And, well, you probably know where this is going.
In Paranormal Activity: Next Of Kin, a documentary filmmaker follows Margot (Emily Bader) as she heads to a secluded Amish community, in the hopes of meeting and learning about her long-lost mother and extended family. Following a string of strange occurrences and discoveries, she soon realizes this community that welcomed them into their home might be hiding something sinister…
It’s easy to forget that Paranormal Activity, at one point, moved the entire horror movie industry. Arriving a decade after The Blair Witch Project, Paranormal Activity made good on its found-footage forebearer’s promise of micro-budget fright films that were heavy on realistic scares.
Throughout the series’ first three entries, the trend continued. Instead of relying on CGI monsters or relentless bloodletting, Paranormal Activity found thrills in the mundane, like an oscillating fan. Next Of Kin looks to buck this trend.
Fear not, Next Of Kin is still found footage. But rather than the domestic two-hander of the first one that helped build a sense of realism, Next Of Kin takes more from Resident Evil’s first-person shooter attempts. The film appears to exist in a world of rural weirdos who live on a compound built around secret passages that imprison forbidden demons.
Next Of Kin marks the seventh installment in the series and apparently breaks away from the chronology of the first six. There’s nary a mention of Katie, Michah, or Tobi anywhere in the trailer. As the series’ 15th anniversary approaches, maybe it’s time to let those characters rest in peace.
Paranormal Activity: Next Of Kin premieres exclusively on Paramount+ on October 29.
