Paranormal Activity 4
| release date | October 19 2012 |
| studio | Paramount Pictures |
| director | Henry Joost, Ariel Schulman |
| writer | Zack Estrin |
| starring | Katie Featherston, Kathryn Newton, Matt Shively, Brady Allen, Alisha Boe, Tommy Miranda |
| rating | R |
| site | paranormalmovie.com |
| trailer 1 | Trailer #1 |
| trailer 2 | Trailer #2 |
0 Comments
I have to say, I completely agree with Mr. Disgusting on this one. Paranormal Activity 4 is definitely the weakest entry in the series. The film doesn’t even try to push the boundaries further or even expand on the mythology or answer any questions. The makers of this movie have to understand that this is the fourth film in a beloved franchise, and if there not stepping up there game by truly increasing the activity or changing the pace of the movie, there franchise will come to an abrupt end. The first hour and 15 minutes of the movie is the same build up with a few creepy scenes that made me excited for the finale, then when it starts to become extremely tense in the final showdown, they rush it and end the movie. I was so let down and think they need to actually give us a pay off in the end and not abruptly end it. The actors try their best and Katie does make a return that put a smirk on my face. There are some cool sequences in this film and some Paranormal die hard fans will enjoy it, but I was extremely disappointed. If there is a Paranormal Activity 5, they better answer some questions and kick shit into high gear from the 30 minute mark on.
I agree with what you’ve said but I also remember scenes that were in the promo’s that were not in the movie, just a bit of a let down, as far the creep factor is concerned. As far as #5, it is in the works. From what I’ve found, the script is supposed to take off from #2 when Katie and Hunter are walking away from the house.
Just found info on #5, it’s release date is October 25, 2013.
CommDespite what many others feel, I actually enjoyed Paranormal Activity 4. I felt it was a major step up from 3. The 4th film definitely wasn’t scary but I had a fun time watching it. Like the other films, the real tension doesn’t happen till towards the end, but it keeps itself busy by having creepy moments not only by the demon but the creepy neighbor kid Robbie. The lead girl despite being a teenager was tolerable for the most part. She isn’t as stupid as most teens are in horror, her boyfriend is the best character and is a good comical character. Katie’s first real appearance is a treat as always as you think to yourself “oh yeah shits about to get real right now. PA4 does leave us with more questions than answers but nothing a non-lazy person can’t conclude themselves. I actually think PA4 is my new favorite in the series because I feel like the writers finally realized how recycled the scares are and decided to just use it to their advantage and have fun with it. And that’s what it was for me a fun ride horror flick.
Comment:(
Although it didn’t really answer many questions or push the story further, I actually really liked it and the audience I watched it with seemed to have enjoyed it too. And with as many questionable/illogical moments such as the “garage scene”, the computer “hard drive space” thing and the many character cliche’s, you’d think I wouldn’t have liked it, but I’m willing to give a movie a pass on that if it’s fun…Hey, if I can look past ‘Prometheus’ MANY mistakes, I can look past PA4′s. It may not be everyones cup of tea, but if your a fan of the series I think you’d get just as much enjoyment from this one as all the rest.
First of all if you are not a fan of the Paranormal Activity films then don’t go see this movie. Because it does use a lot of “cheap” scares used in the old ones. I happened to think the film was pretty good and the reason why is because its just a fun goof-off midnight movie, but if you are of a fan of the series and do go see it you’ll probably feel the same way. I’ve loved these movies since the original because I found it to be pretty creative. After that I just thought they were fun to go see with friends at 10 at night and they are. Plot wise the movie is slow, but shit its a PARANORMAL ACTIVITY movie, in number one we sat there for five minutes waiting for them to realize that the refrigerator was making noises…and I noticed that the site review compare the kitchen scene from 3 to the new knife scene and I just want to explain the difference. The kitchen scene from 3 was to be a jump scare and made me jump more than the ending, and then we have the knife scene in 4. A knife flys up to the ceiling of the kitchen and disappears *Spoiler* later on while in the kitchen you know the knife is up there and while the dad is hovering over the counter you are just waiting for it to freaking impale the guy in the ear. Suspense. Two different aspects of movie situations and both were pretty good parts of the film IDK what the hell BD is talking about. And one last thing I want to praise about this film is the body count. I think this is the most people killed in a PA film yet and it kind of adds to the movie, plus Katie cracked me up near the end. And the last thing about number 4 is that the ending is just really fast paced and cool. I though it was a great ending to the movie and a potentially good ending to the series if they decide to stop before these turn into the Saw movies….All in all fans will like it and haters will hate it, that’s how it has been since the beginning so if you don’t like them just STFU…
Exactly how I felt about the movie. This one was definitely aimed more to have fun with than to take seriously. That’s why this one is my new favorite.
And about the knife, I seriously thought it was funny that it was just chilling up there for like 2 days before it decided to come down.
I’ve been a big fan of this series…up until now. By mid-way through the film it becomes patently obvious the franchise shot its wad already. Despite a decent set up and reasonable excuse for multi-cameras catching the action, the story has blatantly gaping plotholes, eschewing many opportunities to create a compelling story. And instead of building up dread and uncertainty of what’s coming next, PA4 relies SOLELY on utterly predictable jump scares, none of which are the slightest bit frightening or even likely to get one’s heart racing in the least. On top of all that disappointment **[SPOILER]** they shun 80% of what was used in preview trailers and promotional material. I’ve seen 5 second scenes shown in trailers that ultimately made the cutting room floor, but never before have I seen 2-3 minute-long scenes teased as the heart of the movie completely removed from the movie and the storyline. And, unless you’re fluent en Español, the ‘teaser’ at the end of the credits was useless. **
All-in-all, a very unsatisfactory result.
This is the review I wrote for my University’s News Site (myjtac.com):
One of the best things about a good horror film is knowing that eventually it will end. The hero will defeat the villain, the evil killer will be vanquished, and everyone lives happily ever after (that is, until the sequel when the killer inevitably returns.)
Unfortunately, some horror franchises seem to miss the mark when it comes to the resolution. Typically, these are the series that have one or two good films and nine awful sequels (see “Saw” 5 – 7.) These films allow the bad guy to win out over and over and over until the audience groans collectively and asks themselves, what’s the point?
“Paranormal Activity 4” is yet another installment in a series that really should have been left at one. The found footage phenomenon stopped being scary as soon as we realized that every unbearable middle school kid with a web cam could become a YouTube celebrity with the click of a button. The first film was creative and creepy, but at this point, additional films are just becoming monotonous.
I don’t want to bash this film, because it IS scary. Ask any of the nine friends I saw it with and they’ll assure you I was screaming the whole time (speak loudly, though, because I may have shattered some eardrums.) Unlike the first three, this sequel jumps right into the jump scares, and they’re evenly distributed throughout so there’s not too much exposition in between.
Where PA4 starts to lose my support is about halfway through, when a huge plot hole is sewn up with one throwaway sentence. The characters can’t go back and watch any of their footage (most of which is blatantly paranormal) because Toby the demon has mysteriously gained the ability to manipulate computers (a skill he apparently lacked in the first three films.) On top of that, most of the footage is on webcams, which are fun, in the sense that we haven’t seen that in the series before, but annoying in the sense that all you can see for 90% of the film is a 14-year-old girl’s terrified face, a la “The Blair Witch Project.” There’s also little explanation given as to why the characters haven’t dropped the cameras, cut their losses and left the state. Several plot threads are left hanging loose as well.
Lazy script writing aside, the film features surprisingly great performances from better-known actors than those who have previously appeared in the series. Matt Shively, who some may recognize from “True Jackson, VP” plays the charismatic comic relief and Stephen Dunham shines in his final role.
The Specifics
Plot: PA4 is great if you’re looking for a scare fest but not too concerned with plot. We are given almost no new information about the cult, the demon, the family, or any other questions that have been on our minds since last year’s installment, and the direction the film is taking isn’t made clear until (literally) the last 10 seconds.
Acting: Decently creepy performances from the kids (then again, when are kids not creepy?) The adult acting is hit-and-miss but, for the most part, every actor carries his or her own weight.
Sights and Sounds: There’s no oscillating fan camera this time around, but there is a room in which the Xbox Kinect tracking system is used in a very unsettling way. The lack of music, as always, manages to add to the tension because there’s no swelling music to warn you of an impending scare.
Re-Watch Value: Moderately Low. This movie is nothing you’ll want to own, but it’s definitely perfect for a night in with friends. You could probably get two or three watches out of and still be frightened.
Final Cut: 2.5/5
I have to admit, I was expecting something that I haven’t seen three times already but of course, it actually did less. No surprise there. The movie was a waste of money. With cheap scares and unanswered questions (again), this movie left me hanging and disappointed. I was somewhat of a fan of Paranormal series but this just pissed me off. If they’re going to use Google every time to figure out what symbols mean… Ugh… And when you see “Toby” the size of a six year old, I wonder, “How the hell does he throw the mother to the ceiling and back?” I know, most might answer, “Paranormal powers, duh.”
Yeah… no.
And of course, there had to be a HUGE crowd when Alex was trying to save her brother. Yes, I understand this a weird cult and they are trying to possess someone’s body but honestly, when they made this film, they forgot that this demon “Toby” guy was after the two sisters. So, now, the demon goes after some random virgin?
So, overall. This is shit. Excuse my language but it left so many unanswered questions and was just made for cheap scares and boring plot that’s been overdone.
Sign out, ZamTron
I don’t see why people rate this movie so low. Don’t get me wrong this aint nothing special but to be honest none of the movies in this franchise are and IMO the first one is one of the most overrated movies of all time. I still like them but like I said their nothing to write home about. Anyways, what I thought was good about this entry is how much more face paced it was than the other ones. Shit started to happen fairly quick which was good for me. I’m just not digging this covenant story their going with, they need to hurry up and explain that cause it doesn’t make sense to me, thats what I hope part 5 does. All in all its a good way to burn an hour and a half and I’d say you watch it at least once.
Spoiler on this!!:
Was not horriable, but not as good as the others that came before. The story is getting old and it is becoming difficult to make it scarey. The plot leaves me confused at times. In the previous movies, they made it sound like the cult centered around making pacts that would have you give away the first born male of the family. Then they totally switch in this film to the sacrafice of virgins! The demon is so powerful now that he can kill quickly, why doesn’t he just kill the virgin in the first five minutes of the movie then instead of the swarm of crazy cult people. (I guess you need actual people to kill virgins)It is hard to say why people are killed or not killed. Katie gets to live on, but her sister and much of her family is dead. I don’t know much about witchcraft, but summoning a demon is what is all about in these films! The scares would not as exciting as they were in the earlier movies.
I give it only Two Skulls.
It’s time to retire this franchise.
Comment
I loved first movie, I did not like PA 2 that much, I had fun watching PA 3. Which I think I enjoyed the most out of four.
This one is got to be the worst movie of series so far,no were near as good 1 or 3, even worse them PA 2 (Which I did not like)
The scare scene in this movie really tame down from 3rd movie, none them were really affecting at all, the ended it to quick and moved on to the next scene, like nothing happened, that how it feels thought out the whole movie, some of the scare were so bad that was almost funny.
There also some scenes that add nothing to the plot, they put in the
movie for the sake of it,
there’s is no aftermath. (We Have to deal with the fact, they had no idea that happened, the scene i am talking about is one You see in the trailer with girl floating off the bed.)
As the movie goes on, I did not follow the story, I got confused, where the story was going. I did not understand , Andy soon starts seeing Toby as well thanks to what Robbie did, he also seem go missing near Latter part of the movie.
The only parts I really enjoyed were last 2 or (3 max) minutes of the end, there are some good enjoyable scene to watch, which some may find scary.
The acting was really decent of from the whole cast,
4 out of 10, Worse in the series by FAR!