Don’t worry: The characters still drop a ton of F-bombs.
Troubles begin when fresh high school graduate Jesse (newcomer Andrew Jacobs) notices odd goings-on in the unit below, occupied by a woman who fellow residents believe to be a witch. That would explain the nude rituals … and the murder of Jesse’s classmate. After poking into the witch’s affairs, Jesse acquires a superpower, putting a Chronicle twist to the proceedings.
Having written the last three Paranormal chapters, director Christopher Landon knows not to muck too much with the lucrative formula. He may swap a Ouija board for Milton Bradley’s Simon, but otherwise, this is business as usual that tells a story off to the side of the others. How they converge is incredibly clever, provided you’ve seen the earlier entries; others may be left in the dark during the final 10 minutes. —Rod Lott
This article appears in Apr 16-22, 2014.