I have to admit, I didn’t expect much going into Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones. In my eyes, the franchise had been on a steady decline since Oren Peli’s original, which absolutely haunted my nightmares – wait, no. Paranormal Activity made sleep just a tempting fantasy as I laid in my bed clutching my blanket over my eyes, so I couldn’t even reach the nightmare stage – I was just scared. After that, each sequel seemed to lose that spark of inventive horror, even though a new camera gimmick was introduced each time. In a way, I thought the technology removed that inherent terror, as I slowly became bored with Katie, Hunter, and all the witching hour dramatics.
I’m happy to report that Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones breathes wonderful new life into Oren Peli’s franchise, as our young cast exhibits a tight chemistry that injects midnight-movie humor into an atmosphere more comparable to Peli’s original white-knuckle scare-fest. If you want my full thoughts on the film, you can check out my theatrical review of writer/director Christopher Landon’s fantastic franchise-saving entry, and if you want even more coverage, check out our exclusive video interview with the cast!
Although the newest Paranormal Activity may have lost in the box office race to Frozen during its opening weekend, the film has been getting some much needed praise from the critical community, which a newly released TV spot shows off.
Notice anything significant about the trailer? Hey Mom, look at me!
I couldn’t be happier to help promote this thrilling piece of horror, as Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones needed this type of energy to remain relevant. In a way, I see this film making the same impact that Bride Of Chucky did for Don Mancini’s Child’s Play franchise, again looking for that fun tone to shake things up.
Don’t worry horror fans, there are still many of the expected scares that come along with a found footage movie, but again, there isn’t that level of cheapness I felt from the last two sequels especially. I know, I know, some people think Paranormal Activity 3 was the game changer, and I can definitely see the plot surprises causing such love, but Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones takes the previous mythology and goes completely bonkers, creating nothing but raw entertainment. Bring your friends, have a good laugh, and make fun of the scaredy-cat who jumped the highest – what’s the worst that can happen?