Paranormal Activity 4: 7 Reasons It's Killing Modern Horror

7. The Lack Of A Likable Hero/Villain Paranormal Activity breaks all the rules of film-making - which is at least partly why it was so successful first time out, and why the sequels have subsequently been so panned. There are no really likable heroes or villains, with new main characters every installment and very little at stake for the audience's affections towards the characters - like any cheaply made slasher film, you expect and forgive the murders of the early characters because they meant nothing to you, and we cared so much about the fate of Laurie Strode in Halloween because we had been afforded the time to get to know her. The importance of a good villain for a horror franchise is arguably more important - and it is usually they who sell sequels and merchandise. Even in a franchise like Saw, we had Jigsaw - and eventually the spectre of Jigsaw - bringing some charisma to the seemingly endless carousel of new characters. They are the characters who endure, even through terrible films, and represent the hooks that keep fans invested in a property. That's why Freddy Krueger gloves and jumpers still sell, and why Chucky remains revered despite his many eye-wateringly terrible sequels. Strictly speaking this point highlights a deeper problem with Paranormal Activity, which will inevitably damage the horror genre, at least through perception: in presenting as disposable and cheap a horror experience as possible, the film-makers tend to forget conventional concerns like plot, character development and the like. As I alluded to earlier, we're effectively looking at a similar trend to that which governs the pornography industry, with the traditional aspects of film-making used sparsely to bridge to the gaps between the scares. What did you think of Paranormal Activity 4? Share your thoughts below.