Paranormal Activity 5 gets a title and a new release date

We were originally supposed to get the fifth installment of Paranormal Activity back in 2014, but Paramount decided to delay the installment and release a spin-off instead. We now have an official release date for Paranormal Activity 5 as well as the new title.

We can now refer to it as Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension. Yes, they are breaking away from the numerical order and sticking it with a subtitle, which is fucking awful. Depending on if this release date will actually stick, we can expect to see this in theaters on March 13, 2015. Until now it still held an October 15, 2014 release which was obviously not going to happen. It will compete with the new Disney adaptation of Cinderella as well as the upcoming Chris Hemsworth flick, In the Heart of the Sea.

Paranormal Activity has pretty much been in limbo since the ridiculously dreadful, FaceTime and Kinect product placement model otherwise known as Paranormal Activity 4 back in 2012. The movie was the least liked by viewers and critics and also happened to make the least amount of money at the box office. We were supposed to get a fifth one in 2013 and it didn't happen. Instead, we received Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones back in January and the reception has seemed to kickstart the franchise back up a notch. I suppose instead of making people wait almost two years in between films, they decided to test the off-season horror market and put PA5 in the spring.

Paranormal Activity 5 delayed until 2015

In a rather surprising turn of events, the monster franchise of Paranormal Activity has received yet another setback. We were set to get the fifth installment of the franchise this Halloween but Paramount has delayed the film until October 2015.

Originally we were supposed to get Paranormal Activity 5 back on October 25, 2013. Then they decided to film the spin-off, Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones, as a set up to the fifth film and give that a January 2014 release. As a result, #5 was delayed until October 24, 2014. Now it has received its third delay pushing it into a very jammed 2015 schedule.
Problems with the plot and script were cited as the main reason for this new delay. Screenwriters Jason Pagan and Andrew Stark have had some issues and some mess to clean up after a terrible fourth film. Paramount is apparently fast-tracking the film at this point so it can even meet a 2015 release.

Paranormal Activity has become the Halloween box office powerhouse since the Saw franchise exited back in 2010. Since the first installment we have seen a rather steady decline in quality and it seems most people see them just because they've seen the other ones. I personally am not a big fan of the PA franchise. They are cheap films with a weak plot and are full of nothing but cheap scares and jumps. I have no respect for them.

Lionsgate announces 8th Saw film for October 2015

Lionsgate has announced their intent to finally release an 8th installment of the Saw franchise in October 2015. Leigh Whannell will not be writing or directing as has been rumored, or hoped for, by some. Saw V director David Hackl has received the privilege to ruin yet another Saw movie and it is expected that Tobin Bell will return as the voice of Jigsaw. No word on any other returning cast or if Cary Elwes will return, but that's about all we have. It's happening. I just can't.

  

 

No telling if Saw 8 will go up against yet another Paranormal Activity flick, but it is assumed it will. With the semi-success of The Marked Ones and a fifth PA movie out this fall, I won't be surprised if another one is slated for 2015. 

Paranormal Activity 5 casting call reveals characters

A newly released casting call has revealed the new family that Paranormal Activity 5 will focus on. The characters will be Ryan, Emily, and their 6-year old daughter Leila. Also in the mix is Ryan's younger brother Mike.

Ryan is described as a 26-31 year old male who is a "big kid." He is a game designer who relocated from New York to Palo Alto, CA to take a job with Rockstar Games. His wife Emily is a self-described "hippie" who is more serious than her husband. Her sister also passed away a year before the events of the film. The daughter is described as a fearless tomboy.

Now, of course the plot is assumed to be a family quickly discovering there is something wrong with their house. Who knows if this will have a tie into The Marked Ones or not, but we will see shortly. Paranormal Activity 5 is set to hit theaters on October 24th.

Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones - Review

After the mysterious and sudden death of his neighbor, Jesse begins experiencing odd paranormal disturbances. While investigating the bigger picture he discovers he has been specially marked for possession in Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones.


Let this be a disclaimer that this review will contain spoilers. If you haven't seen this movie and want to, I suggest you come back after you have seen it. You don't want the ending spoiled for you. Trust me.






Last chance.










I will be the first to say that I absolutely despise the Paranormal Activity movies. I think they are boring, full of cheap scares, and a bit over stretched. With that said, I was not excited to see The Marked Ones especially after I learned it was a spin-off. I saw the trailer and while I gave it credit for actually looking more eventful I still didn't put much stock in it. After seeing it I have to admit, despite how embarrassing this is for me, this was a pretty damn good horror movie and by far is the best of the Paranormal Activity franchise so far.
Why do I say this? Well, first off there is no footage of people sleeping. None. That made me extremely happy. Second, it was consistently eventful throughout the entire movie. There was none of this boring as hell for an hour and then eventful for the last 10-15min. I also thought the acting wasn't all that bad either. The kids were believable and they weren't as annoying as the previous teenagers we have had, especially in Paranormal Activity 4.
As far as the plot goes I thought this one probably had one of the most interesting storylines. The basics of it are Jesse's neighbor was a witch and tried possessing his classmate, Oscar, and then the demon marked and possessed Jesse. I think the setting was a nice change of pace because it dealt with completely different people in a different area of California.

The movie, obviously, was full of gimmicks but there was the good and the bad.

The best gimmicks:

The haunted Simon Says toy
The rehash of the bite mark as the symbol for "the marked ones"
The time travel reveal

The bad gimmicks:

Falling backwards and not hitting the ground
Super strength in beating up gangsters


A lot of the gimmicks and elements were easter eggs, to a point, referencing the previous movies. These are not limited to the Spanish newspapers in Katie's house (PA4), the reuse of the bite mark (PA), the word "meus" written on the wall (PA2), The box of stolen VHS tapes (PA2), grandma Lori's house being the witch coven (PA3), and young Kristi and Katie appearing in the neighbor's basement.

Now this all led up to something... I do have to say the ending was not only the best part of the movie, but it was definitely the best of the entire franchise.I recognized the grandma's house almost immediately because despite not liking the movie as a whole, I will say that my favorite part of Paranormal Activity 3 was when Dennis ran down the hallway and opened the door with the room full of witches just standing there. Hector, Marisol, and the gangsters raid the coven and these crazy, yelling witches come out of nowhere and get blown away shotgun style. They enter the house and encounter a demonic Jesse and more witches that seem to appear out of nowhere. Marisol and the gangsters bite the dust leaving poor Hector the cameraman running from Jesse.
Remember me saying one of the best gimmicks was time travel? Here is where this comes into play. It is explained to a point that the witches can travel from point to point in reference to demonic possession. Yes, this means they can travel through time to the event of a full possession. Hector is running from Jesse and he opens a door in grandma's house and finds himself in a familiar spot. I immediately recognized it as Katie and Micah's house from the very first Paranormal Activity. You see Katie walking down the stairs as she did at the end of PA, she grabs a knife, and when she turns around she looks at Hector and starts screaming for Micah, as in the first movie. This is what we didn't see in the movie because the camera stays stationary in the master bedroom. Micah sees Hector, pushes him, and then Katie starts stabbing him. Hector gets scared and when he turns around you are surprised by a full demonic Jesse popping up and killing Hector. There is speculation that the person who turns off the light on the camera downstairs is Alex from Paranormal Activity 4, but I think it looked like Katie.

Here is my theory about this ending... This all literally happened at the same time from the very beginning. We just didn't know it at the time. I think Katie could have had a brief relief from the trance to scream for Micah and lure him downstairs because she saw Hector in the kitchen. We didn't know it because as mentioned before, Micah's camera was stationary in the bedroom.

Director Christopher Landon has done a nice job wrapping this all together to this point. I'm not saying I am suddenly a big fan of Paranormal Activity franchise, but this was a nice surprise. No shit, I screamed when Jesse popped up at the end looking like the devil. It caught me 100% off guard. I think this was a good set up for Paranormal Activity 5 and it finally made a connection between the previous four movies that is more than Katie randomly popping up everywhere. It's nice to know this spreads beyond this singular family and this witch coven is worldwide. Bloody good show.

Lionsgate developing new Saw installment

This has been rumored for about 3 years now and while there is no script or motion in place, there is word that Lionsgate is actively developing an 8th film in the Saw franchise. The company is looking for a way to continue one of the most, if not the most, profitable horror franchises in history. Saw basically dominated Halloween from 2004-2010 starting with James Wan's feature film debut. Since Saw fell off the radar after an extremely disappointing finish with Saw 3D, the Halloween box office has been handed over to the Paranormal Activity franchise.
If you have never seen a Saw movie you are probably living under a rock. Especially since there are seven of them. Google it.

Now... with this said we have to keep in mind that there is apparently no rush for Lionsgate. There were rumors of a Saw reboot, but sources are claiming the company wants to stay true and just continue on with an 8th installment.

Not happy... not happy at all. Saw 3D was an ass raping to all fans back in 2010 and I can't even imagine what they would continue with. Go home, Lionsgate. You're drunk.


The bigger picture here is who Lionsgate would tap to direct. I am highly doubting any of the four previous directors would jump on the opportunity to direct an 8th film or a reboot. Let's take a look at what our Saw alums are up to:

James Wan:
Wan directed Saw in 2004 and was half of the founding team of the franchise along with Leigh Whannell. He co-wrote the film and directed the original short which featured Whannell in the lead role. He stayed on as an executive producer up until Saw 3D in 2010. However, since Saw we have seen films such as Dead Silence, Insidious, The Conjuring, and Insidious: Chapter 2 and is considered to be one of the best horror directors in the past 10 years. He is also currently directing Fast and Furious 7. In other words, he has moved on to much bigger and better things.
Return odds - no way in hell

Darren Lynn Bousman:
Bousman directed Saw II, III, and IV for our viewing pleasure and was one of two directors to basically get screwed in the end. Bousman chose not to direct Saw V and went on to direct Repo! The Genetic Opera, Mother's Day, and The Devil's Carnival. Not bad films but all are fairly low profile projects, but he seems content with that. In fact, on the Devil's Carnival road shows he refuses to sign any Saw merchandise for fans.
Return odds - no way in hell

David Hackl:
Hackl gave us the second to worst Saw film in the entire franchise with Saw V. The production designer turned director has done essentially nothing since Saw V. He re-teamed with Bousman and served as a production designer for Repo! The Genetic Opera and The Barrens. He currently has a project called Red Machine that is in post-production.
Return odds - plausible

Kevin Greutert:
Greutert gave us the best film since Saw III with Saw VI in 2009. He had served as editor since Saw and was hired to direct VI and did a pretty great job. However, Mark Burg and Oren Koules chose to royally screw Kevin over with Saw 3D and it was apparent that he just didn't give a shit because it was the worst Saw movie to date. Since then Kevin has edited The Collection and directed a film called Jessabelle that is scheduled for release in August 2014.
Return odds - no way in hell

Leigh Whannell:
Whannell never directed a Saw film, but was the co-writer of the original concept with James Wan. He starred as Adam in Saw and Saw III and served as writer on Saw II and Saw III. Whannell even wrote the concepts for the Saw: Rebirth short and the Saw video game.  He also stayed on as an executive producer along with Wan up until Saw 3D. However, he has remained with James Wan and has also moved onto better things. He co-wrote Insidious and Insidious: Chapter 2 and starred in both films as Specs. He also co-wrote Wan's film Dead Silence. He is currently rumored to be on board for Insidious: Chapter 3. Some of us Saw geeks have joked about Whannell directing a future Saw film, but the keyword is "joked." He left Saw a long time ago.
Return odds - no way in hell


Long story short, Lionsgate will have to do some serious convincing to get any of these guys back or they will have to find a new director. I am betting on the latter.

Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones poster surfaces

It looks like an album cover for a metal band.

Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones first trailer

Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones is the spin-off to the first four Paranormal Activity films. It is breaking suit from the series not only because it is being released outside of October, but it is the first one to focus on characters outside of Katie's family. Or so it seems. It also has a Latino cast. From what it seems in the trailer, the lead character is connected to Katie and Kristi in some way.
I think this looks miles beyond the previous movies for the sheer fact that it doesn't appear to be a sleeping film. By that I mean continuously watching the characters sleep in night vision while nothing exciting happens until the last 10min of the movie. I personally hate the Paranormal Activity movies so I doubt I will see this in theaters, but I am sure I will see it at some point on DVD.

Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones will be in theaters on January 3, 2014.




















#TheMarkedOnes

[UPDATED] Paranormal Activity 5 delayed until 2014

2013 might be the first year since 2009 without a Paranormal Activity film. Sources say that Paramount Pictures is considering delaying the film from October 25, 2013 until an unannounced date in 2014. They are citing uncertainty that the film is exactly what they want. It has been test screened and has received positive numbers, but the studio still isn't positive it's the result they want.
Seeing that it's already mid-July and there is really no word on Paranormal Activity 5, a delay might be in order for that reason alone. Each of the previous movies has been filmed rather quickly but despite the box office numbers, the reception and feedback has steadily been declining along with the releases. If the film is delayed it is likely that most if not all of it will be re-shot. Some are guessing a possible January release, but that isn't confirmed. Either way they need to make up their minds pretty quick.

Either way, I personally think this is about money and not about them "second guessing." Horror films released in January have become quite profitable so it would make sense for them to try and capitalize on the time frame and move away from the overwhelming Halloween season. Also bear in mind that this October we will have Carrie and Oldboy that it will have to compete with. Early January is pretty vacant so they probably see it as an opportunity to get the post-Halloween crowds back in the theaters in January like they did with Texas Chainsaw 3D and The Devil Inside.
I'm also not expecting much anyway. Paranormal Activity isn't a great franchise. The plot is weird, the characters are lousy, and they aren't scary. I think people are starting to realize they suck.

UPDATE [7/17]: Paramount officially announced they have pushed Paranormal Activity 5 to January 3, 2014. It will compete with Fox's horror film Devil's Due. Paramount has filled the October 25th spot with Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa.

#ParanormalActivity5

Paranormal Activity 5 will arrive in 2013

Yes, yes I know... another one.
Paramount announced the release of a fifth installment of the Paranormal Activity franchise. The fifth film is set for release on October 25, 2013. No details as far as directors or cast have been released, but Oren Peli and Jason Blum will once again return to produce.

I just want this franchise to end. It's run its course already, imo.

Paranormal Activity 5 set for Halloween 2013

Surprise!

Well, not really. Paramount announced they will be releasing a fifth installment of the Paranormal Activity franchise next Halloween. Since the first PA film was released in 2009 people have pretty much gone ape shit for it. I have never been a fan of the films and I haven't seen Paranormal Activity 4 yet, but this comes to no surprise to me.

Some people are questioning why Paramount has given the green light to a fifth film already because Paranormal Activity 4 is apparently the worst one yet and it is actually getting negative reviews from both critics and fans. However, this franchise is a cash cow for Paramount so they will run it into the ground just like what Lionsgate did with the Saw franchise. They should have stopped at the third and we got seven with a possible eighth still coming, or a reboot, so I am predicting Paranormal Activity won't die until a 6th or 7th film. If it stops at five I will be surprised.

Final Paranormal Activity 4 trailer premieres

The Paranormal Activity franchise has been successful primarily due to the fact that they utilize trailers and make them seem interesting and/or good. I have never been a fan of these movies but I did admit that I thought the trailer for Paranormal Activity 3 made it look decent. However, that movie was just as much of a shit show as the previous ones were.
With that said, the trailer for Paranormal Activity 4 makes the movie look decent. I am not putting any interest in this one due to the fact that I have figured out the tricks by now. Not to mention that most of the footage they use in the trailers isn't even in the movie. That is another thing we learned from the 3rd movie. If I get bored enough I'll go see it, I guess, but I am not counting on it.

Paranormal Activity 4 Trailer Teaser

Ugh... since when did teasers for teaser trailers become popular? I hate these things.

Chernobyl Diaries - Review

Chernobyl Diaries is the newest screenplay from Paranormal Activity director Oren Peli. It follows six tourists on an unexpected "extreme tourism" trip to the abandoned town of Prypiat, Ukraine near the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Upon the conclusion of the tour they encounter their worst fears inside the abandoned and condemned town when they discover that they are not alone.




I went into this movie knowing practically nothing. I had seen news of it on Bloody-Disgusting and on other websites where I read movie news and I honestly thought it was a direct to DVD release that they were just trying to hype up. I watched the trailer for it, shrugged, and moved on. When a friend of mine texted me on Saturday asking if I wanted to see it I was shocked to hear it actually had a theatrical release.

I must admit that for a movie like this I was quite entertained. Of course it is a typical horror plot with dumb American tourists and stuff like that, but despite that it wasn't all that bad. There weren't really any effects to speak of (other than make-up), the atmosphere of the abandoned town near Chernobyl was pretty eerie, and I absolutely loved that you never get a full glance at the inhabitants. You know the tourists aren't alone and you see glimpses of the inhabitants but there is not a straight shot of one where the viewer can say, "oh damn!" That is a rare quality in current horror movies and I appreciate the hell out of that. It's not like Don't Be Afraid of the Dark where they show glimpses of the creatures and then show them in almost every scene from then on.

The main thing I didn't much care for, that I don't care for in general, is the use of jump scares. Maybe it's just because jump scares don't work for me but there were lots of them in this movie. I think they cheapen the film. Plus, the shaky camera trick was way overused. There is one part where four of the people find a cell phone with a recording of the other two and it was so shaky and spinning around I thought I was going to get a migraine. Other than that I can't really think of anything I could say I hated, though.


Overall I would say this is a fun one. I had fun seeing it in theaters and don't feel like I wasted money, so I would say go for it in theaters before it disappears. If you don't want to see it in a theater definitely go for it on DVD. It wasn't a waste and I am kind of surprised to be saying that.