Paramount Plus debuted a new trailer for its upcoming film Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin. It will be the seventh entry in the iconic franchise, which has generally told spooky tales in the found-footage format.
Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin is said to be a reboot of the iconic horror franchise, meaning the Paramount Plus film may establish itself as its own contained story. The trailer follows a young woman as she looks to establish a relationship with her long-lost family, which is quickly revealed to be a big mistake.
Her family is in a secluded Amish town and from the start, they look friendly and welcoming. This warm welcome is quickly turned into a fight for survival when the main characters have to run, fight, and hide as the town appears to turn against them. It's evident that there's an evil presence amongst the family, and it's only a matter of time before someone gets hurt or killed. The trailer does a great job at setting the scene, establishing the plot, and not spoiling all of the jump scares. Fans will have a lot to uncover once they watch this movie when it releases near Halloween. If this film does well, maybe it will open the door for more follow-ups that will tie more into the family.
Having Paranormal Activity return is good for the mainstream horror scene because as of right now, the genre is missing the iconic horror figures like those of the '80s. Icons such as Jason Voorhees, Halloween's Michael Myers, The Alien, Predator, and even Jaws all appear to be far removed from their prime. The mainstream scene is primarily dominated by the Conjuring universe and its spin-offs, but other than that there isn't really a contemporary horror franchise that is able to compete at the box office.
Horror projects have since deviated from establishing an iconic face and are now either B-tier laughable projects or standalone projects that cause public discourse/analysis. Anthologies are the icons now. Us, Get Out, Fear Street, Lovecraft Country, Don't Breathe, A Quiet Placeand even Mike Flanagan projects such as The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor, Hush, and Midnight Mass prove that films can be scary while having a good story. Gone are the idiotic protagonists making dumb choices. Now, horror tends to focus on flawed characters in tragic circumstances that prompt empathy from viewers.
Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin will be released on Paramount Plus on October 29th, 2021.
Source: Paranormal Activity/Twitter