Paranormal Activity 4(2012)
2012 · Henry Joost & Ariel Schulman · 87 min
It has been five years since the disappearance of Katie and Hunter, and a suburban family witness strange events in their neighborhood when a woman and a mysterious child move in.
Horror
5.42.1k votes
TMDB score
2/5
Intensity
0/5
Gore
1/5
Stays with you
How Paranormal Activity 4 scares
Paranormal Activity 4 leans hard on the found-footage formula the series is known for: long stretches of static webcam and laptop shots where nothing seems to happen, followed by a sudden bang, a moved object, or a shape darting through frame. It's more about waiting for the jolt than building deep dread, so the fear is surface-level and fades fast once the movie ends. There's no blood or physical violence to speak of, just eerie kid behavior, creepy technology gimmicks, and things going bump in familiar suburban rooms. Good for a casual scare night with friends rather than something that will actually unsettle you afterward.
On The Horror Database's 0–5 scare profile, Paranormal Activity 4 rates psychological 2/5, visceral 2/5, gore 0/5, lingering effect 1/5, and overall intensity 2/5.
- Psychological: 2 of 5
- Visceral: 2 of 5
- Gore: 0 of 5
- Lingering: 1 of 5
- Intensity: 2 of 5
Slow burn vs Jump scares: 70 of 100 — leans Jump scares
Supernatural vs Real-world: 10 of 100 — leans Supernatural
Fun-scary vs Disturbing: 30 of 100 — leans Fun-scary
Intensity over runtime
Shape only — no eventsReveal pacing shapeHide pacing shapeHidden by default — shows where the tension peaks and lets up.
A slow found-footage crawl with scattered creepy jolts that mostly holds back until a chaotic rush at the very end.
Intensity across the runtime, 0 to 100: 0, 1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 4, 5.
How scary is Paranormal Activity 4?
On The Horror Database's 0–5 intensity scale, Paranormal Activity 4 rates 2/5 — moderately scary, delivering its fear through jump scares more than lingering dread. It works on both fronts, unsettling the mind while going for the body. Expect it to be restrained with gore and fun-first. The dread fades once the credits roll.
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