This means the film works far better as the fifth in a series than it does as a stand alone, but it also means we’re treated to a richer, deeper experience than the format usually allows. Landon’s script introduces several new elements to the overarching mythology, but he also ties in a surprising amount of what we already know. Neither annoy or frustrate viewers as is common for the format in general and these films in particular, and they manage some real warmth and humor between them and the others. The cast is equally deserving of praise in this regard as Jacobs and Diaz in particular contribute performances that are natural, real, and entertaining. That said, he surely deserves some of the credit for this being the first film in the series to feature lead characters who don’t annoy with their every action. This is his first time in the director’s chair on the series, but the found footage format makes it difficult to identify specific strengths or weaknesses in that regard as there’s little room for style or directorial flair. Writer/director Christopher Landon is no stranger to the franchise as he also wrote the first three sequels. Luckily the film finds strengths elsewhere. Or don’t and have viewers wondering why your character is running for his life yet struggling to open a window one-handed while he films with the other. Stick it on your “cameraman” and the issues inherent in someone carrying a handheld become obsolete. Why/how are we seeing what we’re seeing? It’s especially nonsensical as the film introduces a GoPro camera early on only to discard it after one sequence. The camerawork is part of the problem as the third act becomes a litany of known found-footage issues.
There are no scenes here that rival the tension and genius choreography of the third film’s “fan-cam” sequence. There are a handful of smaller jump scares throughout, some fairly effective, but there’s nothing here to match the intensity of Katie being toyed with before being dragged out of bed screaming in the first film.
PARANORMAL ACTIVITY MARKED ONES STORY MOVIE
This is why it’s such a bummer that the damn movie just isn’t very scary. Characters move around their apartment complex, through the streets, and to other homes, and this opening up of the geography allows for a wider variety of set-pieces, gags, and tricks designed to make you leap out of your seat. The film makes a distinct departure for the franchise in more than a few ways including its predominantly Latino cast, its male lead, and its decision to move the action well beyond a single location. Their trespasses trigger a connection to the unknown, and soon they’re toying with strange powers, discovering deadly secrets, and communicating with the other side through a Simon game. The night after his weird downstairs neighbor is murdered Jesse and his two best friends, Hector ( Jorge Diaz) and Marisol ( Gabrielle Walsh), sneak into her apartment to snoop around. Jesse ( Andrew Jacobs) is celebrating his eighteenth birthday with friends, family, and a brand new video camera. It is better written and acted though, and that alone is a triumph for a found-footage film. Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones itself marks the series’ return after taking 2013 off, but while it’s too early to say if it will scare up some healthy ticket sales it’s already clear that it’s not quite as scary as the four that came before. It’s an overused and troublesome format that features very few successes, but not only have the four four earlier PA films been box-office hits they’ve also featured some really solid scares and/or sequences. Horror franchises are nothing new, but the Paranormal Activity series stands apart as the only one to consist solely of found-footage films.
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