I’m a fan of the “Paranormal Activity” film series, and thoroughly enjoyed the first 3 installments before concluding that the final moments of “part 3” are the demise of the saga.
Nevertheless, “Paranormal Activity 4” was released in 2012, and while still a decent movie that die hard fans of the series may enjoy, it falls far short of the high bar set by the originals.
“Part 4” takes place 5 years after the events of where we left off – a brief introduction reminds us that Katie, now completely under the control of a demonic entity, has just abducted her nephew Hunter.
The movie stars Kathryn Newton as Alex Nelson, a perfectly typical teenager who serves as a solid actress and a likable character, despite interference from her seemingly inept and unbelievable parents (more on that later). Alex has a younger brother, Wyatt, and a boyfriend named Ben (Matt Shively) who plays as the perfect comic relief character in the movie.
I loved the aspects of the newer technology, an area that the entire series always seems to incorporate well. This time, excellently creepy scenes are depicted via Skype conversations between Alex and Ben, as well as some cool elements with an infrared video game system. That being said, for the first time since the start of the series, the found footage aspect feels forced. We understand and appreciate why Micah is filming in the original, and why security cameras are installed in “Part 2.” With this entry, its jammed in, with more than a handful of scenes where it is completely ridiculous that one would be filming given the nature of the situation.
Alex’s parents take in an ornery neighbor kid after his mother is mysteriously hospitalized. While the boy (played by Brady Allen) displays very creepy tendencies, most of the time he’s just an annoying character. Which brings us to the parents. Mr. and Mrs. Nelson (Stephen Dunham and Alexondra Lee) are beyond believable with virtually everything that they do.
Its a stretch to accept that they would take in a complete stranger (with teenage daughter Alex being the only one who finds the situation weird) but their actions throughout the movie border on completely dumb. I understand the need for the parents to doubt their daughters insistence that the house is haunted, but when faced with actual video proof the correct actions shouldn’t be to brush it off or assume she has some new technology and is trying to fool them. Sorry Mrs. Nelson, but it wasn’t the wind that locked your daughter in the garage and started the car on its own.
“Paranormal Activity 4” is a below average movie. It serves to continue a story that should have been resolved by this point, and offers little in comparison to the original movies.
by – Matt DeCristo
