Directed by: Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman
Starring: Katie Featherston, Kathryn Newton, Matt Shively and Brady Allen
What It’s About: Five years after Katie abducts her nephew Hunter, a suburban family witnesses strange activity when a mysterious neighbor and her son move in next door.
Rated R (for language and some violence/terror)
Runtime: 89 minutes
By Aaron Sanders, Diversions Editor
It is that time of year again folks, time for the new Paranormal Activity film. As much as both critics and movie-goers would like to see the popular franchise die, directors Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman continue to provide fans with reasons to stick with the long running franchise.
Paranormal Activity 4 picks up five years after the events of part two, in which lead actress Katie Featherson, under the influence of a malevolent entity, killed her sister Kristi’s family and kidnapped her nephew Hunter. The story takes place in Henderson, Nevada and opens with new protagonist Alex (Kathryn Newton) filming her adopted brother Wyatt’s (Aiden Lovekamp) soccer game, which also introduces a very creepy Robbie (Brady Allen), the new neighbor’s kid. That night, while in a video chat with her charismatic boyfriend Ben (Matt Shively), Alex witnesses an ambulance taking away the new neighbor, who is assumed to be Katie from the previous three films. This situation demands that Alex’s mother Holly (Alexandra Lee) take in Robbie while his mother is in the hospital. As Robbie integrates into the family, things really start to get strange: invisible beings playing the Kinect, levitating people, disappearing knives, etc. The seemingly formulaic set-up builds to a surprisingly violent and scary finale that is arguably the most satisfying of the sequels.
The Paranormal Activity franchise gets a bad rap from the legions of ordinary movie patrons for being without plot and committing to a “found-footage” style. The fourth installment appears to be the culmination of these criticisms: however, for die-hard fans like myself, Paranormal Activity 4 is the best of the films, only behind the first film.
Going into this film, one already knows what to expect. The build-up is quite similar to the other three films, but is different enough in execution that it does not detract from the overall experience. Unlike the previous films, which depended on the audience scanning a still shot for an extended amount of time, this one threatens the audience with the horror cliché of a-character-opening-a-door-and-then-closing-it-only-for-the-killer-to-be-standing-behind-said-door, but does not actually go through with it, which proves more stressful than one would expect.
As mentioned earlier, the mysterious Robbie is an eerie character who incites more questions than answers, especially considering he ends up not being who the audience expects him to be.
The majority of both critics and fans alike claim this film adds nothing to the overlying mythology, but this could not be further from the truth. Paranormal Activity 4 establishes the scale of the story even more so than the other films. The witch coven subplot is more alluded to than blatantly explained; however, the film does display the extent of the witches’ abilities, which was briefly previewed in the finale of Paranormal Activity 3. The fourth entry is riddled with little details that will leave the willing viewer in speculation long after the credits roll: the padlock on Katie’s bedroom door, Robbie’s true origin, Wyatt’s role in the larger scheme of things, etc.
The Paranormal Activity franchise is more like a theatrical TV miniseries than a legitimate movie franchise. Each episode is part of an overarching story as opposed to each sequel having its own independent plot. This also means that every entry need not blatantly explain everything and feed the instant-a-gratification culture that exists today. In fact, just like most television shows, the films all end with cliffhangers, keeping the fans eager for the next episode.
Paranormal Activity 4’s chaotic finale is in fact as the commercials say, the one the fans have been waiting for. Any fans worried that the movie will end with someone getting thrown into the camera will not be disappointed.
Directors Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman proclaim that a fifth and final Paranormal Activity film answering all questions and tying up loose ends will be released next year in addition to the Latino spin-off film, which is actually teased in the post-credits scene after the new movie.
Paranormal Activity 4 is a film almost exclusively for the die-hard fans like myself. Luckily everyone else has Sinister to meet his or her horror needs this Halloween season.
8/10 for fans, 5/10 for everyone else
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iB0-7w-XaBU&feature=relmfu
Courtesy of www.filmofilia.com, themovieblog.com and anythinghorror.files.wordpress.com