2.5 stars (out of 5)
The sixth and supposedly final installment in the PA series (and the first in needless 3D), this threatens to be scary early on and yet, once again, the characters are so sketchy, the mythology gets so convoluted and the ‘found footage’ format is so annoying that it’s rather a relief when the head-scratching climax shrieks to a close.
As handled by editor-turned-director Gregory Plotkin, we watch as an opening sequence that flashes back to the late ‘80s/early ‘90s establishes that this has something to do with the unfortunate Katie one more time (dead-set fans will understand while others will be mystified), and then we’re into the story of the Fleeges, a family that seems disconnected to all the horror but isn’t. It’s approaching Christmas 2013 and Dad Ryan (Chris J Murray) and Mum Emily (Brit Shaw) welcome gormless Uncle Mike (Dan Gill) into their big Californian home so that the just-dumped dumb-ass can celebrate with them, their little daughter Leila (Ivy George) and sexy au pair (?) Skyler (Olivia Taylor Dudley).
Rooting around for decorations, Mike happens upon a box left behind by the vanished former residents, and inside they find videotapes of the cult goings-on from the previous pics and a chunky old-school camera that can see spirit manifestations to occasionally pleasing effect. These begin as a sort of CG smoky-water trick but are soon more alarming, and suddenly Leila’s behaving weirdly, a blue-jeaned priest (Michael Krawic) is summoned, sub-Exorcist shenanigans are afoot, a subplot about ‘Bloody Mary’ intrudes (a ‘real’ urban legend that also provided the basis for the Candyman films), and ‘Toby’ turns up (finally!!!).
Lacking the goofy energy of the fifth film (The Marked Ones) or the vague thrills of the unsubtitled third or fourth, this probably has enough supernatural freakiness and apocalyptic rumblings to please diehards, and yet it’s hard not to get all nostalgic about the preposterously lo-fi original from back in the glory days of 2007. And is this truly the end of the Paranormal Activitys???
Well, let’s hope so.
I Wake Up Screening 