Halloween Movie Month 2 [Paranormal Activity 4]

Like you probably just read in my Paranormal Activity 2, I do like the series. So when I heard Paranormal Activity 4 was coming out and saw the trailer for the first time I was kinda excited because it really intrigued me ever since the end of the third movie. Like with Sinister I basically just up and went to see this and I kinda liked it..sort-of.

We open Paranormal Activity 4 by learning that it is now November of 2011 and Katie and Hunter are still missing after the events of the first two movies. Alex (Kathryn Newton) is filming her younger brother's, Wyatt's (Aiden Lovekamp), soccer game. Back at their house Alex shows her boyfriend, Ben (Matt Shively),  her treehouse in the backyard. They discover the neighbor boy, Robbie (Brady Allen) in there for no apparent reason. They both think this is creepy as hell. Alex takes him back home and then later that night she sees and ambulance across the street. The next day Alex finds out from her mother, Holly (Alexondra Lee), that Robbie will be staying with them for a few days as his mother had to go to the hospital. Later that night, Ben and Alex find the two boys playing with the Kinect on their Xbox 360. Wyatt is sitting on the couch while Robbie plays with his imaginary friend. Ben turns off the lights and uses the night-vision to show them the tracking balls emitted by the Kinect. The camera picks up what looks like a figure sitting next to Robbie. At this point Alex becomes concerned and asks Ben to enable all the cameras on the computers in the house to record what is going on 24/7. With each day Robbie is over the cameras pick up strange things happening to the people in the house. Things happening to Alex, Wyatt becoming distant with everyone but Robbie and an increasing sense of tension between the family members. Robbie's mother returns home from the hospital and Robbie goes home, all while the strange things are still happening to the family. Can they be saved from what is now lurking in their house or they doomed to repeat the fate befell the others at the hands of Toby.

This movie is nice because it's different. Well not that different, but a family not related to to the one that's been terrorized for three movies is nice. The story is pretty nice compared to the rest of the series and the way everything plays out in a different manner is good to see they're not out of subtle nuances for the plot. I liked Kathryn Newton and Matt Shively as the two main people, as it the first time a younger duo is the lead in the series. With the younger kids playing their parts extremely well. As well as them [SPOILER] bringing back in Katie as the "hurt" mother [SPOILER] it was a nice twist in a series that doesn't have to many of them. The scares were, to no surprise, like the rest of the series all based on jump scares. Some were done well, with some being predictable. Though some of the people in the theater are less than antiquated with horror and still jumped and yelled. The innovation of using computers, coupled with the now infamous camera and the great use of the Kinect tracking balls, made some nice changes to the kinda stagnant filming style. Also like with the rest of the series it really starts to pick up at the end of the movie. Shit hits the fan and everything goes south in a very innovative-ish way. There are a few problems, you can tell the kids aren't well versed in acting, it felt a bit longer than the others (this was not even a director's or extended cut) and the ending was so sudden it left me saying "Whaaa"?

All in all this was a decent enough edition to the series while opening the possibility of a fifth installment. The acting, scares and plot were alright. While the innovative way of filming and the nice story kept things a bit fresh. If you don't like or haven't seen the series this isn't gonna make you a fan or open your eyes to the series. But if you are a fan this is a decent addition and reintroduces I'd say the favorite starlet of the series so far.

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Halloween Movie Month 2! Movie #1: Halloween II

Halloween Movie Month 2! Movie #2: The Devil's Rejects

Halloween Movie Month 2! Movie #3: Friday the 13th Part II

Halloween Movie Month 2! Movie #4: Scream 2

Halloween Movie Month 2! Movie #5: Evil Dead 2: Dead Before Dawn

Halloween Movie Month 2! Movie #6: Trick 'r Treat

Halloween Movie Month 2! Movie #7: Planet Terror

Halloween Movie Month 2! Movie #8: SAW III

Halloween Movie Month 2! Movie #9: The Cabin in the Woods

Halloween Movie Month 2! Movie #10: Barricade

Halloween Movie Month 2! Movie #11: The Collector

Halloween  Movie Month 2! Movie #12: Hostel

Halloween Movie Month 2! Movie #13: Silent Hill

Halloween Movie Month 2! Movie #14: SAW IV

Halloween Movie Month 2! TV Shows #15: Community
Halloween Movie Month 2! Movie #16: Scream 3
Halloween Movie Month 2! Movie #17: Sinister
Halloween Movie Month 2! TV Show #18: American Horror Story
Halloween Movie Month 2! Movie #19: Paranormal Activity 2