Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman October 23, 2022

Note: at time of writing, this Blu-ray release of 'Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin' is only available as part of the "Ultimate Chills Collection" franchise boxed set that includes six other series films.

At this stage in any Horror franchise (or pseudo-Horror franchise, in this case), there’s usually a need for some sort of gimmick to keep things “fresh.” But for a series built on a gimmick – supernaturally or “paranormally” inspired found footage – there needs to be a “gimmick within the gimmick” to keep the focus off the original gimmick and instead on the “new” gimmick. Here that gimmick involves the Amish community. Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin tells the story of a modern girl looking for her biological mother who abandoned her, leading her to an Amish community where, yes, secrets abound, all is not as it seems, and so on. There’s not much novelty beyond the secondary gimmick, but because fans keep saying “gimmie” by opening their wallets for this world, here is the film ready to sell another stale set of wares that admittedly maintains watchability even in the absence of obvious novelty.

The film follows a young woman named Margot (Emily Bader) and her friend Chris (Roland Buck III), documentary filmmakers who turn their lens to an Amish community in search of answers about the past. The project is, in Margot's own words, "self-indulgent." Her ulterior motive is simple: discover more about her biological mother who abandoned her at a hospital door when she was a newborn. Her research has led her to a small Amish community and her nearest biological relative, Samuel Beiler (Henry Ayres-Brown), who introduces her to a unique way of life that, rather than be a stumbling block into Margot's research, is an open door to surprisingly deep and terrifying truths. As the mystery unfolds, Margot becomes aware that all is not as it appears with the Beiler clan, her own past, and the terrifying truths that will come to define her present and future.

The film largely goes through the motions with a basic forward moving plot and little narrative novelty and certainly no real distinctiveness in terms of the Paranormal Activity structure. While this is not security camera or “nanny cam” footage, it is “found footage” and it doesn’t do much to up the ante for the genre or establish anything interesting from a foundational, visual perspective. Most everything from a production perspective is rote, with intermittent “night vision” shots, skewered angles, and casual framing coming to define the visual experience.

The film does not offer much novelty in terms of story dynamics, either. The foundation is fine – the story of a young lady looking to build the story of her own past – but it takes a number of expected turns and unspectacular evolutions that satisfy genre requirements but do not push any storytelling boundaries along the way. The film’s setting is, unsurprisingly, not as it seems, and neither is the story-at-large. The film plods through the basic structural gameplan of introductory open, atmosphere- and character-building middle with a few ineffective jump scares, and pseudo frightening finale. The story is turned on its head by the time the credits roll, but not in a way that really grips the audience. The movie will likely earn little more than a shrug of the shoulders or a “that was interesting” comment; veteran moviegoers in particular will likely find the whole thing rather tedious, but the film is ultimately passably engaging if one approaches it without any expectations beyond crude entertainment.

Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Paramount brings Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin to Blu-ray with a picture quality that is fully in-line with expectations for this sort of film. The picture is almost always satisfactory, offering a solid foundational image within the movie's natural parameters, which sees it shot with home-grade equipment rather than professional Hollywood cameras, lenses, and big-budget lighting and support elements, though Chris does tote around some quality "prosumer" gear. However, the movie is not meant to look "clean" and "professional." It is nevertheless of good quality overall, with fine clarity and solid color reproduction, but do expect some deliberate faults and flaws in one way or another. Banding and compression issues are not entirely absent. Noise is dense in low light. Resolution can waver and wane within some of the more difficult shots and the green "night vision" shots. Black levels don't always hold to a perfect black, and various colors and skin tones cannot yield absolute excellence. All of that said, however, there is no denying that the picture quality is fine within the film's structural confines. In essence, the film has a built-in excuse for many, if not most, of its "flaws." Casual viewers and videophiles alike should be equally pleased.

Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack offers a well-rounded listening experience. The track is equally adept in delivering hushed audio cues and thunderously penetrating elements with equal clarity and command. When the family beats on the table, the sense of pounding immersion is tangible and clear. It is a reference moment for the franchise's audio output. The finale certainly offers its share of robust audio cues as well, but the track is perhaps just as satisfying when it's handling moody atmosphere and score. The track is never wanting significantly greater clarity or location immersion. Dialogue is clear with the exception of some muffled dialogue when characters are wearing face masks in one early scene.

Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin is only, at time of publication, available as part of the larger "Ultimate Chills Collection" boxed set. Supplementally, this disc includes only a collection of Deleted Scenes (1080p, 26:13 total runtime). Included are What was That? (Extended), Bump in the Night, Songs from the Children (Extended), You Gotta See This, Strange Occurrences, Where's Margot?, and Alternate Ending. As it ships in the boxed set, reversible cover art is included. No DVD copy is included, but a digital copy is. This release does not ship with a slipcover.

Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin doesn't redefine the genre playbook. Rather, it's predictably grounded in it, building a capable but ultimately forgettable story that will blend into the larger Horror landscape, never to make any sort of waves or impact within it. The film is competently assembled and acted, but nothing about stands apart as must-see cinema, even for longtime Paranormal Activity fans. It is to these fans that this Blu-ray release is geared; at time of writing, it is only available as part of a larger franchise collection boxed set. The Blu-ray for this film offers good video and audio presentations and more than 25 minutes of deleted and extended scenes. Since it's only in the pricey boxed set at time of writing, the recommendation is only for the most ardent film and franchise fans.