Home sweet home — the one place where society gets its break. As soon as one walks into their humble abode, a feeling of relief washes through their spirit; many kick off their shoes and throw their backpacks aside to rest and relax until reality comes knocking again.

However, for Micah Sloat and Katie Featherston, this idealized notion of comfort just doesn’t cut it. 

Instead, these two characters from the highly anticipated horror film “Paranormal Activity” leave work and arrive home, only to encounter sleepless nights in a house drowning in demonic possession. 

Stir in an ignorant boyfriend who loves to antagonize unseen entities and you have yourself the ultimate Halloween flick. 

The trailers, which began airing in late September, enticed a variety of viewers. Its claim as “one of the scariest movies of all time” aroused the public’s interest, and once it was released in select cities across the country, eager fanatics demanded a larger release. 

Soon, Paramount Pictures promised to release the fake documentary everywhere if one million voters demanded it online. 

Thanks to the persistence of many, “Paranormal Activity” was freed from corporate shackles and delivered to countless theaters across the country on Oct.16 — a dream come true for many, but a nightmare for the weak-hearted.

This nightmare is made reality by director Oren Peli, who manipulates the audience into seeing sleep as a vulnerability rather than a benefit. 

The juxtaposition of day and night establishes darkness as the enemy throughout the film, and soon, paranoia sweeps the theater audience.

Through this, Peli is able to put a new spin on the monster in the closet cliché, replacing it with impressive special effects, all of which are utterly believable. 

There is no knife-clawing monster or axe-wielding psycho. It is, instead, an invisible force that teases and torments for recreation; viewers soon begin to fear for Katie and Micah’s lives as well as their own.

As a result of these realistic situations, “Paranormal Activity” forces viewers to question their ideals as well as the world around them. 

The house is no longer comfortable and the bedroom — no longer warm. 

Viewers practically exchange a week’s worth of sleep for a truly frightening film.

With a big thanks to a plausible plot and relatable characters, “Paranormal Activity” has turned a once unknown Indie film into a box-office hit. 

The almost $11 ticket doesn’t seem like a waste anymore.

Just don’t be too frightened if you get locked in your room after seeing the film; Steven Spielberg had to call a locksmith.