The newest of the series of ghost films Paranormal Activity 4 has been released on Blu-ray and DVD in a 2 Disc combo pack and it serves up some scary fun. You may have seen the film at theaters in October of last year, but on your home system you control all the elements. If you want to experience the movie like the filmmakers intended, put on the unrated version, shut out all the lights, turn on the video and jack up the sound for a ghostly experience that builds to a very disturbing finish.
In this fourth Paranormal Activity in the series it opens with toddler Hunter getting kidnapped by his aunt Katie and disappearing from sight. Fast forward to six years later where we are introduced to a typical family experiencing life in a nice neighborhood. On this day young 6-year-old Wyatt’s kicking a soccer ball during his team game at the park with his family cheering him on. At the end of the game Wyatt congratulates his teammates and as he’s walking off the field in the corner of the background a dark haired child can be seen.
Riding up to his house with dad, mom and sister Alex, Wyatt notices the same boy walking into the newly occupied home across the street. The next day, Wyatt gets to meet Robbie the mysterious boy and everything seems natural with the two kids hitting it off big time. Shortly thereafter, Robbie’s mother asks if Wyatt’s mom to watch her son while she goes out of town. In the next 12 days, a series of events becomes a nightmare for most everyone concerned.
Watching it late at night and as described in the first paragraph of this article, I started getting a feel of dread early on around the fourth chapter of the film. The fine direction by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman making use of creative sound and camera work kept me looking all around the screen expecting some of the terror popping up like in the previous three releases. But, they smartly keep you off guard and using special lighting emitting through a combination of computer beams and night vision coming from a big screen television in the living room, they lay an evil setting for impending terror. Using the whole house, a back yard tree hut and a garage the crafty filmmakers turn their sets into a playground for mischievous ghostly fiends.
Kathryn Newton who plays Wyatt’s sister Alex gets most of the action being the one first feeling the spookiness developing in the house. She and boyfriend Ben (Matt Shively) are the ones who devise a plan of filming nearly every room of the house and using Skype to allow Ben to check in on the residence. Newton has an amazing look on the big screen and I can see her getting some big roles real soon. Only 14-years-old when she made Paranormal 4, her acting ability should put her in a league with star names like Chloe Grace Moretz and Anna Sophia Robb. She has been nominated three times for the Young Artists Award and walked off with it in 2010 for her role as Louise Brooks in Gary Unmarried.
The Blu-ray and DVD combo give you the opportunity to experience an unrated version of the horror flick or you can stick with the theatrical presentation. Either one gets creepy, disturbing and violent enough to provide enough chills for Horror fans and those crazy enough to watch the film home alone in the dark. Although predictable to those who have seen the other three films, this one has a very good storyline and not just bumps in the night in a spook occupied house. This is not a spoiler, but if I had to point out one downside, I did not care too much for the abrupt ending.
The Blu-ray video quality is on the mark with intentional use of hand held cameras, simulated laptop cams, home security and other devices to give you the feel of being right on the scene. The grain and fuzz at times has been inserted to make the production look amateurish and should not be considered poor quality. The daylight pro camera shots are sharp and clear with no visible imperfections.
The sound quality from the Blu-ray disc played through my television that’s been upgraded with a sound bar, delivers adequate audio through the first half of the film. From here on out the base kicks in providing some thumping background music to instill the feel of anxiety and fear. If you turn up the volume from this point on you should get to jump out of your seat on several occasions.
While the Blu-ray and the DVD have both versions of the movie, there is a bonus feature on the Blu-ray. You can have some fun watching 30 minutes of what the film makers call “The Recovered Files” that consist of footage not shown in movie theaters. Most of the clips look like they were cuts that were rejected from the original film and include some characters not in the movie.
FINAL ANALYSIS: For first timers being introduced to Paranormal Activity, it’s a chiller. For others who just like to collect horror for those pj parties, it’s worth the second watch.[rating=4]
Specifications and additional film information:
- Cast: Katie Featherston, Kathryn Newton, Matt Shively, Aiden Lovekamp, Brady Allen, Stephen Dunham and Alexondra Lee
- Directed by: Henry Joost, Ariel Schulman
- MPAA Rating: Rated R for language and some violence/terror, Unrated version not rated by MPAA.
- Genre: Horror
- Running Time: Rated Version 87 min, Unrated Version 96 min
- Street Date: January 29, 2013
- Original Theatrical Release Date: October 12, 2012
- Language: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese
- Format: Blu-ray, DVD, Digital and Ultraviolet in the Combo Pack
- Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
- Video: Blu-ray 1080p High Definition, DVD- Widescreen enhanced for 16:9 TVs
- Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese
- Number of Discs: 2 Discs
- Distributed by: Paramount Home Entertainment
Check out a snippet of the bonus “The Recovered Files”
http://downloads.paramount.com/phe/milady/PA4_VAM_HideAndSeekDoorSlams_HI.wmv
Writer, critic, film editor John Delia, Sr. has been on all sides of the movie business from publications to film making. He has worked as a film critic with ACED Magazine for more than 20 years and other publications for a total of 40 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida. John is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and Critics Association of Central Florida Send John a message at jdelia@acedmagazine.com
