Though it vexes with its perplexingly-uninformative secrecy on finally explaining the franchise to its long-time fans who’ve suffered for half a decade awaiting answers, PA4 boasts the best setting, camera quality, and lead performance of the franchise by a to-watch Kathryn Newton – and skates by. 6/10.
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Plot Synopsis: It has been five years since Katie (Katie Featherston) murdered her sister and disappeared with her infant nephew, Hunter, in tow. Now, a new family is about to fall prey to nighttime terrors. A mysterious accident next door leads to teenage Alex (Kathryn Newton) and her family becoming the temporary guardians of Robbie (Brady Allen), a very creepy neighbor boy. Cameras installed throughout Alex’s home capture the sinister events that unfold after Robbie’s arrival.
Full Review Coming Soon
Pros: Beautiful main character in Alex – well-acted and carries the film (making it watchable), modernizing the PA brand with cell phones/webcams a cool choice, much better camera quality, great modern upper-scale house setting, one information piece about Hunter, good ending – something all PA movies share but still uninformative
Cons: Too long opening, keep playing in how they teased that we’d finally learn what happened to Katie and Hunter after PA1&2 and even marketed it that way but STILL have yet to answer that questions fans demand to know, too tweeny at times, Ben kind of annoying as a character, subpar acting overall except Kathryn Newton, scares and style that were once very fresh and original have gotten really old and less thrilling, too slow pacing with few scares at all through the entire first act, 5 year gap still painfully unanswering the major questions the franchise has left completely open and unanswered: WHAT HAPPENED AFTER THE EVENTS OF PA1, 2, AND 3’S TWIST ENDINGS?? GIVE US ANSWERS INSTEAD OF MAKING US KEEP WATCHING SEQUEL AFTER SEQUEL HOPING WE’LL FINALLY LEARN WHILE THE CLIFFHANGER/QUESTION LIST GROWS, extremely formulaic to the first three movies – exact same movie & scares/ pacing again and again and pretty much inarguably the same movie as PA 2, any sympathy the viewer had for Katie is now gone, ending STILL uninformative & answers NONE of the overarching questions plaguing this franchise and angering fans, feels just like merchandise/suckering you in to see the PA 5 – dirty thing to do to fans- shameless cash-grab
