratings based on potatoes.

Spud Nut,

Q: What do you get when you make a movie for $15,000 in just seven days?

A: The $100 million dollar blockbuster Paranormal Activity (rated R, 99 minutes), providing you let Oren Peli direct and produce the story in his own home. Like The Blair Witch Project, this movie is filmed with a handheld camera to add realism to a purported documentary about the 21-day demonic haunting of a couple’s house in San Diego during 2006. Katie and Micah record the more and more frequent nocturnal signs of something supernatural invading their lives. There is no sound track to heighten the suspense. The tension comes from the thoroughly believable reactions of Katie Featherston, who sinks deeper and deeper into hysteria. She makes you worry about whether this could happen to even you. Micah Sloat ought to have believed it was possible because his doubt puts him in grave danger. Enough said or the demon might get me too. Even though I am not a big fan of most horror films, I much prefer this approach to the story telling than the over-hyped, torture porn features full of computer generated special effects that intensify the gore. This is a nothing movie worth two and half potatoes for those who like to sit in the dark and be scared.

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On the other hand, The Stepfather (rated PG-13, 101 minutes) is a slick remake of a 1987 favorite about a serial killer who preys upon families after becoming part of them. Dylan Walsh is a smooth talking psychopath who meets Sela Ward and plans to marry her. The oldest son, Penn Bagley, becomes uncertain about the character of the new man in the house. In this story, suspicious people do not always live to regret their fears. Bagley’s girlfriend, Amber Heard, is so hot that she could tempt a saint to sell his halo for one more kiss. Even if the widows and divorcees of Portland, Ore., may now be safe, the rest of the country had better be wary about chance encounters with winsome strangers at some store, especially if the meeting may lead to something more intimate. The moral of the story — hire a private detective to check out your next date or you’ll be sorry. This thriller gets a three sliced and diced potato rating from one who hopes he never has to be single again and run the risks this movie exposes.

Tater Tot