Paranormal Activity (2009) A young couple, Katie and Micah (Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat), come to believe their home is haunted and set up video cameras to capture evidence. Things get progressively worse and they call on the help of a psychic, who informs them it’s most likely a demonic entity that is after Katie. Although The Blair Witch Project kick-started the modern found footage craze, it was Paranormal Activity that opened the floodgates and released a wave of imitators, many of which are still being released today. Thanks to its minuscule budget and extremely effective approach at the subject matter (showing less is indeed more), this is a terrifically fun and unsettling little scare show that reminds us of why we are naturally afraid of the dark. A–
Paranormal Activity 2 (2010) Taking place a few months before the events of the first film, PA 2 centers on Katie’s sister, Kristi’s (Sprague Grayden), family and the arrival of her new baby boy, Hunter, which is subsequently followed by a mysterious break-in that prompts Dad to set up security cameras. Both respecting and adding to the mythology, PA 2 is a good follow-up that doesn’t overplay the scares or abuse its power by trying to exceed the original in special FX. It smartly focuses on likable characters and builds suspense naturally. Although not as intense as the first film – more family members lessens the horror of the activities – this is still a worthy entry. B
Paranormal Activity 3 (2011) Shaking things up for the series is this fantastic third entry that takes the storyline to 1988, when Katie and Kristi were kids, and shows how they became the targets of the malevolent demon that terrorized them in the previous films. When little Kristi (Jessica Tyler Brown) begins talking to an imaginary friend named Toby, and strange things begin to happen, her stepdad (Christopher Nicholas Smith) sets up VHS cameras around the house to find out what is going on. Ignoring the subtlety of the first two, PA 3 goes full-out funhouse with inventive, scary set pieces and a less serious approach, although the last 20 minutes will have you on the edge of your seat up until the slam-bang finish. B+
Paranormal Activity 4 (2012) Returning to the present day, several years have passed after the events of the first two films. A new family is seemingly bombarded by paranormal activities after they meet their weird new neighbor, Robby (Brady Allen), whose mother is mysteriously absent. PA 4 is a misstep in the series, with dull characters and a muddled plotline that doesn’t seem to make sense or really fit in with the overall mythology. The use of modern technology (Skype/FaceTime video and Xbox Kinect) to document the action is clever, but the lack of scares and a climax that is essentially ripping off PA 3 is a bummer. C
Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones (2014) A return to form, this fifth entry in the PA series wisely spins-off from the focus of Katie, Kristi, and Hunter, and delivers a new story about teenager, Jessie (Andrew Jacobs), who believes his neighbor, Ana, is a witch. After he and his friends break into Ana’s apartment he begins experiencing bizarre mood swings and unexplained activity in his home, including levitation and a retro Simon game that communicates with him. Written and directed by Christopher Landon (Happy Death Day 2 U), The Marked Ones is injected with much-needed energy and sympathetic characters; as with PA 2, the movie both respects and adds to the mythology and introduces a plot twist that actually works. Fast-paced, funny, and scary, this is probably the best of the sequels. B+
Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension (2015) After discovering a specialty videocamera that allows you to see spirits, a father (Chris J. Murray) uses it, and other cameras, to find out what’s happening in his new house when his daughter (Ivy George) begins acting strangely. Basically just recycling the plot of PA 3, Ghost Dimension lacks the verve of Marked Ones and by now the mythology is becoming a bit convoluted, showing just how thin the filmmakers are stretching the already overused plot. There are some good scares and the use of 3-D is clever, but one can’t help have the feeling of déjà vu when a lack of surprises envelopes the already shaky foundation. C+
