Paranormal Activity 4
Paranormal Activity 4 is a 2012 American found footage supernatural horror film, serving as the fourth installment in the Paranormal Activity franchise.[1] Directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman and written by Christopher Landon, the film stars Kathryn Newton as Alex, Matt Shively as Ben, Brady Allen as Robbie, and Katie Featherston reprising her role as Katie from previous entries.[2][3] Set five years after the events of the prior films, the story centers on a suburban family who begin experiencing eerie paranormal disturbances after temporarily taking in a mysterious boy named Robbie following his mother's hospitalization.[1] The film was produced by Jason Blum and Oren Peli under Blumhouse Productions and distributed by Paramount Pictures.[4] Released theatrically on October 19, 2012, Paranormal Activity 4 opened in 3,412 theaters and earned $29 million in its first weekend, ultimately grossing $53.9 million at the domestic box office against a production budget of approximately $5 million.[5][6] The movie continues the series' signature style of low-budget, handheld camera techniques to build tension through subtle supernatural occurrences, though it received mixed reviews for its reliance on familiar tropes.[3] Critics noted its connection to the overarching franchise narrative, particularly linking back to Katie's storyline, while introducing new characters to explore the demonic entity's influence.[7]Synopsis and Characters
Plot
In 2011, five years after the events that saw Katie abduct her nephew Hunter following a series of demonic attacks on her family, the story shifts to the suburban neighborhood of Henderson, Nevada, where teenager Alex Nelson lives with her mother Holly, stepfather Doug, and younger brother Wyatt.[8] The Nelson family leads a seemingly ordinary life, with Alex navigating typical adolescent challenges, including a relationship with her boyfriend Ben, while Doug and Holly manage household tensions. Their quiet routine is disrupted when a single mother named Katie and her young son Robbie move into the neighboring house across the street.[9][1] One evening, after hearing a commotion, Doug witnesses what appears to be Katie collapsing in her driveway; she is rushed to the hospital with a serious head injury, leaving Robbie temporarily in the care of the Nelsons at Holly's insistence.[8] Robbie, a withdrawn and peculiar child, quickly bonds with Wyatt, introducing him to an "invisible friend" named Toby, whom he claims watches over them and performs tricks like making toys move on command. As the boys spend more time together, Alex and Ben notice increasingly odd behavior from Robbie, including nighttime wanderings and cryptic conversations, prompting Ben—fascinated by the supernatural—to install security cameras and motion-activated sensors throughout the Nelson home to document any anomalies.[9][10] The footage soon captures inexplicable supernatural occurrences, beginning subtly with lights flickering off in patterns, cabinets banging rhythmically on the walls, and Wyatt exhibiting night terrors where he sleepwalks and converses with unseen entities. Events escalate when kitchen knives mysteriously arrange themselves into an inverted cross on the floor, Doug awakens with unexplained scratches on his leg, and Alex experiences a terrifying levitation above her bed after Wyatt enters her room, pulling her covers with invisible force.[1][8] Ben's research into the disturbances leads him to online forums discussing demonic hauntings, drawing parallels to patterns of activity that target families with young male children, though the Nelsons initially dismiss the findings as overactive imaginations. The family's dynamics strain further as Holly grows protective of the boys, while Doug remains skeptical until he personally encounters a shadowy figure lurking in the house.[9] Tensions peak one night when an entity violently lifts and hurls Holly across the kitchen, leaving her with a severe head wound; in her delirium, she sketches an inverted cross, symbolizing the demon's covenant origins from the series' mythology. Katie briefly reappears at the door, claiming recovery, but her presence only intensifies the activity, including Robbie's eerie stare-downs and Wyatt's claims that Toby demands obedience. Ben confronts Katie at her home, uncovering footage that reveals her as the long-lost possessed woman from prior incidents, intent on reclaiming Hunter—the child she abducted years earlier.[10][1] In a shocking twist, it emerges that Wyatt is actually Hunter, secretly adopted by the Nelsons shortly after his disappearance, making him the demon's true target as the prophesied male heir for its cult. Possessed by Toby, Katie systematically eliminates the family: she stabs Ben to death, assaults Doug, and leaves Holly catatonic. In the climax, a fully possessed Wyatt attacks Alex, his eyes blackened and strength superhuman, confirming his identity as Hunter and the demon's vessel. Alex attempts to flee with him to safety, but Katie and a group of cloaked women from the cult intervene; Katie kills Doug and Alex before abducting Wyatt/Hunter to continue the coven ritual.[11] The film concludes with grainy footage of Katie and the boy driving away into the night, Wyatt murmuring that he is Hunter, tying directly into the broader series lore of the demon's multi-generational pursuit of a host body.[8][9]Cast
The cast of Paranormal Activity 4 features a mix of returning franchise actors and new performers portraying a suburban family entangled in supernatural disturbances. Katie Featherston reprises her role as Katie, the enigmatic neighbor whose presence connects the film's events to the broader series mythology.[4]| Actor | Role | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Kathryn Newton | Alex Nelson | The teenage protagonist dealing with family tensions and increasingly unsettling phenomena in her home, serving as the primary observer through found-footage style recordings.[4][12] |
| Matt Shively | Ben | Alex's boyfriend, a tech-savvy teen who employs devices like motion sensors to investigate the bizarre occurrences, adding a modern investigative layer to the narrative.[4] |
| Aiden Lovekamp | Wyatt Nelson / Hunter Rey | Alex's younger brother and the adopted child at the story's emotional core, whose vulnerability highlights the demon's manipulative influence in this installment.[4] |
| Brady Allen | Robbie | The withdrawn boy temporarily under the Nelson family's care, whose odd behavior introduces key elements of isolation and suspicion unique to the film's suburban setting.[4][12] |
| Stephen Dunham | Doug Nelson | Alex's pragmatic father, a doctor whose skepticism contrasts with the escalating horrors, grounding the family dynamic in everyday realism.[4] |
| Alexondra Lee | Holly Nelson | Alex's mother, who manages household stresses while the family grapples with inexplicable events, representing maternal concern in the new ensemble.[4] |