Rent Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin (2021)

Black snow ... - Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin review by NP

Director William Eubank succeeds in making a Paranormal Activity film that isn’t like a Paranormal Activity film at all. I think this is the only time that the long-running central character Katie, whose story has been well and truly told, is not given so much as a mention. By this time (2021) there had been seven films in total since the unexpected success of the 2007 original, and the formula – found footage, often taken from static security cameras and protracted scenes – had been over-utilized to the point of stagnation. So this offering goes outside, to an open and detail-filled location, that of a farm run by a large Amish family. Leading the expedition to meet her estranged relatives is the appealing Margot (Emily Bader) and her small gang of filmmakers, determined to find out the reason why Margot was abandoned as a baby by her mother. Great use is made of the nicely shot locations, and the characters are believable and well-played.

The drawback is, without the signature ‘look’ of this entry into the series, Next of Kin becomes just another found footage film, albeit a very well-made, picturesque one. The variety of styles mixes things up, but there are some very obvious jump scares early on, which don’t bode well.

Luckily they are kept to a minimum; this is more about the atmosphere, about an encroaching feel of dread, and features typically illogical decisions from the characters. It has a folk horror, even a Blair Witch vibe, which further separates it from the usual Paranormal Activity films.

The final act is where the scares come out of the dark, and it’s all very effective. I get the impression the sound levels throughout have been set deliberately low so that the increasing number of bangs and crashes are unnervingly LOUD by comparison. Very enjoyable. My score is 8 out of 10.