[movie] Paranormal Activity 4

[CeeKay]

it's that time of the year again, although this is supposedly tied in with everything that has happened in the other films:



I wonder how many more years in a row we can expect a new PA film.

[Crusis]

I hope they keep it up. My wife is a 'jumper' and I LOVE taking her to these every year.

[Ironrod]

Saw the first one recently, thought it was suspenseful even though the ending was predictable. Numbers 2 and 3 are nearing the top of my queue. Are they worth seeing?

I should probably explain that my wife will watch them the same way she watches every movie: Dinking around on her laptop, chattering about random stuff, and regularly wandering in and out of the room. No movie can weave a spell when she's "watching", so it needs to have decent writing, plot, dialog, acting, etc.

[Crusis]

2 was okay. 3 was better and had better scares.

Slip your wife an Adderall before the movies. 

[hepcat]

I wonder if in 4 they'll just realize the ghosts are tired of the whole stealth thing and they'll just show them spending their time in the kitchen in their boxers, drinking coffee and talking about The Daily Show. 

[metallicorphan]

Saw the first one recently, thought it was suspenseful even though the ending was predictable. Numbers 2 and 3 are nearing the top of my queue. Are they worth seeing?

Which ending did you see? as i think there are a few

The ending i saw was

Spoiler for Hiden:

when the guy got hurled towards the camera and the girl gave a evil look and then goes for the camera(and that's where the film ended)

yet there is another where

Spoiler for Hiden:

the cops come after and shoot her while she is holding the knife

and one where

Spoiler for Hiden:

she slits her own throat after killing her boyfriend

I wasn't overly keen on the film,so have not seen 2 and 3

Has anybody seen this?
Paranormal Activity:Tokyo Night

it was named Paranormal Activity 2:Tokyo Night,as it followed the events of the first film....but then I guess the actual sequels came out and it was released on DVD as Paranormal Activity:Tokyo Night

Just wondering if it was any good because i like Japanese horror films

[Bullwinkle]

2 was okay. 3 was better and had better scares.

Slip your wife an Adderall before the movies. 

This.  2 is worth seeing, but 3 was really good, IMO.  You need to see 2, though, since there is a mythology going on.

To me, it's impressive that they have been able to take the mere hints of back story in the first one and really flesh it out.

[Scraper]

2 was okay. 3 was better and had better scares.

Slip your wife an Adderall before the movies. 

This.  2 is worth seeing, but 3 was really good, IMO.  You need to see 2, though, since there is a mythology going on.

To me, it's impressive that they have been able to take the mere hints of back story in the first one and really flesh it out.

I can't keep part 1 and 2 straight. Which one is the one with the pool and the little boy?

[raydude]

it's that time of the year again, although this is supposedly tied in with everything that has happened in the other films:



I wonder how many more years in a row we can expect a new PA film.

Judging from the reverse aging trend I predict 5 will be about toddlers being terrified. 6 will be shot mostly from baby monitor cams - ie. crib and diaper changing scenes. 7 - ITS IN THE WOMB!

[Blackjack]

I won't bother with any more PA stuff short of another misguided "Let the GT forum-ites vote what movie I should see next" misadventure, per the one that sent me to see another awful Saw sequel.

[Bullwinkle]

it's that time of the year again, although this is supposedly tied in with everything that has happened in the other films:

I wonder how many more years in a row we can expect a new PA film.

Judging from the reverse aging trend I predict 5 will be about toddlers being terrified. 6 will be shot mostly from baby monitor cams - ie. crib and diaper changing scenes. 7 - ITS IN THE WOMB!

The baby cam was already in the 2nd one.

Also, that was the one with the pool.

[Ironrod]

Saw the first one recently, thought it was suspenseful even though the ending was predictable. Numbers 2 and 3 are nearing the top of my queue. Are they worth seeing?

Which ending did you see? as i think there are a few

The first one was the default. The other two were included as extras on the DVD.

[CeeKay]

only $29 million domestic for the opening weekend, down quite a bit from PA3's $52 million.  still, enough for them to start talking 5 and a Latino spin-off series.

[Crawley]

The 3rd one just popped up on Netflix. It was my least favorite of the 3 but still enjoyed it. But have no desire to see 4 in theaters.

[metallicorphan]

I watched PA2 a few weeks back(recorded actually after posting in this thread),which annoyed me because there was always the low rumble/plane flying over their house sound when something 'scary' was going to happen...don't tell me when you are going to try and scare me!!

The only thing i did like in PA2,was how it became a prequel to the first movie,because i did not even recognize that that was the first couple from the first movie

PA3 was on one of the Sky Movie channels this weekend so i TiVo'd it,i will prolly watch it this weekend,i hear that goes back to when they were both kids

[Bullwinkle]

3 was actually my favorite so far.  2 is the weakest, IMO, but for a sequel, I thought it was decent.

[Blackjack]

I'd just like them to spread them out a bit. Now they apparently want to crank one out from here to eternity every damn Halloween. You know I'm serious because I never say "damn."  

How about every two years, so now and then a horror film that doesn't have a number in it gets a chance?   A lot of films that seem like perfect Halloween fare just stay the hell away from that time of year now because they don't want to get run over by Paranormal Activity ____.

I saw the first Paranormal and imho, I don't need to see any more of it. I'm glad Saw seems to have finally come to an end (for now), and kinda hope Paranormal gets retired in a couple years. A $30M opening weekend for a cheaply made movie still makes Hollywood happy even if it didn't match the openings of the previous sequels. So they'll probably squeeze at least a few more out of it. Maybe by the time of Paranormal Activity 9, they'll mothball it...

[Bullwinkle]

Well, you probably shouldn't be fist shaking if you haven't seen any of the others but the first one.

They've done something unusual, so far as horror sequels go.  They've progressively fleshed out the story.  Each has added another layer of mythology and history, which is not something I expected and is something I really enjoy about the series.

[hepcat]

I've seen the three previous ones and I have to say that they could've made just one film out of the last two and nothing would've been lost.  My issue with the series is pacing.  They add a LOT of padding in each iteration.

[PR_GMR]

I've seen the three previous ones and I have to say that they could've made just one film out of the last two and nothing would've been lost.  My issue with the series is pacing.  They add a LOT of padding in each iteration.

Squeezing that green juice out of the franchise. I for one have no interest in seeing this one. I'm done with the 'Paranormal Activity' cheapo 'OMG It MOved! I'm soooo scurreed.' concept. Blah.

[CeeKay]

I'm done with the 'Paranormal Activity' cheapo 'OMG It MOved! I'm soooo scurreed.' concept. Blah.

yeah, it's getting kind of ridiculous.  too many copycats now with very few fresh takes on the 'found footage' genre in general.

[metallicorphan]

In the newspapers today an article told of a load of kids went to the cinema to see Madagascar 3 and they all started crying when Paranormal Activity 4 was played by accident

Thinking about it though,i am sure some of the mothers in the audience when the BBFC certificate for the film comes up on the screen(or even the opening credits) were quick to get the manager,so the kids didn't actually see any scary bits...still,evil as i am,it would of been pretty funny if i was there

I watched Paranormal Activity 3 last night,best thing about it was the kids acting TBH,i thought they were quite impressive....the film itself though was again very so-so,i have to laugh that i have watched each of these expecting more,and then it pulls me in and i am disappointed again...so,this time next year for TiVo and PA4


Oh,by the way i thought there was supposed to be a fire in this one(PA3),with it being a prequel and they spoke of the fire in the first film when they found that photograph in the attic with burnt edges,and that photograph was supposed to be lost in the fire?

[CeeKay]

In the newspapers today an article told of a load of kids went to the cinema to see Madagascar 3 and they all started crying when Paranormal Activity 4 was played by accident

 

kids these days, nothing but a bunch of pussies.

[hepcat]

When I was a kid, my parents would make us watch Faces of Death while playing with handguns.  Today's kids are just molly coddled wusses who wouldn't last 5 minutes in a military coup.  Pansies.

[metallicorphan]

[Bullwinkle]

Watched it tonight.  There were some decent moments.  The use of the Kinect is cool. There's a cat who suddenly appears halfway into the movie who is never named.  This one really felt like a placeholder, though, that left more questions than it answered.

Spoiler for Hiden:

If Wyatt is actually the kid from 2, who the hell is Bobby?  And how the hell did Katie lose him in the first place?  Also, why do they need him, since 3 made it seem like the coven is very female-centric?

I imagine at least some of those will be addressed in the inevitable next one.

Also

Spoiler for Hiden:

The cat should have been killed at some point.  I'm not usually one to complain about body count, but the danger level just didn't seem as high this time.  Part of the issue may have been the very obvious wire harness the mother was wearing in the living room.

OTOH, the house sequence at the end was pretty good, and I was definitely startled and freaked out by that giant gaggle of witches. I just hope there's a reason for it other than the "more is more" policy.

Overall, I'd put it on par with PA2.  Not great, but certainly better than some crap out there.  Oh, and the girl is pretty cute.  I look forward to seeing her when she isn't jailbait.

[rittchard]

I just saw it too.  I enjoyed it but not as much as the previous movies as the "plot" didn't really seem to advance as much as I'd hoped.  I thought 2 did a great job of enhancing the story from 1 in a different perspective, and 3 added to the "lore."  I was really hoping they'd take the story into the present and have someone actually do something to counteract this time.  As much as I'm interested in where they take the plot, I think they need to have someone you can actually root for if there's a sequel.

Spoiler for Hiden:

I guess we didn't see jailbait die so it would be interesting if she came back for a sequel and actually got to do something proactive.  BTW was she just carrying her freaking Macbook Air everywhere while running from witches lol?

[Bullwinkle]

I just saw it too.  I enjoyed it but not as much as the previous movies as the "plot" didn't really seem to advance as much as I'd hoped.  I thought 2 did a great job of enhancing the story from 1 in a different perspective, and 3 added to the "lore."  I was really hoping they'd take the story into the present and have someone actually do something to counteract this time.  As much as I'm interested in where they take the plot, I think they need to have someone you can actually root for if there's a sequel.

Spoiler for Hiden:

I guess we didn't see jailbait die so it would be interesting if she came back for a sequel and actually got to do something proactive.  BTW was she just carrying her freaking Macbook Air everywhere while running from witches lol?

I had the same thought, essentially.

Spoiler for Hiden:

I think she's intended to be the sacrifice mentioned, but what if Bobby is the sacrifice, and she is meant to be primed as another witch?  Or something?

Also, while the image of her running around with the Macbook is hilarious, I think it was meant to be the video camera, since it had night vision.  BUt I'm not sure why she was dragging it around everywhere.  Who was she recording for at that point, anyway?  Interesting that this didn't occur to me while watching it, though.  Somehow, they usually do find a logical reason to have cameras going (movie-logic, anyway).  Although, you'd think Katie would be a little more aware of them by now.  OTOH, in the end, I guess it doesn't matter if she's been recorded or not.