By and large the same product albeit in slightly different packaging, Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension manages a suitable end for the found footage phenomenon that took the world by storm. In tying the many disparate series elements into one cohesive mythology, this sixth Paranormal Activity has given meaning and context to all those that came after the first. In that regard, first time director Gregory Plotkin fifth sequel is one of the series strongest entries.

This “final” entry to the Paranormal Activity franchise adds the aesthetic (or monetary) choice that is the third dimension. This titular Ghost Dimension, you see, is in eye-popping 3D – a smart enough way to pull people into the theater seeing that the product is moving to VOD just 17 days after release. The Ghost Dimension feels like a film at the advent of the technology in that they employ the theme-park-ready “stuff flying out of the screen, at your face!” tactic fast and loose. It makes for amateur scares that are legitimately startling.

The connective tissue tying this to the previous PA films comes from the fact that new homeowners Ryan (Chris J. Murray) and Emily (Brit Shaw) have just bought up the house in which series regulars Katie and Kristi grew up. Those who don’t remember Katie and Kristi (or the Paranormal Activity mythology at large) will struggle to make sense of the self-referential narrative but those who’ve been paying attention will receive ample dividends for their investment.
That’s not to say that those not already in the Paranormal Activity camp will be won over by this six-quel. Either you like what the earlier entries have done or you don’t, and if you don’t, then Ghost Dimension will do little to change your mind. After all, what Blumhouse has done with the series is turn it into a formula, albeit one that introduces nuggets of new information each time out. In that capacity, Paranormal Activity is the Avengers of horror movies. Similarly, they’re easy to watch and even easier to forget about.

What Ghost Dimension has working in its favor is a game cast that convinces at nearly every turn. Dan Gill as brother Mike is a near brilliant addition as he adds both comic relief and an interesting fraternal foil to the typical nuclear family unit construction of these films. Keep an eye on Gill, he just might be going places. As the perfunctory “little girl”, Ivy George is incandescently eerie. As she builds up the gall to sass her mother or is found burning bibles or burying rosaries, there’s a deaden air to the wee George that makes her all the spookier.

It caps off with the kind of partially satisfying but mostly inconclusive ending that can only be explained by a statement from Russel Naftal, co-managing partner of Beast Media. While disclosing that The Ghost Dimension would be the final installment of the series, Naftal added, “If this is successful, we hope to include more. We’ll continue this as long as we possibly can.” You don’t need to read between the lines to decipher what he’s actually saying: “This is the “last” movie if we don’t see the capital return we’re hoping for.” If it’s a hit, hell, we could be looking at finishing out the decade with annual PA flicks. At the very least, the next stage of this franchise has been irreconcilably altered by the events of this entry and that’s about all I can ask for.

CONCLUSION: Unlikely to win over any new fans to the series, Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension is a one-trick pony that dutifully ties together the series many disparate parts. Thankfully that one-trick is still (almost) as effective as ever.