2014 Movie Preview: #21 - Paranormal Activity 5

Release date: October 24

Plot summary: Scary things are happening in someone's house and they're capturing it all on video so you can be as freaked out as they are. Is it a ghost? Is it Tobey? Is it Katie Featherston? You'll have to pay money for a ticket and find out!

My take: At this point, this franchise is getting a little long in the tooth and probably should be put out to pasture. However, I don't want to see it go away until we get some answers related to the film's overall mythology. If they jerk audience's around again with this one, I'm calling it quits. But I'm hopeful that with the benefit of taking a year off that they'll have come up with a decent story that not only decently scares us but gives us the answers we've been looking for. Please note that the film I am previewing here is not the one that comes out in January. That one is a cheap spinoff that is merely looking to cash in on the Paranormal Activity name.

RBR: Paranormal Activity 4

If you recall, I began to warm to this horror franchise with its previous effort. It felt like not only were they giving us some insight into the backstory of this spirit that haunts and kills unsuspecting victims, but they were also finding ways of sticking to the formula of the franchise while still offering some innovative ways of providing the audience with some legitimate scares. It is because of the promise that #3 showed that makes this latest entry so frustrating. This is the epitome of a film treading water. Nothing feels fresh or original here. The scares are telegraphed, no real advancement to the story is made and none of the characters are very compelling. This time around, the film centers around a teenage girl and her suburban family who are asked to babysit a creepy neighborhood boy. Being a teenager, she has to of course record all aspects of her life, so that's how we get all of the paranormal activity documented here. I highly doubt I'm spoiling anything by saying things don't end well for her or her family. And I think that's one of the biggest frustrations I have currently with this franchise - the fight has been so one sided. In most horror films, while the ghost/monster/psychopath goes on a tear of destruction, they usually get defeated or at the very least suffer a setback by the end of the film. To this point, no one has gotten the better of this witches' coven or the spirits they conjure up. I'm ready for some payback at this point. I do believe that this franchise still has life in it, but if the next film once again offers up the same old scares with nothing fresh to offer then I just might have to call it quits on this series. Unless you're looking for a scare, you're not missing anything by skipping this film. Rating: ** 1/2

America's scariest home videos

Turn out the lights because here's the latest trailer for Paranormal Activity 4

The new Normal

After going back in time with the third entry, the story appears to be moving forward now in fourth Paranormal Activity movie. Here's your first look at the movie, which is set to come out this October.