Fair warning - I'm a pretty big fan of the Paranormal Activity franchise. They're not earth-shaking films (although you'd be a fool to deny how influential the original was), but I think almost all of them (thanks for the "almost," part 4) work very well as haunted house movies. The tricks they use to build tension almost always work for me - not in a truly terrifying way, but in a fun, anticipation-building way.
So by this point in the game, you probably already have an opinion on the franchise. And The Ghost Dimension is not going to change your mind. But I'd say it knows what worked and what didn't in the last five films and uses those gimmicks effectively and occasionally creatively. It also attempts to tie up some of the convoluted mythology that has ran through the series. And while it certainly doesn't over-explain anything, as a fan I was satisfied with the explanations we get here. It seemed like a fitting end to things, should the rumors be true that this is indeed the last entry. (Until an inevitable reboot in 8-10 years, that is.)
The set-up here? Family of three (dad Ryan, mom Emily, and daughter Leila) live in a really nice house out in - I'm guessing California? It's still nice outside at Christmas time at least, and I think setting it during the Holiday Season is a nice touch for a haunted house movie, BTW. Ryan's a software programmer, so he's got access to lots of groovy technology to record and analyze video - which, believe it or not, comes into play later. Also at the house? Skyler, their nanny (I think? I missed how she fit in) and Ryan's brother Mike, who is staying with them to help recover from a nasty breakup. So, five people to be terrified - seems like a good number.
Anyways, while digging around in the garage to find some Christmas lights, Ryan comes across an old VHS video camera (the kind only those of us older than 30 even knew existed) and a box of tapes. Ryan, being a tech guy, is pretty intrigued. When he starts filming with said camera, he notices some strange shapes and weird visuals... as you can probably guess, this camera can actually see into... THE GHOST DIMENSION! Ryan and Mike watch the old tapes, and see some strange parallels to what's going on in their house. Meanwhile, everyone in the house starts to witness some paranormal activity - bumps in the night, things moving on their own, etc. And Leila starts acting really weird. So, as you do in a PA movie, rather than getting out Ryan decides to record everything. Of course, things escalate, and it turns out that rascally demon Toby is up to his old tricks.
The Ghost Dimension has just about everything I'd want in a PA flick... long static shots of nothing happening to build tension, night-vision chase scenes, hours of sped up footage while a character just stands there, children in peril, that loud rumbling sound they use... what has worked before works here. Sure, it's all been a little diluted over time, but the scares are still well-crafted and effective. And there's a nice twist on the safe/not-safe dichotomy... let me explain. One of the great things (to me) about these types of films is the tension that's built up and eventually released by basically having a "safe zone" of sorts. For instance, in Blair Witch (and the PAs) you've got a mostly day = safe / night = danger thing going on. PA3 had a clever riff on that with a camera mounted on an oscillating fan - one side was safe, one wasn't. In Ghost Dimension, it's sort of multilayered - you've got the whole day vs. night thing going on, but also normal camera vs. ghost dimension camera. The film manages to wring some solid tension out of the fact that just about anything can happen as soon as you cut to the GD camera.
There are a couple of new things to see too. The design of the ghost/demon/whatever (when you can see it) is a little too CG... I actually rolled my eyes at first, because it looks bad at first glance. But after a little while you get used to it. You never forget that it's a CG creation, but it's integrated nicely into things. I've certainly seen worse instances of a shitty-looking formless mass as a ghost. And there's one totally unique, stellar bit towards the end that made me grin like an idiot... I won't spoil it, but it works as both solid scare and a pretty funny/snarky take on the haunted house/ghost genre in general. (It happens when Toby is summoned into the circle.)
The 3D is pretty solid too. Before I caught onto the gimmick (that only the ghost dimension camera was in 3D), I was kind of pissed. Did AMC rip me off and just upcharge me for a standard presentation? I was checking over the top of my glasses and what not. I'm glad I didn't mention it to anyone, but I was debating complaining about it. But I'd say it's worth seeing in 3D. Yeah, it's gimmicky, but it fully embraces the gimmickry it without resorting to lots of comin-at-ya shots. It adds a little extra oomph to the scare scenes, and gives you a nice little indicator of when the ghost S. is about to hit the F.
I'm not really sure what else to say about The Ghost Dimension. It's mostly par for the course, but there's nothing wrong with that when you kind of like the course. It's a fitting end to the saga, and maybe even a little bittersweet for me. Paranormal Activity is certainly the longest running franchise that I've seen from beginning to end in the theaters. This entry was a pleasant surprise, considering some of the bad things I'd heard about it. I don't know that there's much gas left in the tank, so I'm glad they stopped when they did.
I would recommend this film.
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