Horror movies are supposed to be scary, right? The once terrifying Paranormal Activity franchise now relies on variations of the original concept, which allows viewers to telegraph what is going to happen and, as a result, they are no longer frightened. The fourth installment is not nearly as good as the previous three. The characters are mostly unlikable and lack any sort of common sense and the screenplay feels very tired.
Paranormal Activity 4 centers around a new family consisting of Holly (Alexondra Lee) and Doug (Stephen Dunham), a married couple, and their two children, the teenage Alex (Kathryn Newton) and the much younger Wyatt (Aiden Lovekamp). Alex has a boyfriend, Ben (Matt Shively), who helps her adjust to problems that begin when the family temporarily takes in a young neighbor boy, Robbie (Brady Allen), after his mother is rushed to the hospital. Robbie is a rather creepy child who enjoys walking around the house at all hours of the night, but otherwise seems harmless. Unfortunately, his imaginary friend (actually a demonic force), Toby, is not so harmless. Once Robbie arrives, Toby does too, and causes all sorts of problems for the family, such as turning on electronics, making loud noises and, of course, trying to kill them.
Alex understands that something is not right with Robbie and tries to talk to her clueless parents, but they think she is being silly, despite the fact that they each have experienced unexplained events. Ben and Alex try to determine what is really going on and set up cameras around the house to capture what is happening. Without understanding the nature of the danger they face, a series of harrowing events begin to plague the family, but it may be too late to save themselves, especially once Robbie's mom, the malevolent Katie (Katie Featherston, who appeared in the first three films) returns to the neighborhood. As it turns out, she has a connection to Wyatt.
The lack of original ideas and the absence of genuine scary moments greatly diminish Paranormal Activity 4. However, I did appreciate two nods to the 1980 film The Shining, which is based on the Stephen King novel. In any event, this low budget film will earn much more than its production costs, so expect more sequels as long as the Paranormal Activity franchise remains profitable. Perhaps future installments should focus on the mysterious cult members who have been seen in the third and fourth installments, and shy away from the doomed family members who awaken in the middle of the night to find themselves fighting for their lives. Been there, done that. Time to move on.
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