To the disappointment of many horror fans, this past October came and went without a new installment in Oren Peli’s lucrative Paranormal Activity series for the first time since 2009. Luckily for found-footage fans, Blumhouse Productions appears to be trying to make amends in 2014, with two separate films in the works. While information about Paranormal Activity 5, scheduled for next fall, has been virtually nonexistent thus far, the marketing campaign for spin-off Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones is heating up with an expanded international trailer.
In the preview, which you can check out below, we get a little more information about the Latino-targeted film than in the last clip, particularly about what brings protagonist Jesse (Andrew Jacobs) into contact with demonic forces. Additionally, the international trailer clarifies The Marked Ones‘ connection to the main series – the missing tapes from Paranormal Activity 3 make an appearance, as does Ali Rey (Molly Ephraim), the lone survivor of Paranormal Activity 2.
Set in Oxnard, California, The Marked Ones picks up as Jesse and his friends discover items intended for use in black magic rituals in the apartment of a recently deceased woman who lived below Jesse. When strange bite marks show up on his arm, and unexplainable events begin to happen around him, Jesse’s friends must race to save him from a powerful demonic force that has claimed Jesse as its own.
Though I was initially dubious about how first-time director Christopher Landon (the writer of all but the first Paranormal Activity) would deal with a spin-off for a series that has demonstrated enough difficulty advancing its main plot, recent trailers for The Marked Ones have won me over. The prospect of an installment that will finally take a deep dive into the series’ mythology is very appealing to me, and the new film also appears to make pretty solid use of a GoPro camera (a first for the franchise).
What do you think of the trailer? Are you excited for this horror spin-off, or does it look like a flop in the making? Let us know in the comments section!
Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones opens in theaters January 3rd.