Day 18: Paranormal Activity 4

Paranormal Activity 4 (2012)

Paranormal Activity 4 on Netflix streaming

And we start with a wild catching up on the blog, as Real Life (patent pending) is a merciless bitch sometimes.  Moving on.

These movies need to be re-titled.  They should actually be named "The Most Inept Demon Ever" parts 1-4.  I'm not kidding.  In watching the latest incarnation and some of the failures of the demon to kill the family, you could say "oooh, near miss, that was shocking!"  or "dammit, not-Pazuzu, you can't drop a knife on someone's head when you have a clear shot?"  I choose the latter.

Seriously, the only competent person this demon has working for it is Katie.  Everyone else is either knee deep in issues that require a therapist, or too young to be a good minion.  I own the first film on DVD and the Rifftrax for it. (Because I wanted to see the alternate endings to see if the first one could endear itself more to me, but Rifftrax makes it much easier to not be bored at.) I have friends who love these films because they're not gory, but they've got some scares in them.  They genuinely enjoy the story and atmosphere.  But they're not gorehounds.  They won't watch any of the Saw series.  Ever.  I respect that, even if I don't understand.

I've seen the other two, middle PAs, and realise that these films never play it for the laughs, but when you start laughing at the ineptitude of the demon until Katie finally jumps in goes to work instead of dragging people across floors and throwing them around, it becomes more tolerable to someone jaded to spooks.  It almost-- almost turns my opinion of Katie around.

It's like an office comedy.  But for demons.

INT: WOLFRAM AND HART, 3RD FLOOR, WATER COOLER

PAZUZU

So did you hear who they sent in to Henderson to add to that cult?

DAMIEN

No way!  They didn't, did they?

PAZUZU (drinking coffee)

Yep.

DAMIEN

Satan's scrotum, that's-- what was the boss thinking?  I hope Katie got sent in, too.

PAZUZU

Of course.

DAMIEN

I hate that guy!  It's 'ooh door closing this' and 'spooky Xbox Kinect dots' that.  Whatever happened to old fashioned torment and death?

INT: LUCIFER ENTERS, LOOKING FRAZZLED.

LUCIFER (stealing DAMIEN's coffee and finishing it)

It's demon week on Syfy.  Everyone else is torturing those ghost hunters from Rhode Island.  Now get back to work.  Hell can't raise itself.

Would I watch it again?  Now that I find it funny, yes.

Would I own it?   Doubt it.  Is there a Rifftrax for it?