![]() To make matters worse, the ‘found footage’ logistics are constantly toying with camera angles and situations that would be impossible to capture. A later scene with two characters exploring a strange noise out in the barn addresses the light, but never again. I wanted to scream at my television for them to shut off the light on the camera, which is literally only addressed when convenient for the plot. Multiple times in Next of Kin, it makes absolutely no sense for a character to be filming what is occurring onscreen. As in any found footage movie, the believability is rooted in the reason the characters are using the camera in the first place. It has become a tradition now for characters to learn about demon origins through online research-the return of that tactic here just feels stale. The setup of the Amish community is rife with possibilities and eerie imagery. ![]() Sadly, Next of Kin carries not a single drop of the magic that made this series so great in the first place. I watched every subsequent installment on opening night, with my personal favorite entry being 2017’s Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones. The final minutes of that original movie is a masterclass in suspense and horror. The atmosphere was palpable, as the clever script forced you to latch onto every bit of detail to flesh out the ghostly presence. ![]() One of my fondest theatrical experiences was my first screening of Paranormal Activity at a sold-out theater in Long Island, after it had slowly expanded larger and larger to theaters as demand and hype ballooned to monstrous proportions. This is a rather curious tactic, mainly because Paranormal Activity has always been a series fueled by audience passion and reactions to the various big scare sequences. Originally conceived for a theatrical release like the other six films, Paramount decided to make a change with the release strategy and bring Next of Kin straight to streaming. As Margot pieces together the exact circumstances of her mom’s disappearance, drawing ever closer to the truth, it becomes painfully obvious that the Amish are hiding a hybrid brand of sinister secrets… “Can you pick this lock?” Margot asks, as if a beam is not already blocking entry in the first place. The weird rituals of the townsfolk have twisted, violent edges, and a curious “house of worship” with a giant wooden beam across the entrance glimmers with possibilities. Margot hears loud noises up above her room, the same one previously occupied by her mother who has gone missing. Thankful for Eli’s return, the elder offers Margot and crew a place to stay “for a couple days.” From the very first night, strange occurrences plague their peaceful investigation. They seem cold and distant, fearful of outsiders, content to exist in their electricity-free lodgings. When they arrive, the small community does not exactly welcome them with open arms. Armed with footage of her birth mother ditching baby Margot at the hospital, the film crew travels with Margot, Sam, and a creepy child named Eli (Colin Keane) back to the Amish community where they hope to unearth the mysteries of Margot’s long-lost mother and extended family. ![]() Set in March 2021, Margot’s search for answers leads her to Scottsdale, Arizona, where she meets her first biological relative, Sam (Henry Ayres-Brown). However, how can one be bothered to care when every moment preceding it is simply generic and predictable found footage pitfalls? Eventually, Next of Kin gets to a final fifteen minutes that are at least entertaining. This has literally never been an action-heavy franchise, but the pacing here is laboriously slow. I kept waiting for the film to approach the dizzying heights of past installments even at its worst, Paranormal Activity has been host to a bevy of intriguing concepts, carefully structured scares, and pulse-pounding finales. Instead, we follow Margot (Emily Bader) and a documentary film crew as she journeys to learn more about her shadowy pre-adoption past and birth mother. Scripted by series mainstay Christopher Landon ( Paranormal Activity 2, 3, 4, and The Marked Ones), the action shifts away from Toby, Micah, camera setups, and anxiety-inducing nights of pure fear. After an extended hiatus, the Paranormal Activity series has finally returned in the form of a Paramount Plus original film.
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