Last Wednesday, I sat in a movie theater holding my best friend’s hand. While this embarrassingly clingy behavior isn’t terribly foreign to me, the setting was: a silent but crowded movie theater, filled with speechless viewers all staring at the motionless bedroom setting on screen.
There are no people, there is no music, and we are all waiting to be terrorized by a super natural demon who has been promised to pop up when we least expect it. If you have been living in the U.S. for the past five years, I’m sure you can only guess.
It’s Halloween, and we are about to watch Paranormal Activity 4.
Paranormal Activity 4 follows the classic setup that made the three previous movies wildly popular. Increasingly unbelievable occurrances “caught” on film by the more paranoid of the victims. The film style is taken from as far back as “The Blair Witch Project” and only adds to the viewer’s fear.
Taking place five years after Paranormal Activity 2, an unsuspecting family notices strange happenings in their suburban home while looking after their sick neighbor’s son, Robbie.
Alex, the movies feisty teenage protagonist, is first to notice unusual happenings in the house, and sets up laptop webcams in the rooms with the help of her charming and terribly goofy boyfriend, Ben.
They are both consistently burdened by the changing behavior of Alex’s little brother, Wyatt, who is trying to get attention from Alex’s unsuspecting parents.
While the movie demonstrates the classic pop-up scare tactics that the paranormal movies are known for, the movie itself ends up being, dare I say it, more lighthearted and amusing then they have been in the past.
The characters crack jokes and partake in dry banter in the first half of the movie, leaving the audience to erupt in awkward giggles (but not letting their guard down. You never let your guard down when it comes to scary movies, if you know what’s good for you).
Unlike the first three movies, where the families are frightened, depressed, and terrified for the majority of the film, the Paranormal 4 family is relatively upbeat for people living in a house encompassed by demon spirits.
But don’t worry, the light hearted nature of this installment only makes the terror that comes later on so much more satisfying. The movie has a delightful way of getting more petrifying as it progresses, ending with a dramatic and irresistible ending.
While the storyline itself is nothing new or original (how much can you really ask for in a fourth installment?), you will enjoy it for the subtle and creepy details, pop-up scares, and plot line twists that made you love the Paranormal Activity series to begin with.
And if you have a bit of trouble sleeping that night, need not worry. It’s just Paranormal Activity doing its job…and it’s probably just the pipes, anyways.