Really?
There are questions to be answered?
I was satisfied with the notion that the producers were making it all up as they went with no real coherency in sight. Frankly, I'm less than optimistic this final film is going to prove otherwise.
It's a bit telling that this 'endgame' announcement actually came four moths ago and I'm just now hearing about it. Somewhere along the way, I went from being an advocate of the series to exhibiting unbridled indifference to it. I've rented Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones twice and I still haven't motivated myself to put it in the DVD player. So what the hell happened?
Found Footage is a Gimmick
Just like 3D or stories told in real time, the 'found footage' approach to filmmaking is a double edged blade. On the one hand, you have a shortcut to getting your audience's attention. On the flipside, you give the audience inclination to judge your work not by the story content but by your technical creativity in pulling said gimmick off.
Found footage can work, although it's probably better in bursts; the intense opening to Strange Days comes to mind. If you're an independent filmmaker, the found footage horror film is an attractive genre, because it helps disguise a lot of production issues; such as the lack of set designers, fully realized scripts, a convenient justification for not showing the monster at the end, etc. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, it's just very difficult to do it well.
1999 gave us that milestone indie film The Blair Witch Project, a movie which honestly hasn't held up over time. People praised it back in the day, probably because of their personal experience with the movie, and not the overall quality of the film. The characters were the girl who screamed the whole time, the guy who threw away the map, and the other guy.
I maintain that Paranormal Activity is the better movie because there were actual characters in a predominantly character driven piece. Katie Featherston may not have had the chance to demonstrate the talent needed to carry her into more mainstream roles, but she's quite convincing in this first film. I find myself invested in her character, and actually concerned with her outcome (kind of an important element). Without her, Paranormal Activity would simply be a uniform-motion equation to its climax. Featherston gives the story its arc.
Why Don't They Put Down the Camera?
In any found footage film, this question will eventually cross the minds of the audience. It's the responsibility of the filmmaker to satisfactorily resolve this issue. Blair Witch gave us a half-assed explanation by suggesting that Screamie could distance herself from reality by looking through the lens, and they could use the camera as a light source (which I guess only worked by hitting record?).
Paranormal 1 also gives us Micah Sloat, the apparent culprit in why the demonic activity gets progressively worse. He likes recording these things, and he's fascinated by all of the happenings. Sure, as the audience we can say "turn the camera off, moron!" from the comfort of our stadium seating, but for the purpose of the movie Micah's character works. It makes sense that he would keep filming. He's cocky, and never quite in touch with the danger he and Katie are in. He's not a bad guy, just overconfident.
Now, I'm going to put that thought on hold for a moment, but as we move into Paranormals 2 and 3, we get to points in the narrative where there is literally no reason for the characters to keep filming, and it cheapens the overall product. In 2 the problem occurs when the dad and the daughter get trapped in the basement. 3 is a little more ambiguous. The question arises, when do you have enough footage to do something about it.
More on that shortly...
The Story Isn't Moving Forward
I know several people who insist that the sequel is the best entry in the franchise, and I very much disagree. Problem one: the new characters just didn't do anything for me. Problem two: getting back to Micah's overconfidence, this movie undoes a really strong element of its predecessor. In Paranormal 1 we're led to believe that Micah creates his own demise by playing games with this invisible demon, and it's a great moral. But in the prequel/interquel/whateverquel it's established that Katie was going to get it no matter what, ultimately absolving Micah's influence on the events.
2 starts taking us into what the producers are calling 'the mythology' of the series, which translates as 'that stuff that we haven't really nailed down yet but we're booked in theaters this October'. We're not fooled. They're making it up as they go, and that rarely works out.
Problem three: and this is the big one, Paranormal Activity 2 contracts a terminal case of 'we've seen this movie already'. Paranormal 1 was meant to be a one shot story, that unexpectedly hit the jackpot, leaving lots and lots of ticket buyers demanding more. Unfortunately we get more of the same. Nothing gets accomplished except to take us back to the climax of the first movie. It like listening to an engaging story and getting to that cliffhanger. "So what happens next?" "Oh, wait, I need to tell you what happened before that." "*sigh*...[two hours later] So then what happens?" "Oh! I need to tell you what happened to the kids back in the 80's." "&@#%!"
We NEED New Tricks
Well, I was going to throw in the towel when I heard Paranormal Activity 3 was going even further back, but then the reviews raved about the oscillating fan-mounted camera. I thought, "that might be fun". It nearly rescued the whole franchise.
The entire second act of this movie is devoted to the new toy, and the directors milk every creative use of the slow pan they can think of. Even horror movies need a fun-factor. And by default, the babysitter with the 80's hairdo becomes one of the few post-original movie characters to leave any kind of impression.
Well, there's also Dude, played in this film by a character named Dennis. He's Katie's mother's boyfriend who have a penchant for videotaping (how fortunate) and serves as the prequel Micah. Miquel?
Dude leaves an impression as well, but for the wrong reasons. He seems well-meaning enough, but unlike Micah, Dude never checks the important footage for the Holy Grail of activity that he's so determined to capture. Meaning, his whole purpose is to justify the presence of the cameras well beyond the point where he would have stopped.
Then the final act shifts locations because I-don't-care-anymore. Dude, again without checking his footage, goes to grandmother's house because the-producers-don't-care-anymore, and I submit that this is the 'jump the shark' moment for the series. Something about a coven and ghoulish old ladies and Dude still won't put down the camera. Finally the demon named Toby (just, wow) pries it out of Dude's cold, dead hands, and still nothing has been accomplished.
END!!! Damn it!
I was actually disappointed to find out Paranormal Activity 4 wasn't going to be set even further back, like the 1700's told entirely through oil paintings.
I honestly remember nothing about this movie and that's never a good sign for a horror film. The action FINALLY moves forward and it amounts to nothing. When the first movie ended, I was still hoping for some way out for Katie. But now that we've been through three more movies and a spinoff, I honestly don't think there's anything or anyone in this series for me to care about. Maybe if the demon starts making its own film.
Paranormal Activity never needed a complicated back story. The original was great because it felt like it could happen to anyone who happened to move into the wrong house. But once we go into 'chosen one' territory, it separates us from the action on the screen. Any traces of metaphor for consequences when one dabbles in things they know they shouldn't are long gone. Now it's just a plodding narrative about an extremely specific set of circumstances that doesn't really warrant a conclusion.
I'm not sure what they should have done differently. Probably scrapped the witch's coven thing altogether and just focus on possessed Katie. Give the demon a malevolently playful sense of humor. Have Katie seeking out people who are filming things. Maybe go on one of those ghost hunter reality shows. Or get a Youtube channel.
The bottom line is: this series started great. But the producers got too comfortable with their cash cow and never tried to build with it. Now, it's like walking through a spookhouse attraction the weekend after Halloween when the performers just want to go home. It's a pity, because I kind of feel like Katie deserved better.
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