The only thing scary about Paranormal Activity 4 is the
horrible story and lukewarm box office reception
The horror genre is full of classics. Think about how many
of your favorite 80’s movies are now classic horror films/franchises. The 90’s
turned out a good horror franchise or two (Scream,
I Know What You Did Last Summer, etc.) that still maintained the spirit of
the more classic horror franchises. They weren’t just gore and graphic sex.
They were suspenseful. Unfortunately the 2000’s decided to take the horror
genre and spin it into a gore fest that is lovingly called “Torture Porn”.
Movies like Hostel, The Human Centipede,
the Halloween remakes and, of course,
the SAW franchise took all of the fun
out of horror. Theaters were reduced large audiences of people watching the
movies with their hands over their faces peaking between their fingers at the
carnage on the screen. Movies like that defined how an entire generation
perceived horror...and people like me felt sorry for those that missed out of
classic suspenseful horror movies.
In October of 2009 I saw a glimpse of hope for this genre in
the form of a little independent (and very cheaply made) suspenseful horror
movie called Paranormal Activity. It
finally seemed that film makers were steering away from the gory films and
would start making movies that actually scared people instead of just making
movies that grossed people out. The film was a HUGE success and garnered a
sequel, which I think not only stands eye level with the original, but actually
strengthens the story of the original. Then the obvious happened. They got
greedy and tried to tie in a prequel as a third installment. Not a great idea.
It made the franchise look weak and like it was grasping at straws for a story.
As if that were not bad enough, they pushed forward with a complete train wreck
of a fourth installment that not only diluted the entire series, but has the
worst story and the worst “twists” of the entire franchise. Sometimes you
should just quit while you are ahead.
Storyline: It’s been five years since Katie and Hunter have
disappeared into the night after the events that took place on October 8th
and 9th of 2006. But when a mysterious woman and a small child move
in next door to the Nelson family, things began to happen. The woman claims to
be ill and in need of someone to take care of her son while she is in the
hospital and the Nelson’s agree to allow the young boy to stay with them. Fatal
events that can’t be explained soon begin taking place.
Worth the admission? I’m going to say no, but that isn’t
going to stop you from seeing it. It’s Halloween and you want a good scare, but
trust me, you will not get it from this movie. It’s REALLY not up to snuff with
the first two films and is obviously reaching for stories…even stories that
aren’t worth reaching for. A boring and pointless addition to the franchise.
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