In 2007, Director Oren Peli began the Paranormal Activity phenomenon. It had viewers scared, yet eager to find out what happened to Katie and where she had taken baby Hunter in the second film. It was a low-budget thrill-fest- the type of romp that had you screaming at the screen the entire time. What wasn’t to love?
Five years later, directors, Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman, follow up on these characters’ whereabouts in the newest installment of the series, which isn’t as frightful as what the trailers portray. In truth, the best part of the movie is at the end. The rest of the movie is filled with pointless conversation.
The cheesy comedy from the main characters Alex and Ben, (Kathryn Newton and Matt Shively), throws off some of the terror. The obvious hormonal vibe, given off by these teens makes one forget the movie is supposed to be scary.
The first person point of view is expressed via computer webcams, set up around the house after the cliche’ supernatural occurrences begin to happen, once Robbie, the new neighbor, entertains Alex’s household, when his mother ends up in the hospital. The camera angles are neither abrasive nor disagreeable, realistic, they record what occurs unlike, a flick such as “Chronicle,†where the main character starts to record for no purpose.
The relationship between Alex and her family is made relatable by their time spent together, but Joost and Schulman also add in the bitterness between the parents. Once strange events begin to occur however Alex expresses her sensitivity. The only one who believes her is Ben.
The little kids, Robbie and Wyatt, played by Brady Allen and Aiden Lovekamp, were much more than just scary. Robbie is the one to cause all the supernatural events and lure Wyatt in to “join the dark side” so to say. These actors did the best job to frighten the audience.
The story has often been repeated throughout the other three Paranormal Activities, it would’ve been better if the directors moved away from the comfort of a lot of chater from the start or when no one believed that the supernatural beings are there until the end. You don’t know much about each character or how this family ended up with Wyatt until the end. All one knows is that the beings want him.
Joost and Schulman poorly express why Hunter was not with Katie. The movie is 88 minutes, which isn’t enough time to get to the point. Suspense is built from the start and at the end the scary events occur.
Most of the action is overshadowed by the atmosphere of the black night. One can always tell when an event is about to happen, which defeats the scaryness of the movie.
By the end one will be tired of the overshadowed events and might agree that the end was long overdo. You’ll understand the parts you might have been confused about. This is definitely not a two thumbs up, but it is enjoyable if you’ve seen the other three.
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