They forgot to make this one scary
A big fan of this series (my name even gets a fan credit in #1!), I thought the trailer for PA4 was awful. And the "viral campaign" never took off like it did for #2 and #3. It was as if even those involved simply weren't very committed/interested in the film they were making.
The reviews were ALL tepid--even those that sort of praised it--and word of mouth was dismal. The "actual people watching the film" TV ad was so over-the-top, it became a joke.
And then the film itself was a mess. Why have the wink-wink "in jokes" of the kid riding the bike like THE SHINING? It takes us "out" of the movie we're watching...and ads zero to the film. Same with the first
fake" drag scene of the girl. Again, why remind us that we're watching a movie, why take us out of the experience?
And NOTHING happens for so long into this movie, it's just people talking and talking and talking. The few little scares are already shown in the trailer, which they have done...
The Weakest Entry Yet
Paranormal Activity has become the "Police Academy" of horror films, with a sequel each year targeted at a particular type of audience, with a similar plot and familiar characters each time out. This year, the pickings are very slim, as this is by far the worst film of the four. Scares are few and far between, the acting is terrible, and the film is ALMOST IDENTICAL to Paranormal Activity 2, with the same exact ending as Paranormal 3.
With a budget this big and a devoted audience, it is an insult to the integrity and to the intelligence of the loyal fans to put out a lackluster film such as this. They have obviously run out of ideas and are already rehashing the same scenes over and over again. Unless you are a huge fan of the franchise, don't seethis film. Not only are the first three better, but they are almost identical.
Not enough happens in this one.
Unlike many other so-called horror movie fans, I actually like the Paranormal Activity franchise. However, "Paranormal Activity 4" really isn't very good at all. Like the other three before it, "Paranormal Activity 4" does have a degree of suspense and atmosphere, but not nearly as much as the other three before it, and it definitely shows in the finished product. I would compare this one to "Paranormal Activity 2", but it's not as good. In fact, I would say that "Paranormal Activity", "Paranormal Activity 3", "Paranormal Activity 2" and then "Paranormal Activity 4" are the rankings from best to worst.
With that being said, this review shall focus on the pros and cons of "Paranormal Activity 4" but will also make comparisons to the original "Paranormal Activity" in an attempt to show how this particular entry was very slow to develop causing it to suffer in its ability to create horror. Indeed, this movie lacks the suspense, atmosphere and mystery of the entries that...
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