Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin

I mean it's not bad, it creates a good found footage atmosphere a few elements are just a bit too cheesy and some of the shots detract from the ambiance. Maybe 15 min less chopping some of the cheesiest parts and a few of the camera cuts would have made this a really decent movie. As it stands it's kinda long. It's still entertaining enough and just creepy enough to make a good watch for the Halloween weekend.

Whether by attaching itself to the Paranormal Activity franchise or some other reason, this film commits itself to being a found footage style horror film. This works great for most of the Paranormal Activity films, and even works out nicely for many parts of this film.

The problem is that this film was unwilling to fully commit to this, and thus ends up making some really stupid camera decisions that completely draw you out of the immersion of the film and even prompt laughter.

The film itself is straightforward: a woman, Margot, who is adopted discovers her birth family is apparently Amish and goes to visit them, all the while bringing a camera, boommike, and two friends, Chris and Dale, to film for a documentary. Who she is and why she apparently warrants a documentary is unclear and ultimately irrelevant.

It follows the typical routine of Our Dumb Heroes getting themselves in trouble by ignoring pleas and orders to not do stupid stuff and go exploring forbidden areas, all to further the plot.

None of it was particularly interesting. What really stuck out horribly for the film is that, despite the aforementioned commitment to the Paranormal Activity franchise of found footage, the film goes and does so many stupid things that break the format.

The most blatant and stupid incident, which I had to rewind just to make sure it actually happened and wasn't me misinterpreting something, involved the cameraperson backing away from "something" in a dark hall. They are alone and have the ONLY camera. The camera then cuts to an object BEHIND the "something", a location the cameraperson was nowhere near and completely unable to film at any point in time.

These sorts of impossible camera cuts start to pile up closer to the end, until at one point the camera just seemingly disappears, and we get conventional movie-style shots.... only for the film to somehow return to the "camera"'s framing, as if the camera had been on and filming everything the whole time despite no one holding it.

These stupid camera decisions constantly ripped me out of the immersion of the film, and there was one incident in particular where for no reason at all the camera went into a gratuitous slow motion sequence during a scary bit that was too laughable to take seriously and absolutely should have been cut.

I won't go into it too much because it would be basically a repeat of what has already been said. This is not a Paranormal Activity movie, it just borrows from the name for promotional purposes. For that, I was disappointed.

I thought the acting was fine. I didn't dislike any of the characters like you eventually do. I thought story was fine, although not exactly new. It was definitely creepy, so I can't knock it for that. I was entertained. Of course there is a lot of footage where they would have never been filming, as per the norm, but I get that they have to tell a story through the camera. Personally I can't stand reviews that tell you to watch something or not to watch something. Reviews that tell you to ignore the positive or the negative reviews. I mean that the purpose of reading reviews, to eventually form your own opinion, then make up your own mind whether to watch it or not. You decide.

Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin (2021) is a movie I recently watched on Paramount+. The storyline follows an orphaned young lady who traces her roots back to a Mormon society in the country. They take her in with open arms and show her their ways and tell her the story of her mother. As she stays with them she starts seeing weird phenomenon by the woods and around a rundown church. If she digs too much into her family history she may find more than she wants to know.

This movie is directed by William Eubank (Underwater) and stars Emily Bader (Charmed), Roland Buck III (Better Call Saul), Dan Lippert (Son of Zorn) and Henry Ayres-Brown (The Black List).

The storyline for this is a bit cliche but well told and interesting enough to keep your attention till the final scene. The cinematography is very good and the settings are beautifully depicted. The movie drags at times, but the last 20 minutes are excellent. I will say everything about the pit frustrated me; as in, I kept thinking "you'd never do that," but it wasn't enough to detract me from wanting to know what's going to happen.

Overall this movie is okay and worth watching. I wouldnt call it the best Parabormal Activity movie but it's worth a viewing. Essentially, the last few scenes are worth sitting through the movie. I'd score this a 5.5-6/10 and recommend seeing it once.

Tracked down by a distant relative after being abandoned by her mother, Margot (Emily Bader) gets a documentary crew to get a first-hand account of where she is from. Traveling to Amish country alongside Chris (Roland Buck III) and sound guy Dale (Dan Lippert), Margot discovers the way of life her true family lives. Night after night of unsettling encounters, Margot soon discovers why her mother may have given her up.

The paranormal crew has now traveled to Amish country, and the result adds an extra layer of dread. There is an eerie quality to being in the middle of nowhere with no modern technology, leaving you vulnerable to anything that passes by. The homestead where they stay is vast, and each creak of the floorboards has you gripping your seat. The team behind this builds the tension in grand fashion.

The cast involved all carry the story towards the finish line. Dan Lippert as Dale steals each scene he is in and is the life behind the film. Emily Bader and Roland Buck III have good chemistry between them that can get you invested in their relationship. Some of the family members are dialed in but flat in their presentation.

While the POV found footage can add that extra layer of tension, which this film does at times, there are moments where things feel staged. Even though they are filming a documentary, areas that should be caught in the moment seem to have perfect blocking and everything falls perfectly into place.

Next of Kin tells a story that is a part of the Paranormal Activity franchise, but could have worked as its own entity. A tweak here and there could have elevated the suspense of the film. Since it is a part of this franchise, you already have an idea of the outcome. This is still a film that should be watched by fans of the franchise, and it could also attract a new audience because of its separation from the series.