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Paranormal Activity: The Marked One's (2014)

   

Written & Directed by: Christopher Landon

Starring:

Jorge Diaz .... Hector
Andrew Jacobs .... Jesse
Gabrielle Walsh .... Marisol

Release Date: Theatrical: January 1, 2014

 

Rating:

 

Jesse (Andrew Jacobs) experiences some unexplainable things after the death of his neighbor in the rough areas of Los Angeles but later on after him and his friends experiment by doing a ritual in an abandoned cathedral as well as talking to the spirit world on an old game piece that they found he slowly realises that he has strong demonic powers which starts to take over his body.

 

This film starts off like any found footage flick by showing a happy time but this time some teens are graduating and then enjoying their time off which looked uplifiting as well as them not knowing on what to do with themselves afterwards so they are causing trouble in the rough areas of Los Angeles. There's some effective moments within this like spotting some sort of gangsters on the street and these teenage kids catching them by doing something illegal and then these gangsters start to approach them aggressively which looked strongly done.
There's some good laughs when both of the main character's Hector and Jesse are using their video camera's in a vent to spot a nude woman in another room on their computer and getting crazy about it along with Jesse's grandmother coming into the room and they try to get her out of the room trying for her not to catch them on what they're filming. I laughed my ass off with this happening.

A good moment on them entering an abandoned home and spotting some creepy surroundings like a table with deadly devices used for operations or voodoo type witchcraft devices too. Plus we hear a baby cry and they spot a doll in a cradle which for sure leaves an impression that there's a spirit in the room.
Plus we spot a moment when they go to a cathedral to try and talk to the dead which seemed to look cheesy to watch on them by not taking stuff too seriously.
Yet there's a nice dark moment when one of their friends named Marisol searches around the cathedral and hears a strange sound near a dark staircase which seemed pretty spooky. Also, they check something in the washroom and excitement breaks loose with them running and trying to escape as well as one of them forgetting to get their belongings that was left behind there in which all of this looked pretty frightening as you wonder if they will go back to get it.
We also spot a corny moment with them digging up an 80s game which is called Simon that electric game we all remembered playing which showed those coloured lights and them figuring out by if it still works or not but yet using it to contact the spirit world like a ouija board as it seems a bit difficult to work in a found footage film it works in later on and leaving a chill down your spine big time especially when it answers with the coloured lights that they don't care to know.
A perfect realistic look at thugs approaching both Hector and Jesse ready to mug them at night which looked believably intimidating to watch as well as a perfect surprising moment on these thugs being blown away which looked powerful and making you jump out of your seat in which you don't expect this to happen at all.
There's a situation with a woman hearing a sound from a cellar door and a hand grabbing at her when she opens it but yet this seems to miss by a longshot for letting this situation look terrifying as it was supposed to have been. But there is a creepy moment with a character named Oscar looking ghostly towards Hector when he is being filmed and warning him about Jesse which looked incredibly effective as well as showing his wrists and what is moving underneath his skin which looked well done too. Also, things really look terrifying when he runs away and Hector runs after him and then someone crashes on top of a parked car jumping from the top of the cathedral which looked shocking and offering more jumps too.
Another real intimidating moment is when Jesse gives a teen an angry look for talking to his girlfriend like a fight is about to break out at a corner store as this was well paced and making you watch carefully leaving a perfect psychological feel to the story. Definetely a typical look at a rough area of Los Angeles with riots in public places and how the employee's needing to deal with a situation like this.
A great dark moment with Jesse hearing his dog barking down in a cellar and whimpering which seemed spooky as well as what he spots down there offering more perfect chills and frights on what he films down there especially when he has a hard time getting out.
Very effective moment on Hector revealing on what he spots on his camerawith Jesse acting insane as well as using his special powers by flaoting in the air looking perfectly terrifying.
Then the terror really starts up a great deal when they enter an area with rednecks firing away at some sort of possessed locals attacking them which was totally action packed and perfectly intense to watch all of this.
Perfect moment when Hector is driving his vehicle and freaking out and then gets into an accident which looked totally realistic by what ran into them.
Also a great moment when the three group of friends run into a house and are attacked by paranormal ghouls which catches you by surprise and doing something deadly to them along with a good moment on one of them slowly approaching a figure with their head turned to see on what is going to happen which adds alot of perfect chills and surprises. These scene's seemed to borrow heavily from the last moments on the Blair Witch Project as this was done in a superb taste and worked well on it's own.
Bottom line is that this is not a part of the Paranormal Activity films but a take off on it with appearances from some of the cast on them and in my opinion a much better flick offering alot of shocks and scares. It works just as effectively as Blair Witch or the Last Exorcism and can please the same fans too. I am betteing that a sequel will arise and I hope that one will. Worth checking out as the movie is just as exciting as it sounds.

The acting worked out quite naturally for the most part. Jorge Diaz (Hector) reallt came across as a trouble making typical clown who doesn't take things seriously. Definetely shows it off like one of those types who gets on your nerves. Also does well by acting stoned while smoking up and gets into this a great deal by making this all believeable. Shows alot of great adrenaline when he shows his frusterations, acting upset or when he's panickingwhen the terror starts to happen in which he really studied these scene's incredibly well within all of this offering some fine characteristics.
Andrew Jacobs (Jesse) was the best out of the cast as at first he seemed to be nothing too spectacular with what he did by playing a typical idiotic graduating teen but yet when he starts to become slowly possessed you can see the versatile characteristics that he portrayed especially when he tries to act territorial towards someone else which he came across as perfectly intimidating with his expressionless and stern attitude. Offered some great blocking whenever he acted powerful or violent too. Was perfect with his devilish expressions as well. Also terrific with his loud and sneering attitude while saying his lines whenever he needed to act out like this. Also reacted incredibly natural with his frusterated attitude while speaking to the Simon game and getting believeably demanding too. He drew this all in perfectly.
Gabrielle Walsh (Marisol) does a nice job revealing her attitude and having a no nonsense type of behavior. She also does a nice job while acting cautious and looking around a cathedral by calling to someone which she seemed to focus well on this. Plus showed a great adrenaline while trying to get out of the place and freaking out which added a nice hype to what she did. Also does a great job freaking out in other situations when something terrifying starts to happen just rolling in with the punches to everything.

A fully nude woman is caught on camera through a vent as well as another one revealing their butt and ready to seduce this woman.

Some bloody gunshots.
The odd bloody dead body falls.

There's some effective mild windy sounds during the clising credits in which this sounds similar to what we heard in the Blair Witch Project.