Passively Paranormal

photo courtesy of imdb.com

Since I can’t seem to stay away from the theater when a horror movie is showing, this week’s new movie review will be on the fourth installment of a supernatural horror movie franchise- Paranormal Activity 4. Since the first Paranormal Activity was widely released my freshman year, I have seen them all. Going into the theater for number four, I had higher expectations since the third one has been my favorite so far.

For anyone not familiar with the movies, and has decided to keep reading anyway, I’ll provide a little background of the first three installments. The first film follows Katie and Micah, a couple experiencing strange things in their shared home. Eventually they realize that they are being terrorized by something supernatural and evil. The second movie takes place during the same timeline, but instead focuses on Katie’s sister Kristi and her family. Kristi lives with her husband, stepdaughter, and baby boy, Hunter. Kristi’s family is also being terrorized by an unseen demon. During the first two movies a little background is provided, but not much. The third movie takes place in 1988, when Katie and Kristi are children. As children the girls live with their mom and their mom’s boyfriend. Again, strange things are happening, but this time the audience gets to look a little deeper into why the sisters are being terrorized as adults.

The fourth film jumps forward in time again. It serves as a sequel to the second film. However, the fourth film takes place several years later and focuses on a different family altogether. Alex is a teenage girl who lives with both her parents and her adopted little brother. Although her parents live together, there’s trouble in paradise, and it seems as if the marriage may be at its end. Alex, while video chatting with her boyfriend Ben, is giving him a virtual tour of the house and yard. As she goes to show Ben her childhood playhouse she is startled to find a little boy, Robbie, in there alone- in the middle of the night. Alex recognizes him as her new neighbors’ child and takes the boy home to his single mother- Katie (from the first three films).  Alex is freaked out by the encounter, but is even more skeptical the next day when her mother announces that Robbie’s mom is in the hospital and that they will be watching the little guy for a few days. Robbie is set up to bunk with Alex’s little brother, Wyatt, who is about the same age. It is after Robbie comes to stay that strange things begin happening, and Alex is the only one who seems to notice.

Anyone who has seen the movies, or even the trailers knows that the Paranormal Activity movies are “found footage” films. Meaning, that it's worked into the story that the characters use cameras themselves, unprofessionally, to capture what’s happening. The other movies have relied on the characters curiosity and use of their own cameras and tripods to capture what ever is terrorizing them. What I liked about this installment is that it keeps up with technology. Since Alex and her boyfriend are the ones curious and recording, and they are teenagers, they use what they know. Alex and Ben capture the story using the webcams on their laptops, Alex’s iPhone, and the family’s Xbox Kinect video game system.  I liked that the writers and producers ventured out and tried something new. It’s a heck of a lot more normal than carrying a video camera around everywhere and setting it up on a tripod to record you during sleep.

The next good thing to say is about the movies pure shock/jump value. These movies have always been ones to deliver jumpy moments, and the fourth one keeps the tradition going. There were times at the theater where I was jumping out of my seat and burying my head in my friend’s shoulder. I can definitely say I’m glad it’s not a movie that I saw alone. I could only imagine if they audience reactions had been taped what we all would have looked like.  There was one scene in particular that had me practically on the floor. I don’t want to give too much away, but if you go see Paranormal Activity 4 beware of the knife scene.

However, this chapter in the franchise might be my least favorite. The other movies do not give back-story or explain much, but they do explain enough to keep the audience happy. Also, the characters seem as logical as they can while being stalked by an invisible demon. The fourth film introduces mostly new characters, and this family doesn’t seem to have it together as much. My problem lies mostly with the mom. The dad character is mostly unobservant and preoccupied with avoiding his wife, so I can kind of understand. The mom is a different story. In this scenario she is the one home with the children the most, and makes some questionable decisions. First off, she agrees to allow her neighbor's (who she barely knows) son to stay at her house for an indefinite amount of time. That alone may seem like an act of goodwill. That combined with her  not knowing why his mom’s in the hospital, not trying to figure out how long Robbie is staying, and not seeming concerned about the little boy or offering to take him to the hospital to visit him mom seems a little off kilter. For me, the character development is lacking.

Overall, if you’re looking for a cheap thrill, Paranormal Activity 4 can deliver that. It’s not a gory movie, but one that’s more suspenseful and jumpy. If you’re looking for an intellectual movie, one with a storyline that you have to think about for more than two minutes, this is not a movie you want to see. On a grading scale I’d give the film a sold B-. I did enjoy myself during the movie, but on a larger scale this chapter of the franchise was just not as good as the past ones.