This year will mark the first October without a Paranormal Activity film since 2008. Those looking for their annual Halloween jump-scare fix will be forced elsewhere (probably with the Carrie remake, which releases on October 18). But never fear ‐ Paramount has announced that 2014 will host two separate Paranormal Activity sequels, ensuring that cheaply made found-footage films continue to pull in profits for years to come.
Paranormal Activity 5 will hit theaters on October 24, 2014, and will presumably haunt a few more relatives of the couple from the original film. What’s far more interesting, however, is the other installment: Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones. Releasing January 3, 2014 (a January release often means the film is no good, but this is a Paranormal Activity sequel so you probably knew that already), this one is that long-teased “cousin” to the original series, and will be aimed at Latino audiences, with Latino characters and jump scares rooted in Catholicism.
Of all the films that would need a separate incarnation for a different ethnicity (and ideally, we shouldn’t have to do this at all), Paranormal Activity is at the bottom of the list. These are films with zero substance; each one a series of loud noises that climaxes when a scary face rushes at the screen. You could make the characters any race, creed, or color and the end result would be the exact same thing.
If Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones is a success, expect the found-footage craze to multiply exponentially as each film gets re-released with a different ethnic group in mind. [ComingSoon]
