My take on things... (possible spoilers)
POSSIBLE SPOILERS BELOW!
This movie was actually much deeper than those criticizing it claim. There was a lot going on. One critic said showing the assistant going back to the office and picking up new equipment and taking it through the subway was a reason it was a bad movie. What! That scene took all of 45 seconds. The critics are nitpicking.
1) I don't necessarily see this as a Found Footage movie. At what point was the footage lost? The only FF part may be the very end footage that the researchers left for the police. This movie fits into the category of investigative video like the SYFY Channel's Ghost Hunters.
2) The hidden story behind the family and their tragic past was important and interesting and revealed in a fairly powerful scene.
3) The scene where the daughter's nightgown was being pulled up intrigued me. Was the 'ghost' trying to tell us something. If a molestation did take place who did it, the father or the mother.
4) Exactly what type of medication was the mother taking? Psychotropic drugs? Or something more insidious.
5) The pixelated machine was just kinda cool. I believe it was done afterwards by the investigators since the machine was their only real solution to the problem and because it failed, they wouldn't want other potential customers to see what it looked like. It was their signature final move and it was a bad one.
6) The discussion about science and the supernatural was long but interesting. This shows why no religious authority was called in to assist. It also avoided the path taken by most paranormal movies to include an exorcism like scene. Clearly however if people and objects are propelled through glass doors with no apparent means of leverage then you might not want to exclude anything including the supernatural. Claiming that these events were simply events that one day science can explain was motivated by the doctor's worldview rather than logic.
7) Michael Okeefe was just creepy. The psychic was creepy even when he drank the water. The daughter was creepy. The apartment was creepy. Creepiness abounds in this movie.
8) At one point I thought the dog was the real evil. Nice doggy. Want a bone? No, not the one in my leg. Help!
9) I was unaware that the other side exists just 90 centimeters above our side. That's good to know. Avoid high chairs.
10) The pacing was slow but steady. The jumps and scares while predictable, such as following an otherwise quiet moment, were effective.
11) I really don't mind an unoriginal movie. If I go to my favorite eatery, I don't want or expect a unique tasting burger or pizza ever time. Quite the opposite, I want it the same each time. Since most paranormal movies are not very well done (no pun intended), one that is done well is welcomed, original or not.
12) The lack of comedy in this movie was a plus. It would have destroyed the pacing. The less than astute assistant investigator was close to comedy but stopped short of hitting it.
13) The low budget nature of the movie was seldom apparent. I don't think they used much CGI other than a few ghost projections and of course the final scene, which were done quite well. Kudos to them.
14) I though it was great that the investigators didn't head for the hills when the situation got bad. It added to the belief that these things were seen by them before, even though they weren't.
15) The audience was spared the need for lots of exposition which often amounts to useless filler. We don't know that much about the personal lives of the investigators and that is a good thing.
In all I like this movie and have seen over thirty paranormal movies. I ranked it higher than Paranormal Activity 1,2 or 3 but below the Exorcist and The Frighteners.
As an apologist turned authority I don't defend my comments because I am always right.