After the events of the first Paranormal Activity, there didn't seem to be a lot of places to go with the narrative. This movie moves backwards in time to show that Katie's sister, Kristi, was going through a similar set of occurrences at the same time as the first movie. After what looks like a break in, Kristi and her husband install security cameras all over the house and this is where most of the action plays out. There is a nefarious space in the basement, the pool cleaner keeps getting moved in the night and the kitchen seems to be a hotbed for poltergeist activity. Throw in the endangerment of a baby and you have a recipe for a sequel that is a lot like the original, just more.
As far as these sorts of movies go, this one is slightly less effective than the first. There is no great blank space onto which the audience can project their fear of the unknown. True, the basement is out of camera range but that is hardly a substitute for the gaping doorway of the first movie. The multiple cameras and angles help create more variety of images than the first. The cuts between the cameras almost take on a rhythm so that you can tell when something crazy is about to happen, but I think that is part of the fun.
I have a lot of fun with these found footage spookhouse movies but your mileage may vary. For me, it is more about what I don't see than what I do. Others like to see their demons and ghosts in all their glory. This isn't that but it still works.
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