For a film series that draws most of its fun from hauntings, it seems odd that there hasn’t been a ghost in any of the five installments. Perhaps that will change with the newly announced Paranormal Activity 5: The Ghost Dimension, which will arrive in US theaters on March 13, 2015.
The Ghost Dimension? Seriously? Oof. That’s a straight-to-video title if there ever was one. The flick will be the directorial debut of editor Gregory Plotkin, who has edited all of the Paranormal movies since the second one. I actually like the idea of an editor directing one of these flicks. They depend so much on rhythm and tension-building cuts that an editor seems the perfect choice to get behind the camera.
The miracle of the first three films (I haven’t seen 4 or The Marked Ones) is that they demand rapt attention to the mundane moments of suburban life, like the nightly routine of an automatic pool cleaner or the void outside the front door. Some will argue that these images are just as boring in Paranormal Activity as they are in real life, but the way we watch these movies (especially in the theater) is different from most films. Every repeated static angle is an invitation to play “Where’s The Demon?”, trying to spot the change in the routine. It creates massive tension. Here’s the thing, though: it’s getting old. How do you think they could refresh the franchise stylistically? It’s on screenwriters Jason Pagan and Andrew Stark, now. Should PA5 stick with found footage? Ditch the nanny-cams? Let me know in the comments.
Source: TheWrap