found footage

Were you as concerned as I was that Marlon Wayans would no longer be lampooning mainstream horror alongside a cavalcade of middle-tier and lowbrow comedians? If so we can rest assured that A Haunted House heralds his triumphant return to an art form he helped craft. Well, “lampooning” may be too pointed of a word to describe what is exactly happening here. The film isn’t so much satirizing horror tropes or conventions as it utilizes stylistic elements to present infantile jokes.

“Playback” starts interestingly enough. A young man named Harlan Diehl walks around a country farmhouse with a video camera, filming recently slaughtered bodies (as we learn later, it’s Diehl’s adopted family being filmed and he’s the one who did the slaughtering). His camera then focuses on a little baby left untouched in the mayhem. Before we learn the reason for his murdering spree, however, he is gunned down by police officers. Would it surprise you to know that the baby survives?

It's hard to believe there have been four "Paranormal Activity" films. Even in the year 2012, where sequels and spinoffs are commonplace, it's still unlikely that the series has made it this far. What's even more unlikely? The fact that, at least up until now, the series has maintained and even raised the bar for quality with each entry. Unfortunately, with "Paranormal Activity 4" you can throw that trend out the window.

"Sinister" is an interesting little film. Originally slated for a limited release this fall, it will now be featured in over 2,000 theaters this Friday, due mostly from positive word of mouth from early screenings. After seeing it with an advance audience myself, it's not hard to see why.