Skip to main content

Paranormal Activity 4 (2012) - Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman




I had been skeptical about the series when I first heard about it. I thought it had looked intriguing but was just a cheap gimmick. I wasn't wrong. This entire franchise is a cheap gimmick. The stationary camera just watching is cheap but so damn effective. It's a necessity for the franchise and it works so well. This may have a convoluted storyline but it just makes me want to watch the next one. 

This one shows you that no one is safe from the demon Toby's powers. A family starts to experience some strange occurrences when some new neighbors move in across the street. It just so happens that the neighbors are Katie and  her "son" Robbie. The movie focuses on the younger daughter Alex and her adopted brother Wyatt are the focal points. They do a decent job.



This movie doesn't just take advantage of a camcorder. This time, anything with a Wi-Fi camera can be used. As long as they don't close their laptops and keep them open. This was one of my biggest complaints. However, I really do like the X-Box camera feature. That was pretty cool. 



The scares are similar to the first three movies. But seem a bit more intense. You don't get a look at the series antagonist. But you get a psudo-look at some apparitions. You even get some additions to the Witches coven that was brought up in Paranormal Activity 3. 

This is a bit slower and a bit duller, but overall it is just as satisfying as the other entries. It isn't hard to make a successful Paranormal Activity movie. They are all scary, this one is not an exception. I recommend this movie to people that are fans of the series. The quality may wain but the entertainment is still there. 


Directors: Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman
Starring: Katie Featherston, Kathryn Newton, Matt Shively, and Aiden Lovekamp
Style: Realistic Supernatural Horror - Demons
Country: USA
Studio: Paramount Pictures

Did ya know...
The chronological order of the films is: Paranormal Activity 3, Paranormal Activity 2, Paranormal Activity, Paranormal Activity 4 and Paranormal Activity: the Marked Ones.
As with the previous three Paranormal Activity movies, Paramount Studios utilizes paranormal investigator/researcher, Christopher Chacon, (who is recognized as one of the world's foremost authorities on paranormal phenomena), to internationally promote and publicize this fourth installment. Chacon also works in the entertainment industry as a writer, director and producer.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ju-On (2000) - Takashi Shimizu

Watching Japanese horror is similar to watching British comedy. If you enjoy dry whit then you probably enjoy the boys of Monty Python in drag. That's the joke, they're dressed like women. Get it? Well, that's British humor. But if you're like most Americans you probably prefer Adam Sandler farting his way across a football field and hooking up with chicks that are way out of his league. Americans usually prefer this more in your face, crass brand of humor. My point is funny in England is different from funny in the US. The same goes for J-Horror. What the Japanese consider scary is very different from what Americans consider scary and it shows in this horror film. Japanese horror is generally slow (a little too slow sometimes), suspenseful and creepy. Ju-On is a creepy effing film. The movie has almost no soundtrack. It is incredibly suspenseful and the pay-offs are pretty awesome, but I think that it was done better in the American version (cultural t...
Post a Comment
Not scared yet? »

Sleepy Hollow (1999) - Tim Burton

Tim Burton's take on the old Sleepy Hollow tale is really interesting. He adds his own flair of course. He delves very deeply into the original story by Washington Irving. The casting is usual for Burton. Johnny Depp of course in your lead. Helena Bonham Carter, thrown in for some flavor. The score is done by Danny Elfman. It's literally just the Ichabod Crane story run through the Tim Burton machine. But in a good way. Sleepy Hollow has a problem with a guy, running around, taking people's heads. Like, a lot of people. The town sends word for assistance and the nervous  Constable Ichabod Crane reports. He starts to unravel clues that take him down an incredibly strange path. With the Horseman still murdering patrons, Crane tries finding who's next before they lose their head.  I've always been a big fan of the Disney cartoon,  The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad . This movie is a far cry from Bing Crosby and quaint animations....
Post a Comment
Not scared yet? »

Le Manoir du Diable (1896) - George Melies

According to Wikipedia in August of 2011, Le Manoir du diable by Georges Melies is the first horror movie. Well, actually its a short film (about three minuets or so) but film was really hard to come by in that time so this counts as a film to me. The plot of the film is basic, you have your hero being tormented by demonic things in a crazy castle room... However, that plot isn't what brought the crowds. The thing that drove the popularity of these films was the fact that you were seeing motion on screen. I suggest going and seeing Hugo. That film is spectacular. It answered so many questions that I had. It really sets the scene and the tone. The film has strong christian overtones and actually ends with Christianity prevailing over the "tides of darkness". I provided a link at the bottom of this review for anyone that would like to see this pioneer in Horror Film. The movie uses very, very early "movie magic" that is an abundance of smoke and m...
Post a Comment
Not scared yet? »