I've not seen any of the other Paranormal Activity films so I don't how this one compares but I sort of liked this one. It's got a kind of a Blair Witch, shaky cam, indie film, superhero, time travel, 'Kill List' "El Barrio" thing going on. It's a bit bonkers.
What I really liked about it and what sets it apart is that it's set exclusively in a Hispanic neighbourhood in California. I don't know why that should be the case. In the same way that American politicians reach out to the Latino vote to win elections, are film studios now trying to appeal to ethnic groups to perpetuate their horror franchises? Whatever the reason for it, it makes a refreshing change to be well away from the usual high school and middle class suburban settings. Here's an American film where you don't even see a white face until an hour in, it's a film that isn't about rich people, that pretty much features only Latino actors, slips into unsubtitled Spanish dialogue, and has a wide range of character types, and good non-stereotypical female characters.
The male protagonists are called Jesse and Hector which is hilarious and endearing. It's still a horror movie though and they're just as immature and horny and clueless as the guys in these things always are but at least hanging out with them is a little bit more fun than usual.
Of course they do things a little differently in the Barrio, so instead of talking to the dead with a ouija board they use a Simple Simon toy from the 80s; instead of calling in paranormal investigators to fight witchcraft they call on the local gangbangers to "smoke them bitches", instead of building weird Pagan totems in the woods they just set them up in domestic kitchens. Another thing that's different is possession. Normally when you get possessed in the movies your hair grows long, your head spins round and you vomit a lot. When you get possessed in the Latin Quarter you get superpowers. Cool.
In terms of the plot I have to admit I don't really know what was going on; something to do with a coven of old lady witches building their own army of the dead and making a time bending tardis door, or something. But who cares about plot? It's a horror movie. What you want to know is...does it deliver any big scares? I have to say for the most part it doesn't but the last twenty minutes are quite intense and there was a really big "boo!" moment that did literally make me jump up in my seat. It doesn't sound much but it's more than any horror film in 2013 managed to achieve.
The run up to the big finale is a showdown between gangbangers and witches in an impressive new show home. It's like a weird spin on the 'Kill List' final act; crazed women run towards you out of the darkness and get blown away with shotguns as if it's a first person shoot 'em up game. When I say "blown away with shotguns" what I mean is that they do that thing they do now in films where the buckshot victim gets tugged back quickly on a bungee rope. It's probably accurate (I don't know, I've never shot someone with a twelve gauge at short range) but it looks a bit silly and raised a few unintentional laughs. However, it has to be said that the final minutes, where a scared Hector cautiously tries to escape the house using only the 'night vision' setting on his camera is surprisingly effective.
The reason I've avoided the franchise so far is due to my aversion to shaky cam "found footage" movies. All the usual trappings of that style are present here. It looks cheap and amateurish; there is a lot of larking about with the camera in order to introduce the cast; the staged reality conceit soon becomes limiting and ultimately it distances the viewer rather than involves them. That said, I thought this was executed as well as any example I've ever seen.
As I've said, this is the first Paranormal Activity film to cross my path, but I'm betting that it's one more than international rock icon Morrissey has seen. However, I can't help feeling he'd love it if he saw it; what with his penchant for Latino culture, ouija boads and doomed stupid boys called Hector.
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