Laughable. Worthless. A Paranormal-series entry in name only. As an
ardent fan of the first two PA's, I was especially disappointed by
this one's lack of imagination — to the point where one of the
biggest scares in #2 is repeated here, to greatly diminished effect.
But the fatal flaw is the unconvincing stretch the filmmakers make in
trying to justify the verite style. In fact, this movie would have
been immensely better had it been shot traditionally, because the
multiple surveillance cameras and the constant need to justify someone
shooting with a hand-held become ridiculous. One more example (yes,
I'm talking about you Jim Sheridan and Guillermo Del Toro) of how the
genre can defeat a talented director. PS. It's no spoiler to say that
the most compelling segment of the trailer (the little girls playing
“Bloody Mary” in a darkened room) is not in the film; neither is a
chunk of dialogue that seems to clarify why this is a prequel — just
one more example of what a fraud this stinker is. — Jeff Schultz