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Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones

Ever since The Blair Witch Project blasted its way onto the screen, the “found footage” way of filming has become a popular way to film movies. Not only has horror movies used this new fad; super-hero movies (Chronicle) and even monster movies (Cloverfield) have produced their own “found footage” movies as well. Though the horror genre is the one that keeps this fad going, especially with the Paranormal Activity film series.

In the fifth instalment and what is being called “side-quel”, The Marked Ones centers around Jesse, a recent high school graduate that (of course) finds an interest in filming many aspects of his life. One such aspect is his weird fascination with his downstairs neighbor, who is rumored to be a witch. But when said neighbor is murdered, Jesse finds himself apart of something that he couldn’t even begin to comprehend.

Like all successful horror films, the distributing studio has to milk this cash cow for all it’s worth and Paranormal Activity is no different. I will admit that I thought the first film was creepy and made me jump a little bit, but wasn’t it scarier to know that Katie (woman at the end of the first one) just bounces and is wondering in the wind all possessed. Now the series as come so far as to include witches and deals with the devil that involve first born sons. This film takes on a different culture, going from the white suburbia to the harsh Latino neighborhoods. This also brings in a few more cultural religious icons as well, but I will be honest dear readers…it is the same movie as the other four. By no stretch is this a terrible movie, it is just the same cheap scares and demonic noises heard in the first four movies.

I personally do enjoy the “found footage” fad because it almost makes the story a little bit more personal. You are thrown into a snippet of a persons’ life almost and taken on the journey through their eyes. I thought this was accomplished in this film as well because it wasn’t told just through one person’s view point. Once things start to ‘change’ for Jesse, the camera is picked up by his best friend so that you can see what Jesse goes through. Another part of me thought it was, on a very small scale, a bad thing. Because once the camera is passed to his friend, I felt that the director distanced himself from the main character in a way.

This film is best saved for those Halloween horror film marathons. Towards the end of the marathon when all the classics have been watched and you (hopefully some friends as well) want to be scared a little bit more. If you liked the first four films, then I am sure you will enjoy this. On the other hand, if you are one of the critics that hated this film series, well this is one more piece of ammunition.

Verdict: Wait For Cable/Halloween Marathon Filler