![]() It lacks character-development and style, as the devices are nothing new to horror fans who’ve been watching these first-person haunting films for a number of years now. This is definitely not a film for someone new to the franchise. ![]() Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones doesn’t have much of a story to keep you riveted as its predecessors did minor suspense and the gimmicks of “what’ll the demon do this time?” are the only things that might make this worth a look, but only if you’re a fan of the series who’s kept with every sequel as they’ve been released. Without giving away any of the suspense or hauntings involved in the film, it can safely be said that these rituals (and Anna’s participation in them) connect with the coven of witches introduced in “ Paranormal Activity 3.” Oscar suddenly reappears and warns Jesse of the curse of being “marked ” we learn that Jesse’s mother, who died in childbirth, knew Anna, and we’re led to assume that Jesse was offered up somehow for ritual. He’s able to fight off attackers at the park one night, and “trust falls” are brought to a new level. It seems he can’t be harmed, as evidenced by various stunts and games they play to test his new abilities. Some discoveries are made in the next few days, both inside Anna’s apartment and elsewhere, and strange things begin to occur to Jesse. Jesse and Hector break into Anna’s apartment, now a crime scene, to see what’s been happening there. A ritual is being performed, and the boys are simultaneously intrigued and unnerved, especially when Anna is shot and killed soon after, seemingly by Oscar (Carlos Pratts), a classmate of theirs. One night, Jesse and Hector use their camera and a heating vent to investigate strange noises coming from Anna’s apartment below them. They say Anna is a bruja (Spanish for witch), and Anna certainly perpetuates that stereotype, acting erratically and keeping her windows covered in newspaper. As with any other typical apartment complex, there’s an odd lady - Anna (Gloria Sandoval) of whom everyone seems wary. He’s well-loved by his grandmother (Renee Victor) and we get to see their wonderful interactions at his graduation party and in the days that follow. Andrew Jacobs plays Jesse, a newly-graduated high school senior who lives with his family in an apartment complex and likes hanging out with his friends Hector (Jorge Diaz) and Marisol (Gabrielle Walsh). Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones changes focus from sisters Katie and Kristi and their loved ones (Micah, Hunter, their mom and her boyfriend, etc.), and brings us to Oxnard, CA in June, 2012. The Paranormal Activity films have reached their fifth film, and, unfortunately, it doesn’t measure up to the brilliance of the first two (and, I’d argue, first two-thirds of the third). Of course, though, even horror fans (I’d argue ESPECIALLY horror fans) suffer from sequel fatigue. So, as the franchise sequels continued that slow-burn trend, I’ve continued to be a fan. “Paranormal Activity” sucked me in with nearly imperceptible changes to the situation, freaked me out right alongside the characters, and rewarded me with something big at the end. The other reason: I love a slow-burn horror movie. And partly for that reason, “Paranormal Activity” remains one of my all-time favorites. That day, I was lucky enough to get to meet the writer/director, Oren Peli, and both stars - Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat - and talk with them about the movie and about horror in general. That movie was “ Paranormal Activity,” and it had swept up thousands upon thousands of horror fans and freaked us right the heck out. In December of 2009, I was fortunate to have a friend who liked me enough to invite me to the Paramount premiere Blu-ray party at her house for a small horror film I’d turned her onto (she had entered a contest and lo and behold, she won).
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