14 DAY TRIAL // Though it isn’t officially billed “Paranormal Activity 5,” the fifth installment in the “PA” franchise, “Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones,” might as well have been called that because it fits perfectly in the context of the previous movies. Moreover, it manages to breathe new life into the franchise, for which reason it’s a certified winner.
If you’re looking to kick off the New Year with a solid horror film, “The Marked Ones” could be just the thing, at least according to the first waves of reviews coming it.
It premiered in US theaters last night, on Friday, January 3, 2014, with estimates saying that it might actually take “The Hobbit” and “Frozen” at the box office and reviews from critics and fans billing it one notch above the last 2 installments in the franchise, on par with the first two.
In a way, if you think about it, “Paranormal Activity” is the gift that keeps on giving, a horror movie franchise that, just when you think it’s all but dried out, gets a new lease on life thanks to a brilliant idea from the brilliant team of people behind it.
To boot, “PA” movies are also very cheap to make thanks to the found-footage technique used in all of them, and, even if the latest installment was more expensive than any of the previous 4, it still cost less than most Hollywood productions – and will probably make more money than them too.
MTV News has summed up some of the most glowing reviews now available online, with critics praising the writers for coming up with a story that feels and is fresh but actually falls in with the events in the previous films.
So don’t be deceived by the trailer for it (which, by the way, is embedded below), which sells it like a Latino spinoff for the series, with events taking place around the famous holiday Día de Muertos (the Day of the Dead).
Besides including details that shed light on events in the previous installments, “The Marked Ones” also offers several good scares along the way, which make it worth your while, reviews say. So, do you plan on seeing it this weekend? Let us know in the comments section below.
