CREDIT: PARAMOUNT PICTURES
Get into the Halloween spirit with the fourth installment in the Paranormal Activity series.

Paranormal Activity 4 (2012)

Were you a big fan of Paranormal Activity? How about the second and third films in the same series? Alternatively, are you a big fan of having the living daylights scared out of you in a theatre full of strangers? If any of these situations apply to you then, oh boy, is there something you're going to love!

Paranormal Activity 4, which hit theatres this October just in time for Halloween, is brought to you by Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost, who directed the third installment in the franchise. This latest frightening flick is every bit as creepy and unsettling as its predecessors.

Paranormal Activity 4 takes place five years down the road from the second installment in the series. Katie is now living with her son Robbie, formerly known as Hunter, in a new neighbourhood. The creepy occurrences just seem to follow them wherever they go, though, for as soon as the duo moves in, the neighbours closest to them begin to experience frightening phenomena in the darkest hours of the night. Creepy occurrences caught on camera, sinister goings-on in the neighbourhood and deep dark secrets hidden from view makes Paranormal Activity 4 fit in nicely with the rest of the series.

Casting in horror flicks is pivotal if the filmmakers want to achieve something special, and Paranormal Activity 4 doesn't disappoint. Katie Featherston is back again for her role as Katie and, like each time before, brings the character to life with creepy charisma.

Katheryn Newton joins the paranormal family as Alex, the young neighbour who watches the creepiness unravel before her eyes. Young, talented and with just the right mix for such a frightening role, Newton makes each time she steps onscreen enjoyable to watch.

Matt Shively takes on the role of Ben, young Alex's boyfriend, while Stephen Dunham plays her father, Doug.

Every generation has one horror movie - or perhaps, if they're lucky, a series of movies - that gets under their skin. For those coming of age in the early 2000s, it was The Blair Witch Project, and for those a few years later it was the Saw series. Now, for the newest generation of scary-moviegoers, it's Paranormal Activity. Though this fourth installment doesn't quite live up to the full potential of the first and second films, the suspenseful, heart-stopping scariness of Paranormal Activity 4 still lends itself well to those looking for a good thrill at the theatre.

If you're into the Halloween spirit and are looking for a scary good time, then Paranormal Activity 4 should by all means be at the top of your list of things to do. Beware, though — if you're not the scary flick type, this one is definitely best avoided.

Rating: 5 out of 5