"I've heard of spirit photography before, I've just never seen it in person." When looking through boxes at their house Ryan finds an old video camera. Excited about the find he begins to walk around filming everything. He begins to notice strange things through the lens and when he looks at tapes of movies filmed with the camera he makes a horrifying discovery. This is a series that has been on the decline ever since the first one. Each one tries to do something different than the others, and this one actually shows the activity rather then showing things happening without knowing why. This new idea makes things not as creepy to me. Seeing a chair start to rock without seeing something do it is scarier then seeing a ghost move around. This movie, however, much like every other sequel, is almost review proof. This is the 5th movie in the series and by now you are looking forward to the new one or not. As for me this is a series that should probably stop. If you can't improve on the last one don't make it. They haven't reached Batman & Robin status with the franchise yet but they are on their way. Overall, not un- watchable but another drop off from the previous one. I give this a C+.
103 Reviews
Hmmm...
fil-nik0926 December 2015
I think I read somewhere on the movie poster that this one is different and that it shows the story from the other side... Well, if it did, then it is not anything special.
I watched all the paranormal activity movies and even a parody. I watched them all not because I really liked them or enjoyed much but because I like horror films and those are rare nowdays - I mean the good ones. so, I was hoping with each one of these that one might be good, but... I mean, they are not bad entirely, but not something special either. I was surprised when the 1st one was voted somewhere as the scariest horror of all time!!!??? Say what?!
This one starts promising, but that is all that is interesting. The little girl is good. Mum is just ... whatever. Dad - well, at least he is kinda sexy so he passes as well as that blond girl ( which, by the way, I did not get why she is even in the house?! - a babysitter?!)
So, Toby is evil, he is in the house for 6 days and the family goes around filming... Yeah,right. That is what bothers me in all of these films. I mean, I know it IS a movie. But if you use hand camera to make a movie look more realistic, please let people do realistic things too. But no ...
All in all, if you don't have anything better to do - go ahead. A few thrills and it is over. 5 from me.
I watched all the paranormal activity movies and even a parody. I watched them all not because I really liked them or enjoyed much but because I like horror films and those are rare nowdays - I mean the good ones. so, I was hoping with each one of these that one might be good, but... I mean, they are not bad entirely, but not something special either. I was surprised when the 1st one was voted somewhere as the scariest horror of all time!!!??? Say what?!
This one starts promising, but that is all that is interesting. The little girl is good. Mum is just ... whatever. Dad - well, at least he is kinda sexy so he passes as well as that blond girl ( which, by the way, I did not get why she is even in the house?! - a babysitter?!)
So, Toby is evil, he is in the house for 6 days and the family goes around filming... Yeah,right. That is what bothers me in all of these films. I mean, I know it IS a movie. But if you use hand camera to make a movie look more realistic, please let people do realistic things too. But no ...
All in all, if you don't have anything better to do - go ahead. A few thrills and it is over. 5 from me.
An entertaining and well-paced horror film with some irritating flaws
spydervein16 August 2016
I approached this movie with low expectations due to the negative reviews and the slipshod quality of Paranormal Activity 4. However, I found myself pleasantly surprised to discover that this movie did not suffer from the plodding pace of the first movie or the frustratingly unintelligent characters that were featured in PA2 and PA4 (recall that the father in the second movie had cameras installed but then refused to watch the recorded footage). This entry moves along at a brisk pace and is never boring, and you never have to wait too long for some creepy visuals or a good jump scare (yes, there are jump scares and this will turn some viewers off, but it didn't bother me as I was in the mood to be startled). The character of Mike is somewhat annoying but he's there to serve as comic relief.
Many of the visual effects are subtle and done quite well, such as the particles and shapes captured by the modified "ghost camera," but the use of CGI becomes much too heavy-handed in the latter half of the film. Whereas most of the scares are done very well, a few of the CGI effects seen near the end of the movie are more funny than scary and this is not a good thing; sparser use of computer- generated visuals would have been a wise move, but instead they were VERY liberal with its application here (especially in comparison with the previous entries). Also, without spoiling anything, there are some frustrating problems raised by the plot twists that occur near the end of the film and PA5 ultimately creates more questions than it answers.
Fans who were hoping for a neat and tidy wrap-up to the franchise will be somewhat disappointed with PA5. However, if you accept that these films have had convoluted plots from PA2 onward and you're just in the mood to be scared and entertained, you'll probably enjoy this one. It's a solid popcorn movie for a rainy night.
Just don't puzzle over the continuity of the plot too much... You'll give yourself a migraine.
Many of the visual effects are subtle and done quite well, such as the particles and shapes captured by the modified "ghost camera," but the use of CGI becomes much too heavy-handed in the latter half of the film. Whereas most of the scares are done very well, a few of the CGI effects seen near the end of the movie are more funny than scary and this is not a good thing; sparser use of computer- generated visuals would have been a wise move, but instead they were VERY liberal with its application here (especially in comparison with the previous entries). Also, without spoiling anything, there are some frustrating problems raised by the plot twists that occur near the end of the film and PA5 ultimately creates more questions than it answers.
Fans who were hoping for a neat and tidy wrap-up to the franchise will be somewhat disappointed with PA5. However, if you accept that these films have had convoluted plots from PA2 onward and you're just in the mood to be scared and entertained, you'll probably enjoy this one. It's a solid popcorn movie for a rainy night.
Just don't puzzle over the continuity of the plot too much... You'll give yourself a migraine.
This time, you will see the activity. And the lazy writing. And the cheap 3D gimmick.
moviewizguy23 October 2015
Remember Saw? Remember what happened to that franchise? After becoming a Halloween staple, it was immediately overshadowed by the newer, fresher Paranormal Activity series, with the last Saw using 3D as a final resort to churn out one more film from the dying franchise. Now, we're seeing the same thing from Paranormal Activity. In fact, the desperation to milk one last film is apparent, and it's sad. Alas, this is the cycle every horror franchise goes through. I have to admit, I personally enjoyed this series longer than I would expect. To call PA4 disappointing is an understatement, but The Marked Ones made up for it and surprised the hell out of me.
However, TGD is easily the worst film in the series, one of the worst films of the year, and a sad, cynical, soulless attempt to salvage whatever is left from this franchise. There's literally nothing memorable here, nothing iconic. It's all so generic and inept, from the constant jump scares, to the forgettable actors, to the 3D, which is used in the most clichéd way possible. The story doesn't make a lick of sense compared to all the buildup in the previous films, most likely due to the noticeable absence of Christopher Landon, who wrote all the sequels up until this point. And why the hell did it take two years for four writers to write the script? Was that really necessary? Overall, there's not much to be said about TGD because there's not much to actually talk about. By the time of writing this review, I've already forgotten about 90% of the movie, and you will too. So don't watch it. You don't need to see the activity. Whatever you come up with in your imagination is probably far scarier than this movie would ever dream to achieve.
However, TGD is easily the worst film in the series, one of the worst films of the year, and a sad, cynical, soulless attempt to salvage whatever is left from this franchise. There's literally nothing memorable here, nothing iconic. It's all so generic and inept, from the constant jump scares, to the forgettable actors, to the 3D, which is used in the most clichéd way possible. The story doesn't make a lick of sense compared to all the buildup in the previous films, most likely due to the noticeable absence of Christopher Landon, who wrote all the sequels up until this point. And why the hell did it take two years for four writers to write the script? Was that really necessary? Overall, there's not much to be said about TGD because there's not much to actually talk about. By the time of writing this review, I've already forgotten about 90% of the movie, and you will too. So don't watch it. You don't need to see the activity. Whatever you come up with in your imagination is probably far scarier than this movie would ever dream to achieve.
"Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension" should have stayed there.
dave-mcclain23 October 2015
I've always had a lot of respect for the "Paranormal Activity" movies, if not a whole lot of love. "Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension" (R, 1:28) is the sixth installment in the series, which has scared up about $1 billion in ticket sales worldwide, against less than $25 million in production expenses. The original "Paranormal Activity" (2009) was filmed in the house owned by Oren Peli, who was the film's producer, director, writer, cinematographer and editor. Peli made that film for $15,000 and it ended up earning nearly $200 million worldwide – almost 13 THOUSAND times what it cost. This, of course, was the film that started that billion dollar franchise and, co-produced by Jason Blum, helped establish Blumhouse Productions, which eventually brought horror fans the "Insidious", "Sinister" and "The Purge" films, as well as the Best Picture Oscar Nominee "Whiplash" in 2014. Now THAT'S a success story that anyone who has ever tried to make a buck on their own idea or vision has to respect
but what Movie Fans really want to know about a movie is whether it's any good. That's what matters to us.
Personally, I liked all of the "Paranormal Activity" movies but I didn't LOVE them. As they were bringing us creative stories, helping to turn the found-footage subgenre from a novelty into a viable filmmaking option, redefining horror movies for the 21st century and giving audiences thrills, chills and our fills of plot twists, there was a downside to the fun. For one thing, the "Paranormal" movies did what the "Fast & Furious" series did – give us films out of the sequence of the overall narratives of its characters – but even tougher to keep straight. The other problem with the "Paranormal" films has always been a lack of action. Although they've put some scary and interesting moments on the screen, in most of the movies, not a whole lot happens – especially in the first one which seems overly dependent on the single big payoff at the very end of the film. The advertising for "The Ghost Dimension" promises a franchise-capping story that will answer all of the fans' questions and take us where no "Paranormal Activity" has taken us before. The question is whether the sixth installment gives the series the ending fans deserve.
"Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension" takes place in 2013, after the events of "Paranormal Activity 2" and reflective of the events in "Paranormal Activity 3", from a present-day perspective. Young married couple Ryan and Emily Fleege (Chris J. Murray and Brit Shaw) move into a house built on the land where the home of Katie and Micah stood in the first film. Ryan and Emily have a little girl named Leila (Ivy George), whom they call Lee, and Emily's sister Skyler (Olivia Taylor Dudley) lives there too. When Ryan's brother, Mike (Dan Gill), newly separated from his wife, comes to stay for a couple weeks, there are then enough unsuspecting people in the house for the ghosts to begin tormenting.
While setting up Ryan's Christmas decorations, Ryan and Mike come across a mysterious box that Ryan says isn't his. Inside there is a series of VHS video tapes and an old, but uniquely upgraded video camera. The tapes show the young Kristi and Katie, circa 1988, being introduced to Toby (as in the third film) and being taught to make the most of their psychic abilities. That camera has the ability to see and record spectral phenomena. As Ryan and Mike try to figure out what's really happening on those tapes and record increasingly prominent ghost-like apparitions, Lee is observed talking to an invisible "friend" and behaving very oddly. At first, the Fleeges try to solve the mystery and protect the little girl themselves. They eventually call in a priest (Michael Krawic), but it starts to look like it might all be too little, too late.
"Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension" is a very disappointing ending to the groundbreaking series. The film suffers from the same malady as all the others – not enough action and not enough dread until the very end. The special effects are good, with paranormal wisps of black smoke looking a lot like those in "Crimson Peak", and the 3-D gives a very nice depth to the shots of that wide-open house and those spectral images and it serves the few brief action scenes pretty well. Unfortunately, contrary to what the movie's advertising would lead us to believe, our peek into the Ghost Dimension is frustratingly fleeting, with even the "Poltergeist" remake doing a better job of showing us "the other side". This movie has a half-way decent climactic scene, but the story's ultimate resolution and the final image on the screen elicited dissatisfied groans from my fellow theater patrons. Although I settled for the more subtle eye roll myself, I felt their pain. Basically, this movie gives us the standard "Paranormal Activity" formula, but without a worthwhile payoff. Much like the ghosts that the films portray, the 2015 installment shows that the "Paranormal Activity" movies have outlived their usefulness and should just fade away. "C-"
Personally, I liked all of the "Paranormal Activity" movies but I didn't LOVE them. As they were bringing us creative stories, helping to turn the found-footage subgenre from a novelty into a viable filmmaking option, redefining horror movies for the 21st century and giving audiences thrills, chills and our fills of plot twists, there was a downside to the fun. For one thing, the "Paranormal" movies did what the "Fast & Furious" series did – give us films out of the sequence of the overall narratives of its characters – but even tougher to keep straight. The other problem with the "Paranormal" films has always been a lack of action. Although they've put some scary and interesting moments on the screen, in most of the movies, not a whole lot happens – especially in the first one which seems overly dependent on the single big payoff at the very end of the film. The advertising for "The Ghost Dimension" promises a franchise-capping story that will answer all of the fans' questions and take us where no "Paranormal Activity" has taken us before. The question is whether the sixth installment gives the series the ending fans deserve.
"Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension" takes place in 2013, after the events of "Paranormal Activity 2" and reflective of the events in "Paranormal Activity 3", from a present-day perspective. Young married couple Ryan and Emily Fleege (Chris J. Murray and Brit Shaw) move into a house built on the land where the home of Katie and Micah stood in the first film. Ryan and Emily have a little girl named Leila (Ivy George), whom they call Lee, and Emily's sister Skyler (Olivia Taylor Dudley) lives there too. When Ryan's brother, Mike (Dan Gill), newly separated from his wife, comes to stay for a couple weeks, there are then enough unsuspecting people in the house for the ghosts to begin tormenting.
While setting up Ryan's Christmas decorations, Ryan and Mike come across a mysterious box that Ryan says isn't his. Inside there is a series of VHS video tapes and an old, but uniquely upgraded video camera. The tapes show the young Kristi and Katie, circa 1988, being introduced to Toby (as in the third film) and being taught to make the most of their psychic abilities. That camera has the ability to see and record spectral phenomena. As Ryan and Mike try to figure out what's really happening on those tapes and record increasingly prominent ghost-like apparitions, Lee is observed talking to an invisible "friend" and behaving very oddly. At first, the Fleeges try to solve the mystery and protect the little girl themselves. They eventually call in a priest (Michael Krawic), but it starts to look like it might all be too little, too late.
"Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension" is a very disappointing ending to the groundbreaking series. The film suffers from the same malady as all the others – not enough action and not enough dread until the very end. The special effects are good, with paranormal wisps of black smoke looking a lot like those in "Crimson Peak", and the 3-D gives a very nice depth to the shots of that wide-open house and those spectral images and it serves the few brief action scenes pretty well. Unfortunately, contrary to what the movie's advertising would lead us to believe, our peek into the Ghost Dimension is frustratingly fleeting, with even the "Poltergeist" remake doing a better job of showing us "the other side". This movie has a half-way decent climactic scene, but the story's ultimate resolution and the final image on the screen elicited dissatisfied groans from my fellow theater patrons. Although I settled for the more subtle eye roll myself, I felt their pain. Basically, this movie gives us the standard "Paranormal Activity" formula, but without a worthwhile payoff. Much like the ghosts that the films portray, the 2015 installment shows that the "Paranormal Activity" movies have outlived their usefulness and should just fade away. "C-"
Some pretty harsh reviews out there!
desiree-tehiko9222 October 2015
So, I saw an advanced preview of this film so there wasn't many ratings up. After the preview I looked and it was rating around an average of 5 out of 10.....did I miss something? I loved this movie, not enough to give it a 10, but enough.
I think the main thing to focus on this film is the 3D, if you see it in 2D you have made a terrible terrible mistake. The 3D is amazing!! It actually legitimately makes you jump as the objects hurtle towards you, I flinched. Then the 3D element isn't just carried out with tricks like that, but actually all throughout the movie, as you see specks of the demons black liquid stuff (best way I can describe that) floating around, and it looks like you can reach out and touch it and the camera they use to see the demon (you'll see if you watch the movie) looks good in 3D.
Sure, the actual storyline wasn't the absolute best, and the CGI was slightly less convincing....cause let's face it, when is CGI ever really truly convincing. But the acting was good, a believable family and an amazingly creepy little girl, and it was a genuinely thought out plot, easy to follow, carried on from the other films (so tied up loose ends), a little bit scary, a little bit nail biting. Overall a good horror movie.
Go see it, but....see it in 3D, or you will miss out on the intended experience!
I think the main thing to focus on this film is the 3D, if you see it in 2D you have made a terrible terrible mistake. The 3D is amazing!! It actually legitimately makes you jump as the objects hurtle towards you, I flinched. Then the 3D element isn't just carried out with tricks like that, but actually all throughout the movie, as you see specks of the demons black liquid stuff (best way I can describe that) floating around, and it looks like you can reach out and touch it and the camera they use to see the demon (you'll see if you watch the movie) looks good in 3D.
Sure, the actual storyline wasn't the absolute best, and the CGI was slightly less convincing....cause let's face it, when is CGI ever really truly convincing. But the acting was good, a believable family and an amazingly creepy little girl, and it was a genuinely thought out plot, easy to follow, carried on from the other films (so tied up loose ends), a little bit scary, a little bit nail biting. Overall a good horror movie.
Go see it, but....see it in 3D, or you will miss out on the intended experience!
Certainly Better Than the Previous Two
Michael_Elliott29 October 2015
Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension (2015)
** 1/2 (out of 4)
A couple, their friend and one of their brothers are staying in a large house when they discover a video camera. They start to experiment with this camera and soon realize that it's picking up ghostly images that they can't see without. Soon the young daughter is being visited by someone named Tobi and the adults begin seeing frightening images.
I guess I should give a breakdown on my option of the series leading up to this sixth entry, which the producers are saying is the very last one. I found the first film to be truly frightening and I rank it as one of the best horror movies from the past thirty years. The second film was a complete bore while the third one had an interesting and good story but no scares. The fourth and fifth films in the series proved that they had gone to the well one too many times and it was time to put a nail in the coffin. I walked into this sixth film with low expectations and the film started off having me fearing for another bad entry but then it turned out to be much better.
Is this a great film or a good one? Absolutely not but I thought there were some interesting developments with the plot and there were some really effective scenes that make this worth sitting through. Whereas the first film had the majority of its scare scenes work, this one here isn't nearly as lucky because I'd say only fifteen or twenty percent of the scares work but when they do work they're pretty powerful. The budget here was a lot higher, which allowed for some CGI scenes and I thought these effects were the worst of what we get here. There are moments where the camera is slowly moving around and you're expecting something to happen. The director does a very nice job at the build up and pay off.
The most effective scenes have things running or jumping towards the camera. There are some logical issues and there are moments that don't really connect to the events they're trying to tie to in the series but I liked some of the new stuff here. There's a twist involving the two men watching a tape of Katie and Kristi as a kid that works well. There's also a few other nice elements that help this film seem more than just a rehash of the first movie.
PARANORMAL ACTIVITY: THE GHOST DIMENSION might be the last and at least they go out with something better than the previous two films.
** 1/2 (out of 4)
A couple, their friend and one of their brothers are staying in a large house when they discover a video camera. They start to experiment with this camera and soon realize that it's picking up ghostly images that they can't see without. Soon the young daughter is being visited by someone named Tobi and the adults begin seeing frightening images.
I guess I should give a breakdown on my option of the series leading up to this sixth entry, which the producers are saying is the very last one. I found the first film to be truly frightening and I rank it as one of the best horror movies from the past thirty years. The second film was a complete bore while the third one had an interesting and good story but no scares. The fourth and fifth films in the series proved that they had gone to the well one too many times and it was time to put a nail in the coffin. I walked into this sixth film with low expectations and the film started off having me fearing for another bad entry but then it turned out to be much better.
Is this a great film or a good one? Absolutely not but I thought there were some interesting developments with the plot and there were some really effective scenes that make this worth sitting through. Whereas the first film had the majority of its scare scenes work, this one here isn't nearly as lucky because I'd say only fifteen or twenty percent of the scares work but when they do work they're pretty powerful. The budget here was a lot higher, which allowed for some CGI scenes and I thought these effects were the worst of what we get here. There are moments where the camera is slowly moving around and you're expecting something to happen. The director does a very nice job at the build up and pay off.
The most effective scenes have things running or jumping towards the camera. There are some logical issues and there are moments that don't really connect to the events they're trying to tie to in the series but I liked some of the new stuff here. There's a twist involving the two men watching a tape of Katie and Kristi as a kid that works well. There's also a few other nice elements that help this film seem more than just a rehash of the first movie.
PARANORMAL ACTIVITY: THE GHOST DIMENSION might be the last and at least they go out with something better than the previous two films.
A franchise finally crossing over
StevePulaski23 October 2015
"So, let's say Joost and Schulman make the decision to direct the inevitable Paranormal Activity 5 and Paranormal Activity 6. What they should focus on, instead of repetitive, dead-end jump scares, is giving the audience some insight as to what is haunting Katie and her family and how it came to be."
Above is a direct quote from my review of Paranormal Activity 4, which began my streak of lamenting every new Paranormal Activity installment for neglecting the elephant in the room - what was haunting the family and the characters in this series and why? I became frustrated that, with each new installment, the focus was on some sort of technological gimmick or the increased quantity of jump-scares which, in turn, diminished the quality of them, and that there seemed to be no interest in wrapping up the loose-ends and plot-strands that Oren Peli, Henry Joost, Ariel Schulman, and numerous other writers/directors of the series had created.
With Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension, which is billed to be the franchise's conclusion, I can finally rest easy knowing with most of my questions answered rather than panning a slew of open-ended circumstances. Director Gregory Plotkin and a quartet of screenwriters - Jason Harry Pagan, Andrew Deutschmann, Adam Robitel, and Gavin Heffernan - do their best to give audiences new characters with this final installment and provide a coherent timeline of events for the life of Katie, who we saw haunted in the first three films, in addition to other minor characters liker her sister and even "Paranormal Activity 2"'s baby Hunter.
The Ghost Dimension focuses on the young couple of Ryan (Chris J. Murray) and Emily (Brit Shaw), who live in a lavish home with their young daughter Leila (Ivy George). Also living with them temporarily is Ryan's brother Mike (Dan Gill) and Emily's friend Skyler (Olivia Taylor Dudley) while they get their own lives together. Shortly after being acquainted with the home, Ryan finds a large box of tapes and a highly customized, one-of-a-kind video-camera and begins seeing strange apparitions when using it throughout the house. Extensive research into the tapes, which belonged to the mother and father of young Katie and Kristi, shows questionable occurrences and what looks to be demonic activity throughout the home. Overtime, Ryan and Mike notice Leila's increasingly strange behavior, from simple anti-social attitudes to believing her imaginary friend Toby, a memorable name for any fan or follower of this franchise, is real.
Every Paranormal Activity convention is on display here: jump-scares, long, somewhat listless documents of the night through the use of many camera setups, smart-ass characters, strange behavior amongst children, the knowledgeable priest showing up in the nick of time. By now, you should know how you feel about these conventions (I always keep an open mind, though after the second film, I've found them to be as grating as most people). About thirty minutes into this installment, I was mentally preparing a more negative review, saying that this series was going to end on a shrug and a head-shake, until the narrative became more concerned with piecing together the childhoods of Katie and Kristi, even tying in the brainless ending of Paranormal Activity 3.
This is where The Ghost Dimension becomes a fiercely watchable film, and upon piecing together the old, it formulates new inclusions by giving us some seriously strong jump-scares in this film. The 3D doesn't add a lot to the experience, but it furthers the surprising notion that home-video footage looks quite good when it's digitally rendered. With all that, this film goes from the same old conventions done in a mediocre manner to making an earnest attempt at concluding the franchise in a way that makes sense and answers most of our burning questions.
The problem, however, is at this point, I don't think people really care. The saturation of these films and the massive amounts of parodies have made this franchise the laughingstock of the horror world, and the significantly decreased theater counts - due to Cinemark and Regal Cinemas refusing to show the film because of Paramount's plan to digitally distribute the film once it falls below three-hundred theaters (the same will be done with Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse next weekend) - people have moved on, much like they did with the Saw series, which also found itself concluding pretty abruptly. The Ghost Dimension is arguably the best conclusion to this wheezy franchise we could've asked for, and I found myself being in a state I haven't been in with these films since 2010 - satisfied and content.
Starring: Chris J. Murray, Brit Shaw, Ivy George, Dan Gill, and Olivia Taylor Dudley. Directed by: Gregory Plotkin.
Above is a direct quote from my review of Paranormal Activity 4, which began my streak of lamenting every new Paranormal Activity installment for neglecting the elephant in the room - what was haunting the family and the characters in this series and why? I became frustrated that, with each new installment, the focus was on some sort of technological gimmick or the increased quantity of jump-scares which, in turn, diminished the quality of them, and that there seemed to be no interest in wrapping up the loose-ends and plot-strands that Oren Peli, Henry Joost, Ariel Schulman, and numerous other writers/directors of the series had created.
With Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension, which is billed to be the franchise's conclusion, I can finally rest easy knowing with most of my questions answered rather than panning a slew of open-ended circumstances. Director Gregory Plotkin and a quartet of screenwriters - Jason Harry Pagan, Andrew Deutschmann, Adam Robitel, and Gavin Heffernan - do their best to give audiences new characters with this final installment and provide a coherent timeline of events for the life of Katie, who we saw haunted in the first three films, in addition to other minor characters liker her sister and even "Paranormal Activity 2"'s baby Hunter.
The Ghost Dimension focuses on the young couple of Ryan (Chris J. Murray) and Emily (Brit Shaw), who live in a lavish home with their young daughter Leila (Ivy George). Also living with them temporarily is Ryan's brother Mike (Dan Gill) and Emily's friend Skyler (Olivia Taylor Dudley) while they get their own lives together. Shortly after being acquainted with the home, Ryan finds a large box of tapes and a highly customized, one-of-a-kind video-camera and begins seeing strange apparitions when using it throughout the house. Extensive research into the tapes, which belonged to the mother and father of young Katie and Kristi, shows questionable occurrences and what looks to be demonic activity throughout the home. Overtime, Ryan and Mike notice Leila's increasingly strange behavior, from simple anti-social attitudes to believing her imaginary friend Toby, a memorable name for any fan or follower of this franchise, is real.
Every Paranormal Activity convention is on display here: jump-scares, long, somewhat listless documents of the night through the use of many camera setups, smart-ass characters, strange behavior amongst children, the knowledgeable priest showing up in the nick of time. By now, you should know how you feel about these conventions (I always keep an open mind, though after the second film, I've found them to be as grating as most people). About thirty minutes into this installment, I was mentally preparing a more negative review, saying that this series was going to end on a shrug and a head-shake, until the narrative became more concerned with piecing together the childhoods of Katie and Kristi, even tying in the brainless ending of Paranormal Activity 3.
This is where The Ghost Dimension becomes a fiercely watchable film, and upon piecing together the old, it formulates new inclusions by giving us some seriously strong jump-scares in this film. The 3D doesn't add a lot to the experience, but it furthers the surprising notion that home-video footage looks quite good when it's digitally rendered. With all that, this film goes from the same old conventions done in a mediocre manner to making an earnest attempt at concluding the franchise in a way that makes sense and answers most of our burning questions.
The problem, however, is at this point, I don't think people really care. The saturation of these films and the massive amounts of parodies have made this franchise the laughingstock of the horror world, and the significantly decreased theater counts - due to Cinemark and Regal Cinemas refusing to show the film because of Paramount's plan to digitally distribute the film once it falls below three-hundred theaters (the same will be done with Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse next weekend) - people have moved on, much like they did with the Saw series, which also found itself concluding pretty abruptly. The Ghost Dimension is arguably the best conclusion to this wheezy franchise we could've asked for, and I found myself being in a state I haven't been in with these films since 2010 - satisfied and content.
Starring: Chris J. Murray, Brit Shaw, Ivy George, Dan Gill, and Olivia Taylor Dudley. Directed by: Gregory Plotkin.
Zero love put into this franchise anymore
siradofsteel4 May 2023
The weak performances, over-reliance on CGI, and lack of tension all make Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension an unsatisfying and unenjoyable movie experience. The poor screenwriting is evident throughout the movie, with examples such as the lazy narrative convenience of having a character "follow them out of the house". Its failure to deliver any real scares or tension makes it an ultimately disappointing experience. There are virtually no scary moments and the tension is non-existent, making it hard to stay engaged throughout the runtime. It's a shame, as the premise of the film had a lot of potential. Sadly, it just doesn't deliver.
I don't understand the harsh reviews.
marcellhernandes4 August 2018
Really. What do people want? The story is loyal to the main story and it's following its path. And it's quite interesting in my opinion. I'm wanting to know what will happen after this one. I hope they make a new one. This movie is more of the same. Means it's good. You can trust me. If you haven't watched it don't give attention to those bad reviews. This is a good movie. What it didn't explain everything? It's not supposed to. We want more sequences. Still it explains a lot. People are not really patient. Reviews are so bad that I went to Netflix to watch it before I could buy it. Now I don't have a doubt. I'll get it to my collection. And I hope they keep up the good work.
Absolutely no understanding of what made the original great
jtindahouse1 November 2015
When you look back on old horror series like 'Friday the 13th' or 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' and you see 'Part 8: Jason Takes Manhatten' or 'Part 5: The Dream Child' you can't help but shudder at just how ridiculous the sound of that sequel is. Sadly I fear when people look back on the 'Paranormal Activity' series 'The Ghost Dimension' is going to sound equally ridiculous and appear the same for anyone who bothers to watch it. The film isn't good and does a real disservice to an otherwise great series. A huge disappointment.
The filmmakers on this one seemed to have absolutely no understanding of what made the first four (or five including 'The Marked Ones') so effective. It was the fact that even for those of us that don't for the faintest second believe in ghosts or demons, it's still scary because everything was so simple. A person standing over their partner at night simply staring at them for hours on end is much more frightening of an image than actually seeing a completely unrealistic monster-like creature jump out of nowhere. This film did not belong in the series and if it is indeed the last 'Paranormal Activity' film to be made, it was a sad way to end things.
The filmmakers on this one seemed to have absolutely no understanding of what made the first four (or five including 'The Marked Ones') so effective. It was the fact that even for those of us that don't for the faintest second believe in ghosts or demons, it's still scary because everything was so simple. A person standing over their partner at night simply staring at them for hours on end is much more frightening of an image than actually seeing a completely unrealistic monster-like creature jump out of nowhere. This film did not belong in the series and if it is indeed the last 'Paranormal Activity' film to be made, it was a sad way to end things.
A new twist on an otherwise burning out franchise.
defaultblues22 October 2015
The Paranormal Activity franchise has definitely been one to follow. The story follows a demon, under the guise of 'Toby' who has been steadily haunting a family and racking up quite a body count. This entry, which promises to be the final one, seems a little distant from the rest of the series. The family move into a house where they find a video camera able to pick up spirit activity and a collection of VHS tapes documenting Katie and Kristi after the events of PA3. The spirit camera is the USP of the film, as they delve into 3D filming ectoplasm and eventually showing 'Toby' as he starts haunting the families daughter. As you can expect, they do start to milk the 3D element too much towards the end of the film, especially in the climax, and quite a lot of the 'activity' scenes seem to play to the audience more than the characters. However, being able to see the demons movements definitely add to the building of tension, and is a much stronger installment than PA4 and 'the marked ones'. The main problem lies within the need for another, final installment, to finally tie up all the loose ends.
Just focus
Craig-Ashley7 November 2015
I don't know what's worse: trawling through reviews by self- appointed internet 'reviewers' using a free resource or sitting in the theatre with bored cinema-goers next to you who paid to see a basic 'scary' film and manage to shuffle, walk in and out or - amazingly - talk on their smartphones during the film. And there's a connection here.
The people who made this film were patently under pressure by unseen forces (another irony!)... to get in a lot of cheap shocks for the typical 'Saturday night' crowd who wouldn't really appreciate lots of quiet scenes of an empty house interior.
So there's masses of what could have been a great, eerie film compromised by loud noises/jolts and CGI probably outsourced on the cheap (judging by the credits).
Meaning that there's a good film here partially buried which picks up on PA3 in no small way and which has some really chilling connotations. No giving which ones away. It's down to the real fans to decide and mull over.
But then that would fall into the category of 'being respectful of the art' and that's certainly something that has NO interest for the cheap keyboard experts abounding. The same breed who I would argue have compromised the film.
The people who made this film were patently under pressure by unseen forces (another irony!)... to get in a lot of cheap shocks for the typical 'Saturday night' crowd who wouldn't really appreciate lots of quiet scenes of an empty house interior.
So there's masses of what could have been a great, eerie film compromised by loud noises/jolts and CGI probably outsourced on the cheap (judging by the credits).
Meaning that there's a good film here partially buried which picks up on PA3 in no small way and which has some really chilling connotations. No giving which ones away. It's down to the real fans to decide and mull over.
But then that would fall into the category of 'being respectful of the art' and that's certainly something that has NO interest for the cheap keyboard experts abounding. The same breed who I would argue have compromised the film.
One of the Scariest
oskar-mellblom9825 October 2015
Watch the movie in 3D or else your missing out on the movie.
The positive - There was a excellent use of 3D in this movie. A lot of scenes and jump scares where great in 3D. The acting was good and believable. They built up the scare fast and successful every time. They explained some actions and scenes from the other movies. If you'r not used to watching horror movies then I can promise you will get scared by this one. I think this paranormal was one of the best in the series.
The negative - I thought there was too many jump scares and almost never daytime. There was not really a great story in this one like the first three movies but definitely better then the Marked Ones and PA4. The movie went by fast so it felt like 1 hour, I would like some more scenes from the days and not only night all the the time.
If you are a fan of the Paranormal series or the horror genre I definitely think you should watch it.
The positive - There was a excellent use of 3D in this movie. A lot of scenes and jump scares where great in 3D. The acting was good and believable. They built up the scare fast and successful every time. They explained some actions and scenes from the other movies. If you'r not used to watching horror movies then I can promise you will get scared by this one. I think this paranormal was one of the best in the series.
The negative - I thought there was too many jump scares and almost never daytime. There was not really a great story in this one like the first three movies but definitely better then the Marked Ones and PA4. The movie went by fast so it felt like 1 hour, I would like some more scenes from the days and not only night all the the time.
If you are a fan of the Paranormal series or the horror genre I definitely think you should watch it.
I've seen episodes of Dark Shadows scarier than this.
drstockk-6228116 October 2022
Here is a rhetorical question for you. Why is it that directors and producers feel the need to ruin movies with horrendous CGI. Some of the best movies ever produced didn't have to rely on CGI. Examples like Psycho or Frankenstein were psychologically frightening.
I mean, I dont want to sell this movie short. It's not just the lack of creativity that made this terrible. The anti-uniqueness wasv compounded by terrible scripts, no direction, and cringe-worthy acting worse.
It's pretty bad when you are so divested that you could care less if any character meets a torturous demise.
This sloppy mess isn't even a derailment. It's a full-fledged train wreck. Terrible design, terribler plot, and terriblest acting.
Will someone do us all a favor and put this series to rest.
I mean, I dont want to sell this movie short. It's not just the lack of creativity that made this terrible. The anti-uniqueness wasv compounded by terrible scripts, no direction, and cringe-worthy acting worse.
It's pretty bad when you are so divested that you could care less if any character meets a torturous demise.
This sloppy mess isn't even a derailment. It's a full-fledged train wreck. Terrible design, terribler plot, and terriblest acting.
Will someone do us all a favor and put this series to rest.
CGI 3D demon-mass, burries the franchise!
and_mikkelsen22 April 2023
Oh yeah... this movie was not great! It was probably closer to being the absolut worst! In that case i am gonna be honest and sau the only good Paranormal activity movie, is the first one! 2 and 3 are watchable and the rest are either insulting or embarrising, including this one!
The story and plot is nonsens and boring as it tries to connect this movie with the third! Characters move into the house, watches a tape from the third movie and then portal opens.. ot something! Idk.. movie does not explain so I can't either! Characters are also flat and lifeless!
The movie though commits the ultimative sin by showing us the demon in his full form! This eliminates all horror as the demon is a floating black mass of bad CGI with 3D effects! It really pulls you out! The first movie was great cause it was realistic! No effects or anything! This movie though has a lot of CGI effects!
This is just a cheap horror movie found footage style! No where near anything good about the first movie!
The story and plot is nonsens and boring as it tries to connect this movie with the third! Characters move into the house, watches a tape from the third movie and then portal opens.. ot something! Idk.. movie does not explain so I can't either! Characters are also flat and lifeless!
The movie though commits the ultimative sin by showing us the demon in his full form! This eliminates all horror as the demon is a floating black mass of bad CGI with 3D effects! It really pulls you out! The first movie was great cause it was realistic! No effects or anything! This movie though has a lot of CGI effects!
This is just a cheap horror movie found footage style! No where near anything good about the first movie!
Pretty decent.
filipemanuelneto2 March 2020
This is another film from the Paranormal Activity franchise, but I confess I didn't find anything great. The story is very imaginative and creates a forced connection between an apparently normal family and the family of Katie and Kristi, the two main characters in the initial films, and the thread of the whole story. And I say forced because the connection created never seems credible or natural.
It all starts with the discovery of a strange video camera and a collection of tapes. The family quickly realizes that it is a different camera, that it sees things that cannot be seen with the naked eye, and that they can be entities from the other world. At the same time, his daughter's behavior is changing and everything seems to undergo a sudden escalation, in which the supernatural becomes too obvious to be invisible.
The cast does what they can to do well, and the result of all that effort is collectively positive. I would especially highlight the good work of Ivy George, despite her young age, and Brit Shaw. The scares are predictable, barely endemic in all the films of the franchise, but there are far fewer moments than what happened. It is the first film to make a serious bet on CGI, and it bears good fruit but it also steals, a little, the natural and genuine appearance of the film. The post production work has, in my view, some assembly flaws, with scenes that don't connect very well with each other and seem out of place.
In short, it is a decent film that does not disappoint most fans, but it does not seem to me to contribute to attracting new audiences.
It all starts with the discovery of a strange video camera and a collection of tapes. The family quickly realizes that it is a different camera, that it sees things that cannot be seen with the naked eye, and that they can be entities from the other world. At the same time, his daughter's behavior is changing and everything seems to undergo a sudden escalation, in which the supernatural becomes too obvious to be invisible.
The cast does what they can to do well, and the result of all that effort is collectively positive. I would especially highlight the good work of Ivy George, despite her young age, and Brit Shaw. The scares are predictable, barely endemic in all the films of the franchise, but there are far fewer moments than what happened. It is the first film to make a serious bet on CGI, and it bears good fruit but it also steals, a little, the natural and genuine appearance of the film. The post production work has, in my view, some assembly flaws, with scenes that don't connect very well with each other and seem out of place.
In short, it is a decent film that does not disappoint most fans, but it does not seem to me to contribute to attracting new audiences.
A sad end to the Paranormal Activity franchise
eddie_baggins20 June 2016
For a franchise that originally started out with promise and intrigue way back in 2007, it's sad to see the Paranormal Activity franchise peter out with such a lacklustre finale with Ghost Dimension in what is the series 6th and supposedly final adventure after dwindling box office receipts and audience reactions.
Oren Peli's original low budget effort that kick started horror's newest box office sensation was a slow burning and effective found footage tale of a malevolent spirit that would become known as Toby and the then budding filmmakers utilised what was at their disposal to create genuine chills (getting pulled out of bed by the feet remains a frightening delight) and they actually bothered with creating characters that we got to know and even though not necessarily care about, we still were able to invest in their fight against the darkness.
Subsequent follow ups like Paranormal Activity 2 and 3 were passable attempts at recreating the achievements of the first film but from the 4th entry onwards the series struggled to be anything more than a sad cash grab at jumping on past glories and while Ghost Dimension try's to tantalize viewers with a chance to finally get up close and personal with Toby, it can't generate any form of memorability and by the passing of the film's 80 minutes or so of runtime your left under no illusions that this series has officially passed its used by date.
Cheap scare tactics are employed, priests are brought in to offer advice and assistance, people act strangely to events that any normal people would lose their minds over and the story gets sillier by the minute with shlock like use of "other dimensions" and ghost seeing cameras and the simple and more believable tactics employed in the franchise's opening chapters have been trounced by lack of originality and effort.
With a few frightening moments and a so bad its hilarious finale, Ghost Dimension has tiny fragments of moments that work but overall this is a dire, sad and unspectacular conclusion for fans of the Paranormal Activity name and even the most die-hard followers of the series will have a hard time caring about creepy ginger child Leila and her weirdly unsurprised parents adventures with dear old soul Toby.
1 franchise killing entry out of 5
Oren Peli's original low budget effort that kick started horror's newest box office sensation was a slow burning and effective found footage tale of a malevolent spirit that would become known as Toby and the then budding filmmakers utilised what was at their disposal to create genuine chills (getting pulled out of bed by the feet remains a frightening delight) and they actually bothered with creating characters that we got to know and even though not necessarily care about, we still were able to invest in their fight against the darkness.
Subsequent follow ups like Paranormal Activity 2 and 3 were passable attempts at recreating the achievements of the first film but from the 4th entry onwards the series struggled to be anything more than a sad cash grab at jumping on past glories and while Ghost Dimension try's to tantalize viewers with a chance to finally get up close and personal with Toby, it can't generate any form of memorability and by the passing of the film's 80 minutes or so of runtime your left under no illusions that this series has officially passed its used by date.
Cheap scare tactics are employed, priests are brought in to offer advice and assistance, people act strangely to events that any normal people would lose their minds over and the story gets sillier by the minute with shlock like use of "other dimensions" and ghost seeing cameras and the simple and more believable tactics employed in the franchise's opening chapters have been trounced by lack of originality and effort.
With a few frightening moments and a so bad its hilarious finale, Ghost Dimension has tiny fragments of moments that work but overall this is a dire, sad and unspectacular conclusion for fans of the Paranormal Activity name and even the most die-hard followers of the series will have a hard time caring about creepy ginger child Leila and her weirdly unsurprised parents adventures with dear old soul Toby.
1 franchise killing entry out of 5
Spoiler-free review paranormal activity: the ghost dimension
dejonckflynn28 July 2023
Personally, i think that this movie is way to overhated. It's definetly not great, but not terrible. I think i like this one more than the marked ones, because in the marked ones, they didn't filmed the nights, and in this movie they did. Acting 6,1/10. Special effects 6,3/10. Plot 6,6/10. Cinematography 4/10. Sometimes it was a bit weird and unrealistic, but that didn't bother me or something. If you still need to watch this movie, it's not that bad as they say, just don't expect something groundbreaking. I had a good time with this movie so i do recommend watching paranormal activity: the ghost dimension. I give it 6/10.
Rated r: supernatural content, violence, gore, language.
Rated r: supernatural content, violence, gore, language.
I felt like suing the producers after watching the film.
guddu-138726 December 2015
I felt like suing the producers of this movie after watching the film. It takes four people to write the screenplay, three people involved in the writing and they end up conjuring a frustrating horror film. I have admired the last three films in the series but this film in its course grips the audience and raises the expectation to final showdown and when it finally ticks off; the makers completely disappoint the viewers. The film takes a good start and the encountering,confronting and investigating elements are quite intriguing , the lead actors do not let down the film and the little girl is a delight to watch. What goes wrong is the abrupt dissatisfying climax. The couple are both brutally murdered especially the character of mother whom the Satan chokes and strangles to death. The character whom you've been rooting for the past one and half hour are singularly killed and the film makes the devil win the game. This happened to be the final film in the series, after the gripping and edge of seat horror first film I had never wished this series would end up like this. 😔
Lacks atmosphere,Logic & Ingenuity but it's a good entertainer.
harryrupam15 January 2016
Well,it might be the most illogical entry in the series... but definitely the only one in the franchise to have good scare content all through out the movie. Seeing the ghost for the first time is pretty cool. The CGIs are pretty decent. (Would look way cooler if I watched this in 3D) Scare contents are way more in numbers than previous entries. But in quality (scare quality) I think it falls just short of the first two films. (The 3rd one was a fair movie but the fourth & especially the 5th was total rubbish). Although this film had some pretty decently orchestrated jumpscares here and there scattered throughout the running time,the thing that was missing was the "Atmosphere". But it was was better than PA 4 & PA 5. I think the main reason for low rating for this film is the lack of ingenuity (well,PA is milking that same old formula for a half a dozen films) & the lack of logic in the first half of the film. I mean,when you can SEE a black inky looking figure creeping out from under your bed & getting a humanoid shape at just 20 minutes from the beginning of the film...will you be stupid enough to stay in that house or not to contact an exorcist? Seriously? -_-
A 6/10 from me for being a good entertainer though. :P
A 6/10 from me for being a good entertainer though. :P
Goes into unrealistic stuff
razzakahmed15 July 2021
The sixth Paranormal Activity movie but following in the footsteps from the second movie .. the film is okay .. not that good .. nothing unusual .. They shouldn't swing Paranormal Activity into unrealism .. rather only capture the real spirit activity on camera .. that's what makes it worthwhile ..
Beside the impressive 3D gimmicks there's no reason to see the same scare tricks all over again for the fifth time // instagram: moviesmaniax
moviesmaniax29 October 2015
I guess to this point, the least disappointing thing about this film is the 3D. After four films and two spin-offs, it's clear now that this franchise needs to end and that cooking up the same scare tricks for the fifth time here just doesn't work anymore. While the trailer makes it look like it could take a fresh direction, it really isn't even though it manages to tie most unanswered questions up in this one but not in a surprising way enough to differentiate itself from the rest of the franchise. The SCARES here are all jumpy ones and if you are familiar with the franchise, there's nothing new or exciting to see here, except the 3D. The 3D here really brings the whole movie out to a new dimension with its unique depth as well as throw-in-your-face-scare and gimmick and it's a fun distraction to the typical slow-build story in the first half despite some horrible CGI effects toward the end. And as we all know, GORES are not the main selling point here so don't expect lots of that. Overall, this may still be a fun 3D horror film for those who haven't seen the franchise before, but for those who did, beside the impressive 3D gimmicks there's no reason to see the same scare tricks all over again for the fifth time.
>>C<<
>>C<<
Good action paranormal movie, but far from scarry
tiailds13 January 2016
Not the worst of the franchise (I leave that to 4), but since it seems totally different from the others that isn't a good qualification.
"Was it entertaining?" The entertainment factor for a horror movie is how scary it is. The special effects ruined this. It makes up for it by adding action. Characters are actually interacting with the entity. 1.5 out of 3.
"Was it memorable?" The effects were not too cheap. My yelling at the screen for the characters to turn on some lights will stay with me for a bit. 1 out of 3.
"Was it interesting?" The mechanics of the supernatural happenings made me think. The adults caught on faster than their predecessors, but made much the same mistakes. 1.5 out of 3.
Start with 1. 1+1.5+1+1.5=5 An average supernatural movie. While I won't go out of my way to see it again, I don't consider the time spent a waste. Though I don't see the franchise going very farther.
"Was it entertaining?" The entertainment factor for a horror movie is how scary it is. The special effects ruined this. It makes up for it by adding action. Characters are actually interacting with the entity. 1.5 out of 3.
"Was it memorable?" The effects were not too cheap. My yelling at the screen for the characters to turn on some lights will stay with me for a bit. 1 out of 3.
"Was it interesting?" The mechanics of the supernatural happenings made me think. The adults caught on faster than their predecessors, but made much the same mistakes. 1.5 out of 3.
Start with 1. 1+1.5+1+1.5=5 An average supernatural movie. While I won't go out of my way to see it again, I don't consider the time spent a waste. Though I don't see the franchise going very farther.
Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension Review
keithlovesmovies22 November 2015
Married couple Ryan and Emily (Chris J. Murray and Brit Shaw) along with their young daughter Leila (Ivy George) and Ryan's little brother Mike (Dan Gill) suddenly find a box of old VHS tapes and an old video camera that can allow them to see paranormal occurrences that the human eye can't detect in their house. When Ryan and Mike decide to watch the tapes, they soon see that they film Katie and Kristi (Chloe Csengery and Jessica Tyler Brown), from previous Paranormal Activity films, being taught supernatural abilities by their grandmother (Hallie Foote). However in the video, Katie begins to notice the brother's presence despite the video being filmed 20 years earlier. When Leila becomes a victim of supernatural attacks, Ryan and Emily must find a way to save their daughter.
I will say that I haven't seen all of the Paranormal Activity films so my opinions will be based on this. I chose to see this film because I was curious as to how they would utilize 3D. I did not think it added anything to the experience other than in one scene. I think they used 3D as an excuse to show things with the paranormal camera in which the characters find near the beginning of the film. Other times some of the 3D moments just felt weird when contrasted with the film's found footage format. The main problem that I've had with the few films of the series that I have seen was that they were too slow. In other words, not too much would happen on screen until later on in the film so it was very easy to get bored or disinterested. I'm happy to say that this is not the case here as on screen stuff happens rather quickly. Unfortunately based on the found footage format, the only things that seemed to happen were just weird sounds, stuff moving, and just different ghosts moving across and into the screen. This isn't too much of an original way to scare people but I will admit to having jumped a few times and I don't do that very often. Without giving too much away, the plot in this films makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. Sure there's something wrong with the daughter but the reason why doesn't make sense and just about everything else does not either. Watching this film which was quite short at around an hour and a half, I found myself often asking why or how. Maybe with more time, they could have explained a few more things. My understanding could have come from because I haven't seen too many other films in the series or maybe it simply doesn't make sense. This film was advertised as the end of the series and providing an explanation to the previous films of the series (I assume not the spinoffs) but I don't think it did that. Again without giving anything away, the only reference to the previous films I recognized were the characters of Katie and Kristi from Paranormal Activity 3. I found the acting in this one to be consistent for the most part. It was all OK but not exceptional as most of the acting consisted of reacting to different things. I did not like the daughter, however, because her moodiness felt odd. As with most horror films, the plot consists of characters not knowing what was happening, then they figure it out, and then they try to stop it. I'm not exactly sure all three of those happened. I was not a big fan of the end either as it just left us with more questions than answers. Overall, based on the action, this film for me is the best Paranormal Activity I've seen (limited experience) and the best found footage movie I've seen.
Score: 6/10 keithlovesmovies.com
I will say that I haven't seen all of the Paranormal Activity films so my opinions will be based on this. I chose to see this film because I was curious as to how they would utilize 3D. I did not think it added anything to the experience other than in one scene. I think they used 3D as an excuse to show things with the paranormal camera in which the characters find near the beginning of the film. Other times some of the 3D moments just felt weird when contrasted with the film's found footage format. The main problem that I've had with the few films of the series that I have seen was that they were too slow. In other words, not too much would happen on screen until later on in the film so it was very easy to get bored or disinterested. I'm happy to say that this is not the case here as on screen stuff happens rather quickly. Unfortunately based on the found footage format, the only things that seemed to happen were just weird sounds, stuff moving, and just different ghosts moving across and into the screen. This isn't too much of an original way to scare people but I will admit to having jumped a few times and I don't do that very often. Without giving too much away, the plot in this films makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. Sure there's something wrong with the daughter but the reason why doesn't make sense and just about everything else does not either. Watching this film which was quite short at around an hour and a half, I found myself often asking why or how. Maybe with more time, they could have explained a few more things. My understanding could have come from because I haven't seen too many other films in the series or maybe it simply doesn't make sense. This film was advertised as the end of the series and providing an explanation to the previous films of the series (I assume not the spinoffs) but I don't think it did that. Again without giving anything away, the only reference to the previous films I recognized were the characters of Katie and Kristi from Paranormal Activity 3. I found the acting in this one to be consistent for the most part. It was all OK but not exceptional as most of the acting consisted of reacting to different things. I did not like the daughter, however, because her moodiness felt odd. As with most horror films, the plot consists of characters not knowing what was happening, then they figure it out, and then they try to stop it. I'm not exactly sure all three of those happened. I was not a big fan of the end either as it just left us with more questions than answers. Overall, based on the action, this film for me is the best Paranormal Activity I've seen (limited experience) and the best found footage movie I've seen.
Score: 6/10 keithlovesmovies.com
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