Paranormal Activity 4

For the last 4 years i have seen the newest yearly entry into the Paranormal Activity series on opening weekend and this year was no different. Now before i go on, let it be known that i did in fact enjoy the first 3. Im not one of those whiny internet trolls who do nothing but whine about the newest PA entry, all the while claiming to hate it but yet are able to tell everyone about the new movie, proving themselves hypocrites. No, i actually thought part 1 was a unique and scary take on the "haunted house" sub genre of Horror and i thought part 2 was even scarier then the first one. Part 3 was good in its own way but had some parts i didnt enjoy(2 typical jump scares) and now we get Part 4 and boy was it a disaster. The reason PA 1&2 were so great is because it did not rely on the typical "pop out and scare you" jump scares. It used ambient noises and silence and most importantly, it takes the viewers imagination and uses it to terrify the person watching the film. Ill never forget sitting in the first 2 movies watching the screens and thinking of all the things that could possibly happen and then something happens and makes me and everybody else jump out of their seats. The first 2 films were fantastic and had some great and unexpected scares. Part 3 had a good build up and satisfying ending that left me a little shaken even after the movie was over......And now Part 4 arrives. The story picks up a few years after the ending to part 2 but I will just come out and say that this movie was awful and i say that for 2 reasons. Reason 1 is that it relies heavily on very clique jump scares. The 2nd reason is that the scares that are not your typical jump scares are extremly predictable. I literally called every single scare in the movie before it happened on film. It was that bad. Should i be surprised? Probably not because after all, they hinted at typical jump scares in the 3rd one and for a series that has gone on for 4 movies, it was bound to happen. Unlike the first 3, there was no build up at all. The story wasnt that great and didnt move the franchise storyline along at all, there was no feelings of dread like with the first 2, there was no real scary parts unless you count the last 3 minutes of the movie but even that was out of left field and made no sense whatsoever. Sure, there was connections to the previous 3 films but it didnt do anything to resolve the conflict of demon-possessed katie and kidnapped baby hunter. Honestly, i dont consider this to be a part of the Paranormal Activity franchise because it completly tarnishes the other 3 films. And to top it all off, i read earlier that there will be a part 5 next Halloween. This looks like the next SAW to me and i hope part 5 redeems itself but i doubt it. Now was there any type of positive things about PA4? Yes but thats only the acting from the teenage girl and boy and the mom had some good acting as well but thats nothing new because all of the movies have had decent unknown actors/actresses. So bottom line is this: PA4 is not scary unless your new to watching horror movies and dont see the scares coming but if you have seen your fair share of spooky films, youll no doubt find this one dumb just like everyone else that i know who has seen it. FINAL RATING: F SCARE RATING: F STORY RATING: F ACTING RATING:C+

Come Closer By Sara Gran

Come Closer tells the story of a woman who battles with demon possession. For being a book that deals with the dark theme of demon possession, it surpringly doesnt attack Christianity or religion at all. The story starts out as a ghost story. The main character hears tappings on the walls of her home and from their, the activity escalates. What makes "Come Closer" a truely scary story is the way that the demon takes over the main character. Its a very slow moving process that, at times, makes you want to just stop reading all together but if you stick with the book till the end, you will enjoy it. Now you would think that since this is a story about demon possession, it would have tons of vulgar language and super disturbing scenes but, surpringly, it doesnt. In fact, the activity that does happen, you would think that the main character is losing her sanity rather then being demon possessed. Maybe thats what really did happen? Maybe its left up to the reader to decide since its not explict evil coming from the demon? Who really knows! Anyhow, i did enjoy this novel and i would rate it a 6 out of 10. If you have patience and like slow building horror, i would recomend Come Closer. If you are the type of person who likes the more intense and evil things from horror novels, try The Shining by Stephen King or Adam by Ted Dekker. Both of those books were awsome and both freaked me out.