After a run of four successful films, the Paranormal Activity franchise will be notable by its absence this October, since the fifth instalment has been delayed until 2014. However, an offshoot, now called Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones, is due early next year. The first trailer is now online and, we would caution, is a bit of a plot beast with spoilers galore.
Originally called** The Oxnard Tapes **(and still set in the city north of Los Angeles), this is a take on the franchise that targets Latin American audiences, while still staying within the same Paranormal universe. This time, teenagers learn of a neighbour’s death and go exploring the crime scene. They soon wish they hadn’t when one starts developing strange abilities and experiencing lost time.
The new movie comes across as a blend of the usual Activity tropes, a little of **V/H/S **and a dash of Chronicle as the marked young man at one point uses his newfound powers to fight off attackers. It also features a much stronger religious theme.
With Richard Cabral, Carlos Pratts, David Fernandez Jr., Jorge Diaz and Catherine Toribio among the cast, and Christopher Landon directing from his script, The Marked Ones will haunt us on January 3.