Paranormal Activity 4 (2012)(Minor Spoilers Review)

 

**This post contains MINOR spoilers**

The Story- In 2011, Tobi returns, targeting Alex Nelson (Kathryn Newton), her father, Doug (Stephen Dunham), her mother, Holly (Alexondra Lee), and her adopted brother, Wyatt (Aiden Lovekamp) in their home in Henderson, Nevada. The paranormal attacks escalate, when a neighborhood boy named Robbie (Brady Allen) stays with Alex’s family, while his sick mother recovers in the hospital.

Secrets about Wyatt’s past are revealed, and the identity of Robbie’s mother and her connection to Wyatt. Piecing together a series of strange clues, Alex’s boyfriend, Ben (Matt Shively) helps her solve the dark mystery. Can Alex save Wyatt before it’s too late? 

My Thoughts- Paranormal Activity 4 starts off with footage from Paranormal Activity 2. A lot of similarities for how both stories unfold. Alex is the big sister trying to protect Wyatt. The research with Brad, the risks, and Alex pleading with her father to believe her about supernatural forces. Ali and her boyfriend, Brad worked together to find answers in PA 2 to try and save Kristi and Hunter. Ali’s father, Dan dismissed the chances of any paranormal interference as foolish nonsense. The big difference is, when you compare him to Brad, Ben is far more involved and hands on with helping Alex (and he pays for it). 

Alex, similar to Ali, is a happy teenage girl. Holly and Dan are going through some marital problems, but they both deeply care about Wyatt and Alex. The Nelsons are a likable family. But it’s hard to shake this feeling that they’re just disposable characters, with Wyatt being the lone exception, when his true identity is revealed. Ben is the goofy and persistent teenage boy, with raging hormones, and Brady Allen delivers most of the humor here.

Robbie is a smart ass, and to quote Alex, he is a bit “weird.” Robbie is an important character, a crucial lynchpin for the story. One Robbie scene that sticks out for me happens, when Alex is trying to play along with Wyatt and Robbie in Wyatt’s playhouse. Alex tells them she can see their imaginary friend (Tobi), but Robbie won’t stop giving her a hard time, because he knows she’s lying. It’s hilarious, when you stop and think about the whole scenario. Robbie is telling the truth, and Alex is unaware of the fact that she’s in the presence of a literal demon.

The scares and the spooky side for Paranormal Activity 4 really didn’t work for me. Sure, there’s the one creepy scene, where Tobi uses his powers to levitate Alex, while Wyatt watches in the background. Some decent comedy from the fake-out jump scares, but they’re also kind of predictable. 

Everything else? We’re at a point in the series, where we’ve already seen creaky doors slowly opening and closing. Brief moments of Tobi appearing or flashing across the screen, and what was the point of the kitchen knife fiasco? Kind of odd to tease something that could possibly happen with the kitchen knife for so long, only for it to drop down in the middle of night to startle Doug. The chandelier falling and almost hitting Alex? Eh, it’s another problem with everything leading up to it being too predictable. And now that we’re four films in, it’s safe to say Tobi really hates chandeliers and light fixtures. 

They relied on the XBox Kinect night vision with the tracking dots POV too much here. It’s a cool visual, when Ben first introduces it, but the Kinect trick slowly loses its wow factor throughout the movie. I can understand using it as a means to show ghostly figures and glimpses of what Tobi might look like, but I’ve always believed it should’ve been limited to maybe one or two scenes.

The story finally moves out of California, shifting to Nevada, but it’ll be hard to notice a real difference, or a change of scenery. Alex lives in a quiet and peaceful suburban neighborhood, similar to Katie and Kristi’s neighborhoods in the previous three films. Honestly, if they didn’t put Henderson, Nevada on the screen during the opening, it’s easy to assume everything is still happening in California. 

Paranormal Activity 4 stays consistent with reasons for recording everything, or the need to record everything. Wyatt’s soccer game, the picnic afterwards, and you can also understand Alex and Ben are just two kids just having fun. There’s a logical transition for taking things more seriously, catching strange events around the house through Alex’s laptop and other cameras, because it’s clear Wyatt is in danger, and Tobi won’t stop until he gets what he wants.

Two brutal deaths here, but that’s not enough to save this one. There’s no denying Paranormal Activity 4 hits a low point in the series. It’s the first film, where the formula for storytelling feels stale, because it’s easy to pick up on the usual patterns from start to finish. 

The big return had to be expected, and it’s an easy catch, if you pay close attention to the footage from PA 2. The reveal for Wyatt’s true identity is a nice surprise, but Paranormal Activity 4 lacks any real tension, and the scare tactics are too redundant. The unseen force (Tobi) dragging someone (Alex) across the floor or down a hallway is a horror movie scare tactic that’s been run into the ground. After four consecutive films, it’s safe to say Paranormal Activity relied on it too much. 

To make matters, the story is just going in circles. Paranormal Activity 2 was largely a prequel, so it gets a pass, and Paranormal Activity 3 was entirely a prequel. Why are they still doing all these slight teases for revealing Tobi? There’s the one scene, where Wyatt and Robbie are playing a boxing game. Ben hints at the possibility of Tobi being used as an avatar in the game, a ghostly, pale white male. But that’s only an idea of what Tobi might look like.

Paranormal Activity 4 just feels dull overall. We already know about the witches, we’ve seen the symbol representing The Midwives, and we know what’s going to happen, when Tobi gets serious. PUSH the story forward. All the teasing, the hints, and the seemingly never ending cycle of setting up the story for the next film, four movies into any kind of series, just kills whatever kind of momentum you’re trying to build.

Look at the ending to PA 2. Then consider how Paranormal Activity 4 ends. Too much time passes between both movies. For some odd reason, they’re still only taking baby steps to the point, where it feels like they’re just milking the story to justify another sequel. 

Rating- 3/10

Paranormal Activity 4 (2012)(Spoiler Review)

 **This post contains spoilers, including thoughts on the extended version**

The Story- In 2011, Tobi returns, targeting Alex Nelson (Kathryn Newton), her father, Doug (Stephen Dunham), her mother, Holly (Alexondra Lee), and her adopted brother, Wyatt (Aiden Lovekamp) in their home in Henderson, Nevada. The paranormal attacks escalate, when a neighborhood boy named Robbie (Brady Allen) stays with Alex’s family, while his sick mother recovers in the hospital.

Secrets about Wyatt’s past are revealed, and the identity of Robbie’s mother and her connection to Wyatt. Piecing together a series of strange clues, Alex’s boyfriend, Ben (Matt Shively) helps her solve the dark mystery. Can Alex save Wyatt before it’s too late? 

My Thoughts- Paranormal Activity 4 starts off with footage from Paranormal Activity 2. A lot of similarities for how both stories unfold. Alex is the big sister trying to protect Wyatt. The research with Brad, the risks, and Alex pleading with her father to believe her about supernatural forces. Ali and her boyfriend, Brad worked together to find answers in PA 2 to try and save Kristi and Hunter. Ali’s father, Dan dismissed the chances of any paranormal interference as foolish nonsense. The big difference is, when you compare him to Brad, Ben is far more involved and hands on with helping Alex (and he pays for it). 

Alex, similar to Ali, is a happy teenage girl. Holly and Dan are going through some marital problems, but they both deeply care about Wyatt and Alex. The Nelsons are a likable family. But it’s hard to shake this feeling that they’re just disposable characters, with Wyatt being the lone exception, when his true identity is revealed. Ben is the goofy and persistent teenage boy, with raging hormones, and Brady Allen delivers most of the humor here.

Robbie is a smart ass, and to quote Alex, he is a bit “weird.” Robbie is an important character, a crucial lynchpin for the story. One Robbie scene that sticks out for me happens, when Alex is trying to play along with Wyatt and Robbie in Wyatt’s playhouse. Alex tells them she can see their imaginary friend (Tobi), but Robbie won’t stop giving her a hard time, because he knows she’s lying. It’s hilarious, when you stop and think about the whole scenario. Robbie is telling the truth, and Alex is unaware of the fact that she’s in the presence of a literal demon.

The scares and the spooky side for Paranormal Activity 4 really didn’t work for me. Sure, there’s the one creepy scene, where Tobi uses his powers to levitate Alex, while Wyatt watches in the background. Some decent comedy from the fake-out jump scares, but they’re also kind of predictable. 

Everything else? We’re at a point in the series, where we’ve already seen creaky doors slowly opening and closing. Brief moments of Tobi appearing or flashing across the screen, and what was the point of the kitchen knife fiasco? Kind of odd to tease something that could possibly happen with the kitchen knife for so long, only for it to drop down in the middle of night to startle Doug. The chandelier falling and almost hitting Alex? Eh, it’s another problem with everything leading up to it being too predictable. And now that we’re four films in, it’s safe to say Tobi really hates chandeliers and light fixtures. 

They relied on the XBox Kinect night vision with the tracking dots POV too much here. It’s a cool visual, when Ben first introduces it, but the Kinect trick slowly loses its wow factor throughout the movie. I can understand using it as a means to show ghostly figures and glimpses of what Tobi might look like, but I’ve always believed it should’ve been limited to maybe one or two scenes.

The story finally moves out of California, shifting to Nevada, but it’ll be hard to notice a real difference, or a change of scenery. Alex lives in a quiet and peaceful suburban neighborhood, similar to Katie and Kristi’s neighborhoods in the previous three films. Honestly, if they didn’t put Henderson, Nevada on the screen during the opening, it’s easy to assume everything is still happening in California. 

Paranormal Activity 4 stays consistent with reasons for recording everything, or the need to record everything. Wyatt’s soccer game, the picnic afterwards, and you can also understand Alex and Ben are just two kids just having fun. There’s a logical transition for taking things more seriously, catching strange events around the house through Alex’s laptop and other cameras, because it’s clear Wyatt is in danger, and Tobi won’t stop until he gets what he wants.

So Wyatt is actually Hunter, and of course, Katie is his aunt. A surprising reveal for Wyatt’s true identity. Katie’s return towards the end? Remember, the movie starts off with footage from PA 2 showing Katie and Hunter as a baby, and Paranormal Activity 4 is a sequel to that film. At some point, you had to know Katie would resurface somehow here. 

Some questions are answered. Now we know what happened to Hunter after PA 2, and obviously Katie was always lurking in the shadows to keep a close eye on him, continuing her purpose to eliminate anyone, who tries to disrupt Tobi’s plans. And Robbie’s house is clearly another base of operations for The Midwives.

Robbie? There’s a number of theories for him. There’s no definitive proof that Robbie is actually a real boy, or that he exists. When Alex spotted him at Wyatt/Hunter’s soccer game, he mysteriously disappeared in an instant. He couldn’t have gotten out of sight THAT fast. Katie, his “mother” gets sick. She’s rushed to the hospital, and Robbie doesn’t go with her? The police don’t intervene to look after him, so he just stays at the neighbor’s house? Robbie is unpacking, and his stuffed doll is one hundred years old? And let’s not forget about the special fork! None of that adds up.

Is it possible Robbie is a demon, who was either created by or sent by Tobi to befriend Hunter? A young child finding out he’s an important piece of a big puzzle involving the blood sacrifice of a virgin? That’s a heavy and traumatizing situation to deal with. Sending a boy his age to befriend Hunter helps ease him into the whole process, coupled with his aunt Katie, a family member he can trust.

There’s also the scene, where Hunter is talking to Tobi at night. Tobi is obviously trying to tell him his real name is Hunter, and well, he doesn’t want to accept that (“MY NAME’S NOT HUNTER!!”). If you look behind Hunter, you’ll notice the ghostly figure of a child following him. It has to be Robbie, right there with him, after Robbie lead him downstairs. Robbie completely disappears during the home stretch. The only answer I can think of is, Robbie served his purpose. He explained why Hunter was important, and introduced him to Tobi.

Mixed feelings on how the ending played out. Some creepy and tense moments, when Alex is trying to find Hunter in Robbie’s house. Doug is thrown around and rag-dolled through the house, while Alex chases after him. Katie SPRINTING towards Alex, as she transforms into her demon form halfway through was a fantastic shot. And a few genuinely eerie moments, including Hunter standing next to Alex with that blank look on his face, and the horde of Midwives slowly walking towards Alex.

My problem with Paranormal Activity 4’s ending is, looking at the big picture, Katie lunging at Alex (presumably killing her) with Hunter nearby, is a disappointing and predictable cliffhanger. If you leave out Hunter, there’s no reason to believe anyone else from The Nelson Family would survive, and Ben was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. We’re on the fourth film at this point, and they’re still teasing and setting things up that will eventually lead to something big with Tobi? Paranormal Activity 4 could’ve delivered something more concrete to close out the movie. Also, including PA 4, that’s three total films that end with Katie attacking or killing someone. 

Hunter goes trick-or-treating and Holly makes Halloween cookies in the extended version! Hunter, wearing a ninja costume, goes trick-or-treating with Alex and Ben, and there’s a hilarious fake-out jump scare, where a neighbor dressed as a scarecrow spooks Ben. I’ve always wondered why they never included this in the theatrical version. Leaving out Halloween in a horror movie? I just don’t get it. 

More extended footage includes Doug being an overprotective father, because he believes Alex’s costume is too revealing. This leads to Alex and Ben wandering over to Robbie’s house, where there’s an eerie shot of Robbie watching them through the window at night. Footage of Robbie moving in across the street is also exclusive to the extended version. 

Night #8 for recorded footage is exclusive to the extended/unrated version. It’s more taunting from Tobi directed at Alex, and Tobi knocking that pesky book (possibly the Bible?) on floor. 

You’ll see more footage from Halloween night, and Alex’s party with her friends in the extended version. And I’m guessing this was a slip up or an error they didn’t catch, but the location, month, date, and year isn’t shown on the screen at Hunter’s soccer game. Overall, it’s another case, where the extended footage doesn’t have an impact on changing the ending, or the direction of the story at all. 

Two brutal deaths here. Tobi lifting Holly up, choking her in mid air, and that sickening thud of Holly’s body hitting the ground? Yikes! Katie using her signature neck breaker to kill Ben was a grisly sight. The sound of that loud crack, while Ben’s head twists around was something else. Ben’s death is very similar to Dan’s death in PA 2. Ben’s quietly sitting there. He senses something is off, but Katie managed to quietly sneak up behind him before he realized what was going on.

There’s no denying Paranormal Activity 4 hits a low point in the series. It’s the first film, where the formula for storytelling feels stale, because it’s easy to pick up on the usual patterns from start to finish. 

The big return (Katie) had to be expected, and it’s an easy catch, if you pay close attention to the footage from PA 2. The reveal for Wyatt’s true identity is a nice surprise, but Paranormal Activity 4 lacks any real tension, and the scare tactics are too redundant. The unseen force (Tobi) dragging someone (Alex) across the floor or down a hallway is a horror movie scare tactic that’s been run into the ground. After four consecutive films, it’s safe to say Paranormal Activity relied on it too much. 

To make matters, the story is just going in circles. Paranormal Activity 2 was largely a prequel, so it gets a pass, and Paranormal Activity 3 was entirely a prequel. Why are they still doing all these slight teases for revealing Tobi? There’s the one scene, where Wyatt and Robbie are playing a boxing game. Ben hints at the possibility of Tobi being used as an avatar in the game, a ghostly, pale white male. But that’s only an idea of what Tobi might look like. 

Paranormal Activity 4 just feels dull overall. We already know about the witches, we’ve seen the symbol representing The Midwives, and we know what’s going to happen, when Tobi gets serious. PUSH the story forward. All the teasing, the hints, and the seemingly never ending cycle of setting up the story for the next film, four movies into any kind of series, just kills whatever kind of momentum you’re trying to build. 

Look at the ending to PA 2. Then consider how Paranormal Activity 4 ends. Too much time passes between both movies. For some odd reason, they’re still only taking baby steps to the point, where it feels like they’re just milking the story to justify another sequel. 

Rating- 3/10

Paranormal Activity 3 (2011)(Spoiler Review)

 

**This post contains spoilers, including thoughts on the extended version**

The Story- In 1988, Kristi (Jessica Tyler Brown) and her sister, Katie (Chloe Csengery) are stalked and tormented by an evil force named Tobi in Santa Rosa, California. Kristi, believing Tobi is her imaginary friend, befriends the entity. 

Kristi and Katie’s mother, Julie (Lauren Bittner), her boyfriend, Dennis (Chris Smith), and Dennis’ friend, Randy (Dustin Ingram) find themselves targeted by Tobi. What does Tobi want, and why are Kristi and Katie so important for his plans?

My Thoughts- We finally have a name! Tobi is the entity that’s responsible for causing so much trouble in Kristi and Katie’s lives. There’s a strange irony to Kristi’s relationship with Tobi. It’s perfectly normal for a small child to have an imaginary friend, but Tobi is obviously no ordinary imaginary friend. He’s pure evil, and extremely dangerous. But you’ll notice how Kristi, this young, happy and carefree girl, isn’t afraid him. 

Kristi and Tobi actually have a weird playful relationship. There’s also a point in the movie, where Kristi boldly stands up to Tobi. Kristi eventually caves to Tobi’s demands, BUT she only agreed to do so to protect Katie. Jessica Tyler Brown delivers an awesome performance. Just imagine this small child showing no fear towards a literal demon, going as far as playing games with Tobi, and Kristi never flinches in his presence. Surreal stuff.

Lauren Bittner plays the loving and caring mother, who’s dedicated to protecting her daughters. Dennis? He’s kind of goofy. There’s some similarities between Julie and Dennis’ relationship and Katie and Micah’s relationship in the original. 

You could say Dennis is a doofus. He’s obsessed with recording everything, using unconventional methods to capture Tobi’s activities. Julie gets to a point, where’s she’s frustrated with Dennis and his cameras, believing he’s doing more harm than good. But Dennis genuinely cares about and wants to protect Kristi and Katie. Dennis researches and reads up on demonology to find more answers. He’s willing to risk his life to ensure Kristi and Katie’s safety, especially during the final stages of the movie, so it’s easy to connect him to Micah.

Paranormal Activity 3 has some funny bits of humor. There’s the fake out jump scare, with Julie wearing a monster mask, and most of the interactions and arguments between Dennis and Randy. Randy trying his best to stay cool and comfort a frightened Katie during the Bloody Mary scene sticks out. And the aftermath with Randy losing it during an argument with Dennis, where he urges him to take the situation more seriously (“this isn’t Casper the friendly f****** ghost you’re chasing, man!”).

Dennis is a wedding videographer, so he has experience with cameras, and he’s trying to prove to Julie that a supernatural force is targeting Kristi and Katie. That’s more than enough to justify recording for a found-footage film. 

Directors Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman added a new POV trick here. The kitchen camera is set up on an oscillating fan base, slowly moving back and forth from the kitchen to the family room. The kitchen camera breaks up the monotony of the stationary cameras, and the sometimes tedious Night #1, Night #2, and so on format. A bed sheet ghost? Could it be Katie or Kristi playing a joke on the babysitter, Lisa (Johanna Braddy)? Nope. It’s more mind games from Tobi. Perfect timing for the bed sheet falling flat to the ground, before Lisa turns around. There’s a nice element of unpredictability, because anything can happen at any given time on either side of the camera, including Tobi popping a lightbulb, or the fantastic kitchen jump scare, where Julie finally realizes Dennis was telling the truth. 

So Grandma Lois (Hallie Foote) already knows about Tobi? And she’s apart of a coven of witches? After two films, it’s already been established Katie and Kristi are dealing with a possession, not a haunting, so just leaving the house won’t solve any problems. The only clue that you could possibly point to for Lois’ involvement in all of this is, her disapproval of Dennis as a man and a provider. It’s during the scene where Lois and Julie are talking in Katie and Kristi’s room, but you could also simply see it as an overprotective mother wanting the best for her daughter. 

I always expected Tobi to attack again at Lois’ house. What I didn’t see coming was Lois’ connection to Tobi, the appearance of witches (although you could say they already teased that, with Dennis showing Julie a picture of the coven), and Lois clearly preparing Katie and Kristi for some kind of sinister ritual. Think about the scene, where Lois was way too enamored with Kristi playing dress-up as a bride for Tobi. That ties into Dennis’ research about the coven, where girls are manipulated and brainwashed into eventually giving birth to boys, a process leading to the born males forcibly being offered to Tobi. Kristi gives birth to Hunter in Paranormal Activity 2.

It’s a good tense finale, with one nail-biter after another. Dennis carefully searching for Julie, Kristi, and Katie in the dark. The sight of Julie’s floating corpse at the top of the staircase, the bonfire outside, the witches following Dennis, the creepy silhouette of a woman in the window (presumably Lois or a witch, because Julie was already dead) and Dennis and Kristi hiding in the closet. The final moments with a possessed Katie growling at Dennis, and Tobi literally snapping Dennis’ back in half caps off a brutal and grim ending, followed by Lois leading Katie Kristi upstairs with Tobi. 

Remember the break-in from Paranormal Activity 2? Paranormal Activity 3 starts off with footage from the second film revealing that someone stole Dennis’ VHS tapes with the footage from Katie and Kristi’s childhoods from Katie’s house. Keep in my mind this happened in 2005. Katie and Kristi weren’t under Tobi’s influence yet, Katie was still pregnant with Hunter, and Lois is dead. So the witches had to be the ones, who stole the tapes. 

Tobi is selective about his victims. Tobi could’ve easily killed Randy or Lisa. He spared Randy and Lisa, but Dennis and Julie were murdered. Why? I’ve always believed Tobi will only kill anyone, who persistently disrupts his plans, or anyone who protects his targets. Dennis and Julie were willing to risk their lives to save Kristi and Katie. Randy and Lisa were given stern warnings about what might happen to them, if they interfered, so they ran and never looked back. 

More extended footage for PA 3. Dennis and Ryan laughing at a drunk woman from one of his wedding videos. Dennis, Katie, and Kristi playing a prank on Randy. And there’s more extended footage with Kristi playing and having fun with Tobi at night. 

There’s the scene with Kristi and Katie playing Bloody Mary, but Julie interrupts them before they can finish. The Bloody Mary scene is a weird one for me. I’ve always wondered if it’s Tobi in the bathroom with them, or is it the Bloody Mary demon? Going back to the Bloody Mary scene with Randy and Katie, you can see proof of Tobi knocking and throwing things around outside of the bathroom, so is the Bloody Mary demon the one, who attacked Randy, or was it Tobi? Or is it possible Katie and Randy were trapped between Bloody Mary in the bathroom and Tobi outside? In one of the trailers for PA 3, there’s a dark, ghostly woman standing in the mirror after Katie and Kristi leave the bathroom, and Bloody Mary is on a short list of people, who could actually fill that spot. 

Night #7 is exclusive to the extended version/director’s cut. Nothing major happens. Dennis goes to investigate noises in the middle of the night, so more mind games and taunting from Tobi. And there’s the scene, where Kristi’s teddy bear is sitting alone in front of the camera, and Tobi slowly closes the door behind it, when no one’s around. Again, the extended footage doesn’t change the direction of the story. Nothing has an impact on how the ending plays out, so it’s more extra filler footage. 

Fun fact about the trailers for Paranormal Activity 3. There’s a trailer out there that’s completely different from anything you’ll see in the movie. To take it a step further, the vast majority of the footage in the first trailer below doesn’t make it into the theatrical or extended versions of the movie. No priest (or possibly a paranormal expert or a psychic similar to Dr. Fredrichs in the original) warning Julie about her family’s past, no burning house, and that scene with Julie seeing Tobi in Kristi and Katie’s room are all cut out of both versions. 

Julie only watches the one tape with Tobi after the earthquake. In both versions, she flat out refuses to believe he exists, until the kitchen scene happens. The second trailer is closer to everything you’ll see in the movie. The biggest difference is, the shadow of the woman (presumably the Bloody Mary demon) after Katie and Kristi are done playing Bloody Mary. I can understand reshoots. It happens. Still, it’s really strange how they never put any of this on any of the DVDs or Blu-Rays, but maybe it’ll happen one day!

Three films in, and you’ll start to notice a pattern for Paranormal Activity. Tobi zeros in on someone in the house. Katie, Kristi, Hunter, and now it’s a young Katie and Kristi. A lot of things that go bump in the night mind games from Tobi. Going back to Paranormal Activity 2, someone in the house doesn’t believe in supernatural events until it’s too late. and Tobi gets what he wants in the end. Dan was the non believer in PA 2. Julie fills that role here, and Tobi gets what he wants in the end. The Paranormal Activity films are about demonic possessions, not hauntings. It covers any logical gaps for the main characters not leaving the house, when it’s clear something is horribly wrong. Julie and Dennis actually left the house here, but running away only led to disastrous results. 

Keep a close eye on the interactions and the relationship between Tobi, Katie, and Kristi. Kristi plays around with Tobi. She has fun with him, and Kristi was always supposed to give birth to Hunter. Shifting over to Katie, it’s not hard to notice how Tobi is far more harsh towards her. Katie is terrified of Tobi, when she finally realizes he’s more than an imaginary friend. 

As the series progresses, Katie takes on the role of Tobi’s enforcer. And we already know what happened to Kristi, who was closer to Tobi as a child in PA 2. I’ve always wondered if there was more to Tobi’s decision to be so rough on Katie as a kid, going beyond the obvious attempts to convince her that he’s real and dangerous. Maybe Tobi was preparing Katie for her future role? A weird and twisted version of tough love, mixed with physicality. Impossible to ignore the irony for Kristi filling the spot of Tobi’s favorite as a child, but an adult Katie takes control of that position, joining Tobi in a darker, sinister, and more matured relationship. 

Paranormal Activity 3 is a strong prequel. The finale is loaded with a whirlwind of unnerving and tense moments, genuinely shocking reveals and twists, and a startling cliffhanger. A good amount of questions are answered from the previous two films. Paranormal Activity 3 also sheds light on new details, leading to new questions. Now we know witches (or The Midwives) are involved, and a symbol that represents their coven, that’s shown throughout the series after this film, is revealed here. And there’s still one big question surrounding Hunter: What is Tobi planning to do with him?  

Rating- 7/10

Paranormal Activity 3 (2011)(Minor Spoilers)

 

**This post contains MINOR spoilers**

The Story- In 1988, Kristi (Jessica Tyler Brown) and her sister, Katie (Chloe Csengery) are stalked and tormented by an evil force named Tobi in Santa Rosa, California. Kristi, believing Tobi is her imaginary friend, befriends the entity. 

Kristi and Katie’s mother, Julie (Lauren Bittner), her boyfriend, Dennis (Chris Smith), and Dennis’ friend, Randy (Dustin Ingram) find themselves targeted by Tobi. What does Tobi want, and why are Kristi and Katie so important for his plans?

My Thoughts- We finally have a name! Tobi is the entity that’s responsible for causing so much trouble in Kristi and Katie’s lives. There’s a strange irony to Kristi’s relationship with Tobi. It’s perfectly normal for a small child to have an imaginary friend, but Tobi is obviously no ordinary imaginary friend. He’s pure evil, and extremely dangerous. But you’ll notice how Kristi, this young, happy and carefree girl, isn’t afraid him. 

Kristi and Tobi actually have a weird playful relationship. There’s also a point in the movie, where Kristi boldly stands up to Tobi. Kristi eventually caves to Tobi’s demands, BUT she only agreed to do so to protect Katie. Jessica Tyler Brown delivers an awesome performance. Just imagine this small child showing no fear towards a literal demon, going as far as playing games with Tobi, and Kristi never flinches in his presence. Surreal stuff.

Lauren Bittner plays the loving and caring mother, who’s dedicated to protecting her daughters. Dennis? He’s kind of goofy. There’s some similarities between Julie and Dennis’ relationship and Katie and Micah’s relationship in the original. 

You could say Dennis is a doofus. He’s obsessed with recording everything, using unconventional methods to capture Tobi’s activities. Julie gets to a point, where’s she’s frustrated with Dennis and his cameras, believing he’s doing more harm than good. But Dennis genuinely cares about and wants to protect Kristi and Katie. Dennis researches and reads up on demonology to find more answers. He’s willing to risk his life to ensure Kristi and Katie’s safety, especially during the final stages of the movie, so it’s easy to connect him to Micah.

Paranormal Activity 3 has some funny bits of humor. There’s the fake out jump scare, with Julie wearing a monster mask, and most of the interactions and arguments between Dennis and Randy. Randy trying his best to stay cool and comfort a frightened Katie during the Bloody Mary scene sticks out. And the aftermath with Randy losing it during an argument with Dennis, where he urges him to take the situation more seriously (“this isn’t Casper the friendly f****** ghost you’re chasing, man!”).

Dennis is a wedding videographer, so he has experience with cameras, and he’s trying to prove to Julie that a supernatural force is targeting Kristi and Katie. That’s more than enough to justify recording for a found-footage film. 

Directors Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman added a new POV trick here. The kitchen camera is set up on an oscillating fan base, slowly moving back and forth from the kitchen to the family room. The kitchen camera breaks up the monotony of the stationary cameras, and the sometimes tedious Night #1, Night #2, and so on format. A bed sheet ghost? Could it be Katie or Kristi playing a joke on the babysitter, Lisa (Johanna Braddy)? Nope. It’s more mind games from Tobi. Perfect timing for the bed sheet falling flat to the ground, before Lisa turns around. There’s a nice element of unpredictability, because anything can happen at any given time on either side of the camera, including Tobi popping a lightbulb, or the fantastic kitchen jump scare, where Julie finally realizes Dennis was telling the truth. 

Fun fact about the trailers for Paranormal Activity 3. There’s a trailer out there that’s completely different from anything you’ll see in the movie. To take it a step further, the vast majority of the footage in the first trailer below doesn’t make it into the theatrical or extended versions of the movie. No priest (or possibly a paranormal expert or a psychic similar to Dr. Fredrichs in the original) warning Julie about her family’s past, no burning house, and that scene with Julie seeing Tobi in Kristi and Katie’s room are all cut out of both versions. 

Julie only watches the one tape with Tobi after the earthquake. In both versions, she flat out refuses to believe he exists, until the kitchen scene happens. The second trailer is closer to everything you’ll see in the movie. The biggest difference is, the shadow of the woman (presumably the Bloody Mary demon) after Katie and Kristi are done playing Bloody Mary. I can understand reshoots. It happens. Still, it’s really strange how they never put any of this on any of the DVDs or Blu-Rays, but maybe it’ll happen one day!

Three films in, and you’ll start to notice a pattern for Paranormal Activity. Tobi zeros in on someone in the house. Katie, Kristi, Hunter, and now it’s a young Katie and Kristi. A lot of things that go bump in the night mind games from Tobi. Going back to Paranormal Activity 2, someone in the house doesn’t believe in supernatural events until it’s too late. and Tobi gets what he wants in the end. Dan was the non believer in PA 2. Julie fills that role here, and Tobi gets what he wants in the end. The Paranormal Activity films are about demonic possessions, not hauntings. It covers any logical gaps for the main characters not leaving the house, when it’s clear something is horribly wrong. Julie and Dennis actually left the house here, but running away only led to disastrous results. 

Keep a close eye on the interactions and the relationship between Tobi, Katie, and Kristi. Kristi plays around with Tobi. She has fun with him, and Kristi was always supposed to give birth to Hunter. Shifting over to Katie, it’s not hard to notice how Tobi is far more harsh towards her. Katie is terrified of Tobi, when she finally realizes he’s more than an imaginary friend. 

As the series progresses, Katie takes on the role of Tobi’s enforcer. And we already know what happened to Kristi, who was closer to Tobi as a child in PA 2. I’ve always wondered if there was more to Tobi’s decision to be so rough on Katie as a kid, going beyond the obvious attempts to convince her that he’s real and dangerous. Maybe Tobi was preparing Katie for her future role? A weird and twisted version of tough love, mixed with physicality. Impossible to ignore the irony for Kristi filling the spot of Tobi’s favorite as a child, but an adult Katie takes control of that position, joining Tobi in a darker, sinister, and more matured relationship. 

Paranormal Activity 3 is a strong prequel. The finale is loaded with a whirlwind of unnerving and tense moments, genuinely shocking reveals and twists, and a startling cliffhanger. A good amount of questions are answered from the previous two films. Paranormal Activity 3 also sheds light on new details, leading to new questions. Now we know witches (or The Midwives) are involved, and a symbol that represents their coven, that’s shown throughout the series after this film, is revealed here. And there’s still one big question surrounding Hunter: What is Tobi planning to do with him?  

Rating-7/10

Paranormal Activity 2 (2010)(Minor Spoilers Review)

 

**This post contains MINOR spoilers**

The Story- Kristi Rey (Sprague Grayden) returns home with her husband, Dan (Brian Boland) after giving birth to their son, Hunter. A series of strange paranormal occurrences disrupts the family’s peaceful and carefree lives. Kristi, Hunter, Dan, and Dan’s daughter, Ali (Molly Ephraim) are all targeted by a vicious entity. 

Kristi’s sister, Katie (Katie Featherston) warns her about the dangers of interacting with the entity, and the nanny, Martine (Vivis  Cortez) offers her help with unconventional methods. But one thing is clear, blissful ignorance is not an option, as the disturbances escalate and Hunter becomes the primary target for the entity.

My Thoughts- It’s easy to feel sympathy for Kristi, Dan, Ali, and Hunter. They’re a wholesome all-American family. Kristi’s is a caring stay-at-home mom. Dan is the leader of the household with a healthy sense of humor, and Ali fills the role of the happy and sometimes bratty teenager. 

Paranormal Activity 2 is the first film in the series that starts off the security camera, or cameras set up all around the house era in the series. I’ve always had mixed feelings about it. On one hand, the nighttime recorded footage looks great. Similar to the bedroom scenes in the original Paranormal Activity, there’s a spookiness to the security camera scenes at night. Just watching everything unfold, you know there’s always a good chance something serious is going to happen.

The downside? Watching security camera footage gets kind of boring and tedious after a while. I get the whole point of building the anticipation, showing how the entity is toying with, taunting, and in some cases attacking members of the Rey family. It’s all important footage that proves an evil supernatural force is the culprit. Still, so many scenes featuring ordinary footage of the pool or outside the front door in the middle of the night kills the momentum. It’s more of a bummer, if you’re hoping or waiting for something to happen……and nothing happens. 

Paranormal Activity 2 shows a lot of visual clues that put the pieces of the puzzle together. Notice how after the supposed break-in Hunter’s room is the only room in the house that was left untouched. The shadow of the entity looming over Ali, while she’s taking a nap, or Hunter levitating in his crib. The scratches and blood stains on the basement door, the sudden spike in activity on the baby monitor, the bite mark on Kristi’s thigh that’s similar to Katie’s bite mark in the previous film. One thing is clear, the entity is carefully choosing who it attacks, and who is spared or used for bigger plans. 

A new born baby and an evil entity? TWO good reasons to record! As the story progresses, there’s a noticeable transition from recording Hunter and just having fun to recording all the strange events connected to the entity. Evidence is necessary to try and understand what’s going on, especially Ali urging a stubborn Dan to watch the tapes, because he doesn’t believe in “haunted house crap.” And when the time comes, the night vision POV is crucial for survival. 

We’re introduced to a fresh set of new characters in Paranormal Activity 2. Kristi, Hunter, Ali, Dan, Ali’s boyfriend, Brad (Seth Ginsberg), and Martine. Hunter is the first born male in Kristi and Katie’s family since the 1930’s. Through Ali’s research with Brad’s help, it’s revealed Katie and Kristi’s great grandmother possibly made a satanic pact to exchange riches and prosperity for Hunter’s soul. And of course, there’s no happy ending if the pact is tampered with or broken for any reason. 

Paranormal Activity 2 moves the story forward using a clever prequel/sequel hybrid approach, with a smooth transition into the current timeline for a strong finale. Keep in mind that Kristi’s story takes place in Carlsbad, California, while Katie’s story simultaneously takes place in San Diego. 

Some questions are answered. We know why Katie’s childhood picture was set on fire around the edges, and on a lighter note, we can see why Micah (Micah Sloat) was so obsessed with owning his own video camera. Katie and Kristi have some uneasy conversations about the evil force that disrupted their lives, when they were kids. The Ouija board returns, but it’s only used in one scene with Ali and Brad. It’s also nice to see the continued effort to maintain realism. No intro, no opening credits, and a message thanking the Carlsbad Police Department. 

Paranormal Activity 2 has its problems, but it’s still a solid follow up to the original. Some spooky and tense scenes, and the jump scares worked (the kitchen cabinets bursting open on an unsuspecting Kristi is a good one). Only three scenes stick out for brutality, but they’re still impactful scenes. The entity snatching and maiming Abby (the family dog) off-screen implies whatever it did to Abby must’ve been too horrible to witness. 

The second film in any kind of franchise is always crucial. It’s a measuring stick to see if there’s any potential, if there’s truly a reason to keep going with the story, without making more sequels for the sake of making more sequels. Paranormal Activity 2 does more than enough to justify another film, featuring a shocking cliffhanger that’s loaded with a lot of possibilities.

Rating- 6/10

Paranormal Activity 2 (2010)(Spoiler Review)

 **This post contains spoilers, including thoughts on the extended version**

The Story- Kristi Rey (Sprague Grayden) returns home with her husband, Dan (Brian Boland) after giving birth to their son, Hunter. A series of strange paranormal occurrences disrupts the family’s peaceful and carefree lives. Kristi, Hunter, Dan, and Dan’s daughter, Ali (Molly Ephraim) are all targeted by a vicious entity. 

Kristi’s sister, Katie (Katie Featherston) warns her about the dangers of interacting with the entity, and the nanny, Martine (Vivis  Cortez) offers her help with unconventional methods. But one thing is clear, blissful ignorance is not an option, as the disturbances escalate and Hunter becomes the primary target for the entity.

My Thoughts- It’s easy to feel sympathy for Kristi, Dan, Ali, and Hunter. They’re a wholesome all-American family. Kristi’s is a caring stay-at-home mom. Dan is the leader of the household with a healthy sense of humor, and Ali fills the role of the happy and sometimes bratty teenager. 

Paranormal Activity 2 is the first film in the series that starts off the security camera, or cameras set up all around the house era in the series. I’ve always had mixed feelings about it. On one hand, the nighttime recorded footage looks great. Similar to the bedroom scenes in the original Paranormal Activity, there’s a spookiness to the security camera scenes at night. Just watching everything unfold, you know there’s always a good chance something serious is going to happen.

The downside? Watching security camera footage gets kind of boring and tedious after a while. I get the whole point of building the anticipation, showing how the entity is toying with, taunting, and in some cases attacking members of the Rey family. It’s all important footage that proves an evil supernatural force is the culprit. Still, so many scenes featuring ordinary footage of the pool or outside the front door in the middle of the night kills the momentum. It’s more of a bummer, if you’re hoping or waiting for something to happen……and nothing happens.

Paranormal Activity 2 shows a lot of visual clues that put the pieces of the puzzle together. Notice how after the supposed break-in Hunter’s room is the only room in the house that was left untouched. The shadow of the entity looming over Ali, while she’s taking a nap, or Hunter levitating in his crib. The scratches and blood stains on the basement door, the sudden spike in activity on the baby monitor, the bite mark on Kristi’s thigh that’s similar to Katie’s bite mark in the previous film. One thing is clear, the entity is carefully choosing who it attacks, and who is spared or used for bigger plans. 

A new born baby and an evil entity? TWO good reasons to record! As the story progresses, there’s a noticeable transition from recording Hunter and just having fun to recording all the strange events connected to the entity. Evidence is necessary to try and understand what’s going on, especially Ali urging a stubborn Dan to watch the tapes, because he doesn’t believe in “haunted house crap.” And when the time comes, the night vision POV is crucial for survival. 

Katie kills Kristi and abducts Hunter! The cleansing ritual, led by Martine, to save a clearly possessed Kristi was a success, and Hunter is safe. But there’s one big problem: The entity passed to and possessed Katie. 

Not only does the ending tie into Katie’s whereabouts after the ending in the original, the home stretch for PA 2 was well executed. After the intense ritual that saved Kristi, there’s a calming sense of peace throughout the house, and bam! Katie shows up. She brutally murders Dan and Kristi, kidnaps Hunter, and disappears. 

After the original, you already knew Katie was possessed. It’s not too hard to predict that she might show up at Kristi’s house, but it’s still a good shocker, considering what she did and how she did it. The sound of that snap, when Katie broke Dan’s neck was NASTY. 

Dan had to make a hard decision. The entity could only be passed on to a blood relative. He knowingly doomed Katie, but Dan is the leader of his household. A short, short list of options to try and save Kristi and Hunter. 

We’re introduced to a fresh set of new characters in Paranormal Activity 2. Kristi, Hunter, Ali, Dan, Ali’s boyfriend, Brad (Seth Ginsberg), and Martine. Hunter is the first born male in Kristi and Katie’s family since the 1930’s. Through Ali’s research with Brad’s help, it’s revealed Katie and Kristi’s great grandmother possibly made a satanic pact to exchange riches and prosperity for Hunter’s soul. And of course, there’s no happy ending if the pact is tampered with or broken for any reason. 

Paranormal Activity 2 moves the story forward using a clever prequel/sequel hybrid approach, with a smooth transition into the current timeline for a strong finale. Keep in mind that Kristi’s story takes place in Carlsbad, California, while Katie’s story simultaneously takes place in San Diego. 

Some questions are answered. We know why Katie’s childhood picture was set on fire around the edges, and on a lighter note, we can see why Micah (Micah Sloat) was so obsessed with owning his own video camera. Katie and Kristi have some uneasy conversations about the evil force that disrupted their lives, when they were kids. The Ouija board returns, but it’s only used in one scene with Ali and Brad. It’s also nice to see the continued effort to maintain realism. No intro, no opening credits, and a message thanking the Carlsbad Police Department. 

Nothing in the extended version changes the direction of the story, or has any kind of meaningful impact on the ending. Night #4 and Night #11 from the security camera footage are exclusive to the extended version, or you can also call it the director’s cut. Overall, there’s nothing too special about the extended version. You’ll see more scenes with mind games and taunting from the entity, including Dan rushing to throw a flaming pan in the pool. There’s also a scene, where Dan jumps into the boiling hot whirlpool, and the hilarious aftermath with Dan needing a bag of frozen peas to nurse his wounds. 

Paranormal Activity 2 has its problems, but it’s still a solid follow up to the original. Some spooky and tense scenes, and the jump scares worked (the kitchen cabinets bursting open on an unsuspecting Kristi is a good one). Only three scenes stick out for brutality, but they’re still impactful scenes. The entity snatching and maiming Abby (the family dog) off-screen implies whatever it did to Abby must’ve been too horrible to witness. 

The second film in any kind of franchise is always crucial. It’s a measuring stick to see if there’s any potential, if there’s truly a reason to keep going with the story, without making more sequels for the sake of making more sequels. Paranormal Activity 2 does more than enough to justify another film, featuring a shocking cliffhanger that’s loaded with a lot of possibilities.

Rating- 6/10

Paranormal Activity (2007)(Minor Spoilers Review)

 

**This post contains MINOR spoilers**

The Story- In 2006, Katie (Katie Featherston), and her boyfriend, Micah (Micah Sloat) experience strange paranormal occurrences in their home. Katie turns to a psychic named Dr. Fredrichs (Mark Fredrichs) for help. 

Fredrichs gives the couple a stern warning about the malevolent entity lurking in their home. Katie panics, while Micah uses a series of unusual methods to uncover the truth. Katie is forced to relive dark moments from her childhood, as the entity becomes more aggressive, while Fredichs considers his limited options to solve the problem. Will Katie and Micah figure out a solution before it’s too late?

My Thoughts- We’ll just leave the house, run away, and everything will be okay! Wait, leaving the house won’t work? I’m glad they established leaving the house is not on the table for solutions early on in the movie through Dr. Fredrichs explanation about demons, and the differences between hauntings and possessions. Katie and Micah can’t run or hide. Moving to a different house or a different state won’t magically make the entity disappear. No, the entity is specifically attached to Katie. That’s truly frightening, because when you look at the big picture, Katie and Micah really don’t have a safety net.

Micah is kind of a goofball. His heart is in the right place, and he’s a good guy, but there’s no denying he makes a handful of the usual stupid horror movie mistakes here. Micah Constantly antagonizes the entity. Dr. Fredrichs and Katie explicitly warned him to avoid any attempts to contact, or basically extend an invitation to the entity. So what does Micah do? He brings an Ouija board into the house.

Is there a legitimate reason to record any of this? That’s always the big question for found-footage films. Micah is happy and obsessed with his new camera, but is that really a good enough reason to record everything? It gets to the point, where it’s basically a running joke, with Katie scolding Micah for recording. Although, considering Katie and Micah’s unusual dilemma, you could say recording is necessary for proof, while documenting a series of strange events. 

I’ve always believed the original Paranormal Activity would’ve benefited from a mockumentary found-footage format that’s similar to Lake Mungo or The Poughkeepsie Tapes. Paranormal Activity has too many dull stretches, and the scares are inconsistent. Breaking up the monotony of entity attacks, or does something to toy with Katie and Micah, Katie and Micah argue, something strange happens, rinse and repeat, with interviews from experts, the police, or family and friends would’ve fit perfectly with the “real footage” shown here. 

A good amount of unanswered questions after this one. Who is the entity? What happened during Katie’s childhood? Who tried to burn a picture of Katie as a child? What role does Katie’s sister, Kristi play in all of this? It’s easy to see why this one opened the door for so many sequels, because there’s still a lot of material to work with to build a franchise. 

Paranormal Activity takes a serious and dedicated approach to realism. No opening credits, just a message thanking the San Diego police department and Micah and Katie’s families. Micah and Katie use their real names. As far as the overall presentation goes, Paranormal Activity doesn’t look too polished. You really get the feeling you’re watching actual footage of two people suffering through a bizarre and dangerous situation. And all of the bedroom footage is catalogued with dates and different numbers, showing the downward spiral for the entity’s attacks night after night. 

The nighttime bedroom scenes are genuinely eerie and spooky. The amateurish camerawork adds another layer of realism to the movie. Micah is not a professional cameraman. You can constantly see how he’s trying to get the hang of things, when he’s recording around the house, and I’m glad they didn’t feel the need to rely on excessive shaky cam stuff. 

Paranormal Activity 2007 is an effective found-footage horror film. Micah Sloat plays his role well. Katie Featherston delivers a solid performance, and she is truly a SCREAM queen. The scene, where Katie is laying in bed, when she tells Micah she wants to stay in the house is so good. As soon as you see that relaxed facial expression and that calm smile on her face, you just know something bad is about to happen. 

Sloat and Featherston basically carried the movie by themselves. Dr. Fredrichs and Katie’s friend, Amber (Amber Armstrong) are the only other two people, who make appearances throughout the movie, and when you compare things to Micah and Katie, their screen time is very limited.

Paranormal Activity features a handful of creepy moments and scenes. The Ouija board catching fire, the entity dragging Katie out of the bed, and the entity breathing on Katie’s neck are some of my top picks. It’s also impressive how Oren Peli managed to create a cohesive film that’s contained to one setting. You’ll only see one shot outside shot of Micah’s neighborhood, and the scene with Katie on the back porch. But the vast majority of the movie takes place inside Micah’s house.

When you strip Paranormal Activity down to its core, it’s a movie about an evil force destroying a hopeful couple’s lives, a story that doesn’t have a happy ending. Looking back, it’s wild to think about how a low budget found-footage film laid the first brick for one of the more notable horror franchises. Love it or hate it, Paranormal Activity 2007 is definitely one to remember. 

Rating - 7/10