This post won't be in my usual categorized layout of themes, characters, etc. This is mainly responding to what I've conceived to be the general negative opinion of the Paranormal Activity films, and my response.
The Paranormal Activity franchise has cleverly wedged itself into a place that is very hard to fall from.
Anyone who has seen one of the four found-footage films, which created one of the biggest "copy cat" splashes I've ever seen (to see what I mean, watch Paranormal Entity, The Amityville Haunting, Paranormal Incident--it's almost funny) knows that its biggest critics can rightly claim three things:
1) Sometimes they aren't as "terrifying" as the trailers and hype say they should be.
2) Sometimes they seem to be trying too hard.
3) The story seems so vague that it makes us wonder if they actually have an overall story in mind.
Before I delve into my almost embarrassing love for these movies, I do want to validate all of these claims. While PA 2 terrified me, I can understand why there might be an audience whose eyes would simply glaze over at half a movie surrounding a slamming door, falling pans, and pool cleaners. And does Paranormal Activity sometimes feel like it's "trying" too much to scare us? To raise suspense? That is an "no duh" yes--but I don't necessary understand this "flaw" as any horror movie does this, and I will go on record saying that Paranormal Activity probably does it the most subtly and flawlessly that I've seen in any contemporary horror. For example, the fan scene in PA 3 was a work of genius. Hitchcock was probably rolling around his grave trying to high five Joost and Schulman for that one. It's easy to scare people with a huge budget for fake blood and weapons and CGI monsters--but to make someone's blood curl with simply a girl, a room, a sheet, and a fan? That's talent. That's the craft.
As for the story--do they know what they're doing? Or are they just tacking on arbitrary "paranormal" history from the most basic stereotypes of demon worship and witchcraft?
Here's where I love these guys even more than I do when their movies make me scream and wake up my roommates at 3am: they do know what they're doing. They honestly do. There is a definite (and very likely) possibility that to some extent they are coming up with these things as they go. But they do it smartly and convincingly enough--still having enough of a through-line, still remaining true to all of the original movies--that it doesn't matter.
If you were to go back and watch the four movies in sequence (PA 3, PA 2/PA 1, PA 4) it actually really does make sense. (Take a moment to look at this video from Screenrant--it explains it perfectly).
Now, I'm not saying that there aren't still loopholes. Where's Hunter's sister? Why was he adopted by a random family, only to have Katie come for him later? And what is the true importance of Robbie?
Once again, here's the genius: these missing links of information are gaping enough to intrigue us, but not enough to poke holes through the story we already have (as one of my screenwriting professors would say, it's beguiling enough that we willingly "suspend our disbelief"). Paranormal Activity 5 (which is already in the making, thank all of the Gods ever) could explain all of that. Or it could explain absolutely none of it and only give us more questions. But we will still watch it. And PA 6 and 7 and 8. I don't know when they'll lose steam, as I don't think they have at all yet, but here's to hoping they can stretch it out to PA 10 (the obsessive compulsive in me will be happy with that). I have a glorious hope that whatever the final PA is it will cleverly and perfectly cinch every plot hole and question into a fantastically crafty ending, sewing the finishing stitches on a perfect, contemporary tale of horror. I don't think you need to have the entire story plotted out before making the movies to be able to pull this off--you just need some fantastic storytellers.
I know that there is a good chance that I will be gravely disappointed in the last movie, just because I am so invested in this franchise. But my overall opinion on Paranormal Activity is that, despite it's nebulous plot, and it's sometimes "expected" "cheap" or "uninspired" scares, there are too many truly masterfully terrifying scenes, too enthralling a story, and too much invested nostalgia for this Californian family, for us to stop watching any time soon.
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