While it is the fifth film in the franchise, Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones is definitely NOT Paranormal Activity 5 — that film is currently being made and will be released in October. No, the new film is a spin-off of the popular found footage series that was created by Oren Peli for the first Paranormal Activity in 2009. This the first film to be directed by Christopher B. Landon, the writer of the last three sequels (and the son of the late Michael Landon). Unlike the suburban setting of the other films, this one takes place in Oxnard, California, and features a very appealing all-Latino cast.
Following their high school graduation in Oxnard, Jesse (Andrew Jacobs) throws a party to celebrate. His best friend Hector (Jorge Diaz) records the action with his new camera and continues recording when strange things start occurring in Jesse’s apartment building. Their friend Marisol (Gabrielle Walsh) joins them after Anna, their strange witch-like neighbor is mysteriously murdered and Oscar, the valedictorian of their class, seems to be the prime suspect. Jesse wakes up one morning to find an unusual bite on his arm, which is soon followed by weird experiences in which the teen discovers he has supernatural powers. The three friends break into Anna’s apartment and discover clues that she was involved in some kind of witches’ coven. They find photos of Oscar and Jesse and signs that Anna was friendly with Jesse’s late mother. Meanwhile, Jesse is becoming more and more sullen and moody. What’s going on? I don’t’ want to give away any of the key details of this film or how it’s cleverly tied to the activities of the other films, but let’s just say it scared the bejeesus out of me! More importantly, the different setting and talented cast breathe new life into the series and help tie up some of the loose threads from the other films. Earlier this week I sat down for a roundtable discussion with writer/director Christopher B. Landon and the three young leads, Andrew Jacobs, Jorge Diaz and Gabrielle Walsh to talk about their experience making this film.
Christopher, you’ve been involved with this franchise for a while now. When you’re making what is considered an “offshoot” of the series, how concerned do you have to be with the rules of this world that were created in the other films?
Christopher B. Landon: I think we tried to stay very true to the other movies. The mythology that we’ve created is what allows this movie to go in a slightly different direction than the other movies which were more like single-house haunting stories. But because we had set up this story about a coven and marking people, we were able to do a true possession story this time.
While you’ve written three of the other films, this is the first time you’ve sat in the director’s chair. How was that experience?
It was awesome. Since we made Paranormal Activity 2, I’ve been on set nearly every day. I really enjoyed working with the other directors but this was a great opportunity to tackle it myself, it felt really comfortable. Getting to work directly with the actors, which is my favorite part of the process, was the thrill for me, and this cast is so good. When I started writing it, and I realize this is going to sound completely random, I was really inspired by the TV series Downton Abbey. Mostly in the economy of story, how things advance very quickly. I think our other movies are slow burns that take a long time to get going and that is part of their appeal, but here I wanted it to have a really good clip — hence the odd Downton Abbey reference!
It feels like this one is the most fun of all the films.
It is. I really wanted the tone to be different. You have a first act that plays like a comedy — I think that’s what endears people to the characters, they win people over because we’re making them laugh and we’re showing them a family and friendships that feels very relatable. Then the second act starts to feel like some kind of origin story and we start transitioning into this suspenseful possession business. Then we move into our third act which goes completely crazy!
The cast is really great. Did it take a long time to find those kids?
It was a long, very difficult search! I give an enormous amount of credit to Carla Hool, our casting director, because she really went out in to the world — she was canvassing high schools and we had all these massive open auditions. It was important to find actors that were really comfortable with improv and who were really smart and quick in front of the camera. And, when you’re casting a Latino family, another challenge was that we were getting people with Mexican backgrounds but also people from Puerto Rico and other places. It became a dialect issue. These people had to be believably related to each other!
You guys had such a great rapport with each other. How did you pull that off?
Andrew Jacobs: We actually became really good friends during the audition process which was pretty long.
Jorge Diaz: We did. Andrew and I have totally different energies. He’s more introverted, way more chill — a genuine guy but a real observer. And I’m like hugging everyone left and right!
Gabrielle Walsh: Yeah, we developed a great chemistry together before we even booked the film.
Jorge: They took a lot of time mixing and matching the different actors.
Were you already fans of the series?
Gabrielle: Definitely. What I loved about them compared to other horror films is that you could never really anticipate the scare.
Jorge: There’s a certain energy that happens when you see these movies in a packed theater with people screaming and freaking out. Now I know why so many people want to go on opening weekend!
Andrew: Yeah, and Jorge is probably the number one person freaking out in the theater.
Jorge: It’s true!
How was acting in a found-footage movie different than making a regular film?
Gabrielle: You have to be careful to keep it very real. It was a lot of fun — we got to be very spontaneous and creative.
Andrew: At times it’s easier because you think you can just throw in stuff. But there also were lots of times where we’re just talking and saying all these things to each other and then we realize we completely forgot to mention something we needed to say in the scene. So Christopher would come over and say, “Hey, guys, remember, I need you to say this specific thing.” Then we’d shoot the scene again and still forget to say it!
Were there any scenes you shot that you were bummed didn’t make the final cut?
Gabrielle: We had this really fun eating contest where we were eating all these spicy foods.
Jorge: Oh, yeah, I forgot about that!
Gabrielle: I remember I kept spitting stuff out! And there was a part where I got to shoot a gun that I was upset didn’t make it into the film. It was such a cool moment where I got to swing my hair around! (Laughs.)
You’ll have to wait until the DVD comes out!
Jorge: We shot this spooky scene in a real Botanica where we were getting a reading from this lady. We actually had a completely different ending at one point. I remember we had a wrap party for the film and then three weeks later we get this call, “Well, we’re keeping the first third of the movie…”
I don’t remember Jesse having all those tattoos in the film.
Andrew: Yeah, we covered them all with makeup. It took about two and a half hours a day — I had to come pretty early in the morning!
Was there any talk of keeping them?
It didn’t really fit the character. He starts off as a very innocent, friendly kid. Not that I’m a bad guy, but it just didn’t work for Jesse to have these tattoos. When I got into acting, I thought, well, maybe I can play gangster roles. I never thought I was going to book a lead for a Paramount film with these tattoos! So it was very cool.
Christopher, other than Downton Abbey—
Christopher: Oh God, I’m going to so regret saying that!
Were you were you influenced by any other movies as you were writing this one?
My favorite movie of all time is Rosemary’s Baby. What I love about that movie is that it’s very character-driven — I think the best films are driven by people you can truly relate to — and I love how it’s so suspenseful and hides so many different things in the film. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen Rosemary’s Baby but to this day when I go back and watch it I notice new things, which I really love. I hope that people have that experience with this film because we really went to great pains to hide a lot of stuff in the movie. I think people who are fans of the franchise will be able to go back and see new things every time.
This is the fifth film in the series, and there’s another one coming out later this year. Do you worry about audiences will start feeling a little saturated?
I think Paranormal Activity 4 pissed a lot of people off, to be honest, and understandably so. Another big goal here was to make a movie that was really satisfying for people again and to take us back to what we really loved about these movies. I’m hoping this film really reinvigorates the franchise and gets people excited about Paranormal Activity 5. It’s hard, because we are five movies into a franchise that many people thought wouldn’t get past one! I think we’ve done a really good job at trying to keep the movies as fresh as we can. Sometimes we’ve stumbled a bit but I think we’ve tried our hardest to keep it interesting. Ultimately there’s going to be franchise fatigue and people who start to think, “Oh, they’re still at it, it’s just a cash grab.” I can’t speak for the studio or the money side of things, but I can say that every time we’ve sat down to make one of these movies, we’ve only come at it from how do we make the best movie possible. How can we keep it fresh and fun, because otherwise it’s really boring for us as filmmakers!
Having an all-Latino cast for a film like this is pretty new.
Yes. Nobody’s really made a big franchise genre movie with an all Latin cast. The fact that Paramount said, “Go for it — we’re going to give you the same money and support that we have for the other films,” I think they deserve a big pat on the back for allowing us to try something different.
How does it feel for you guys being part of an all-Latino cast in a film like this?
Jorge: It’s very exciting! It’s beautiful that we have all Latino leads, I feel like it shows other studios that all kinds of stories can be told no matter what the ethnicity of the characters. Everyone can relate to these people. We don’t have to be playing gardeners or maids—
Andrew: Or gangsters or inmates!
Jorge: We’re just kids. Of course, this isn’t supposed to represent all Hispanic families, this is a very specific story in a certain area of Los Angeles.
Gabrielle: Yeah, not everyone has these relatives, or the cute Spanish-speaking grandma—
Or the demonic woman living in your apartment complex!
Jorge: Right! Those people can be anywhere!
Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones is currently in theaters.