Paranormal Activity 4 Review

• 22nd Feb 2013

Latest instalment of the hidden camera horror phenomenon, Paranormal Activity 4 picks up several years after the events of the second film (the third being an eighties throwback exploring the series’ origins). Without spoilerising, we are reminded that a possessed woman and a child go missing…and have never been heard from again. Very original. Cut to the preposterously wholesome Alex (Kathryn Newton), her gently dysfunctional parents and cute freckle-faced little brother, whose new neighbours happen to be said demon woman and a small child.

As you may expect, there really is not much more to be squeezed out of this set-up. Beyond a slightly cool night vision Xbox function, the bumps in the night are all very familiar; swinging chandeliers, slamming doors. The high tension atmosphere that worked so well in the first in the series just isn’t there. There is a slight extension to the series’ mythology, with symbols and cult references, but this really seems to have been thrown in there to see if it will work. It doesn’t.

In truth, Kathryn Newton really carries the film, managing to hit exactly the right notes. She avoids being annoying – even though she should be – as the pretty perfect all American teen. Her Facetime chats with her slightly doofus friend (wannabe boyfriend) provide ample opportunity and reason for the constant filming. The strange child from across the road, Robbie, is also pretty good. Especially for one so young. Quiet and creepy, he manages to be just unsettling enough without over doing it. His whispered chats to an unseen presence while staying with the Alex and her family, seem to infect the house with a buzz of tension, even her happy little brother, Wyatt begins to mimic Robbie’s oddities. The big finale is sudden but totally expected – the shock scares of the original completely diluted.

I watched the extended version, which is on the disc, along with the standard theatrical cut. There are also a few deleted scenes, which will be familiar to anyone who watched them as trailers before the release.

The original PA was effective and scary. The follow-ups really can’t match it. Though not as awful as expected from this flogged carcass of a series, mostly due to the surprising quality of its young cast.

Hannah Turner