#man dog pod

Day 29

Reflections on: Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin(2021)

• Full disclosure: this review is totally biased because I am a fan of one of the actors, Dan Lippert. He’s a talented improv comedian and is one quarter of the hilarious group Big Grande. I’m also a fan of his excellent podcasts The Teacher’s LoungeandMan Dog Pod. I’m not sure I would have liked the movie as much as I did without consuming all of that previous content.
• It feels like Dan Lippert improvised most of his lines. There are familiar themes from his comedy such as: bad MJ impressions and cannibalism. 
• This is the 7th film in the Paranormal Activity franchise. I haven’t seen any of the previous instalments. This is technically a “found footage” movie like the others, yet instead of using security cameras footage, this looks professional due to the fact that the main character has hired a crew to help her make a documentary. 
• It was strange to watch a movie that took place in a COVID-19 world. It’s only briefly addressed in the beginning when Dan Lippert’s character awkwardly forgets to put on his mask at an airport and then offhandedly remarks, “I got COVID like 5 times.”
• Dan Lippert steals every scene he’s in - which is most of them. He casually does yoga in the background, refers to his camouflage pyjamas as his “cammies”, offers a translation of “so weit nicht weiter” as “Sweet, nice wiener”, and gets an Amish makeover complete with a bob and bangs. A 6′7″ man with a cute bob is a sight to behold! 
• Despite being the main source of comedy in the story he’s also the most sensible character who figures out what’s going on before the compulsively confident and pathologically nosy protagonist. 
• The story has a lot of parallels with Midsommar(2019), but also has some similarities to Rosemary’s Baby (1968) and Children of the Corn(1984). 
• I won’t spoil the ridiculous ending but it does finish with a beautiful symphony of harmonious moos. 
• This was way more enjoyable than I expected! I loved it and would watch it again. Maybe you might not feel the same way if you’re not an Old Slob like me :)