Oh, how we wish we weren’t so naive to think that “Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimenson” will finally end the “Paranormal Activity” franchise on a perfect note. Not that we were expecting it to be an excellent horor film, but we were actually hoping to be surprised even when we went into cinemas with low expectations.
So, if you’re like us, be prepared to be terribly disappointed. The 6th and final instalment of this film series isn’t the worst horror film ever (we’ve seen worse), but it proved that this run-down series is not worth saving at all.
Truth be told, the fact that this franchise was able to churn out a total of 6 films has left us scratching our heads because we never understood its appeal. Were people watching it because they thought it was genuinely scary? Or is it because it’s one of those “so bad it’s good” B-grade movies? One good guess would be because people just watch it for fun.
Now, don’t act surprised when we say that each and every “Paranormal Activity” movie is bad because film review aggregation websites like Rotten Tomatoes and imdB would have already shown you how they were all rated below average. Joining the ranks now is, unsurprisingly, the allegedly “final” chapter of the story.
Directed by Gregory Plotkin based on a screenplay by Adam Robitel and Gavin Heffernan, “Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension” is produced by Oren Peli and Jason Blum, with Steve Molen serving as executive producer.
It was as though there was no other way to tell a haunted tale because similar to every other horror film, this film has a pretty cliché plot. It centres on Ryan (played by Chris J. Murray) and Emily (played by Brit Shaw), a young, affluent married couple who moves into a new house with their young daughter Leila (played by Ivy George).
There, Ryan and his brother Mike (played by Dan Gill) discover an antique video camera and a box of mysterious tapes in the garage. The camera has this function where you would see paranormal activities. All hell breaks loose when a series of supernatural incidents start to plague the family, forcing the couple to search for help before Leila gets lured into another dimension.
The film is directly connected to the previous “Paranormal Activitiy” films, with Toby the evil entity returning to haunt the new family. However, this is the first time Toby is making an apperance rather being mentioned over and over again. Unfortunately, since this is the final instalment of the franchise, we didn’t see much of the demon either.
What we did get to see is a horrible pre-credits opening sequence. This movie was already off to a poor start with a cringe-worthy opening ala the ending of “Paranormal Activity 3”. In an attempt to stun audiences, the film opened with Dennis, a former character of the franchise, trying to crawl towards his wife Julie’s body before his back is violently contorted by an unseen force.
Sure, it stunned us a little, but the sequence is followed by a lousy scene involving young Katie (played by Chloe Csengery) and Kristi (played by Jessica Brown), their grandma Lois, and a mysterious man. They enter a dark room where the man speaks to the girls about “Toby” and how they are critically important to fulfill a “prophecy”.
The screenplay is lazy and predictable because as one might expect, Leila is apparently part of the “prophecy” too. Though Ryan and Mike managed to uncover the videotapes containing eerie footage of Katie and Kristi, they weren’t aware of their identities.
Oh, the Fleeges knew that something was frequently viisting Leila, but they made no effort to protect her at all. Instead, they insisted to leave her sleeping alone in the room and never bothered to check any of the footages after setting up cameras around the house to capture the paranormal activities.
We can’t tell whether the characters are inconsiderate, ignorant or just plain dumb.
The worst still is the final sequence, which can also be considered the climax of the entire movie. When the Fleeges finally established that something demonic was haunting Leila, they engaged the help of a priest (played by Michael Krawic) to exterminate the demon.
Cue the usual array of intense “extermination” scenes where things start flying around the room, Leila’s eyes turning black, the priest getting dragged out by an unseen force, and the family is left alone with the demon. Just when we thought everything was back to normal, we were left with yet another cliffhanger ending.
Many questions have plagued this franchise since the first movie was released and this one doesn’t provide any answers for diehard “Paranormal Activity” fans either. If “Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension” is truly the final chapter of the franchise, well, we hope it is because it’s so unremarkable that we don’t even want to find out what the heck is Toby and what happens to the other kids that get lured in the ghost dimension anymore.
“Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension” is out in the cinemas near you now.
For more information, visit the movie’s official website and Facebook page.
