Who Should Direct 'Paranormal Activity 4'?

[NelsonG]

[img]http://moviesblog.mtv.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/pa3.jpg[/img]

Today, [url="http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1676659/paranormal-activity-4.jhtml"]the existence of "Paranormal Activity 4" was announced[/url] -- not so shocking considering the franchise’s hefty popularity with fall crowds.

The most recent installment completed a rough trilogy, which begs the question of what a further film could touch upon that wouldn’t feel trite or done. Audiences may be sick of Micah and Katie by this point, and the series’ trademark found footage look hasn’t received any serious updates. It could be time for a serious rejuvenation, which is why we came up with this list of some directors we wish would get hired.

[b]John Carpenter[/b]
Carpenter hasn’t directed a well-received horror movie in a while -- not since 1995’s "In the Mouth of Madness," or if you’re more cynical, 1988’s "They Live." But he’s still the master of the genre, having established films like "Halloween” and "The Thing” with long, haunting shots down abandoned hallways and dark streets, the feeling of danger always around the corner. That would be perfect for "Paranormal," and it would surely give his reputation a shot in the arm for modern audiences.

[b]Takashi Miike[/b]
This is such a long shot that it’s almost not even worth discussing, but consider how great this would be for a moment: Miike knows how to balance guttural horror with abject on-screen violence, as he’s shown in "Ichi the Killer" and "Audition." He’s also an immensely serious director, one who would be able to sap the "Paranormal" franchise of its goofiness and imbue it with a darker, more chilling vision. It might not be a tough sell for audiences -- after all, they’re just looking for a bigger scare. Sadly, there’s more of a chance of me getting a chance to direct, as Miike is off in Japan chasing his own ideas. But bloggers can dream!

[b]John Erick Dowdle[/b]
Dowdle has previous experience with found footage films -- he directed the unreleased "The Poughkeepsie Tapes" (seriously one of the creepier and more original concepts from the genre), as well as "Quarantine,” the American adaptation of the heralded "[REC]." Familiarity with a genre always helps, but Dowdle’s movies have an energy and coherency that show he’s not just simply going for a jump scare. Even "Devil" was a little fun, which brings me to...

[b]M. Night Shyamalan[/b]
Wait, wait, hear me out. The "Signs" director hasn’t made a hit in a very long time, mostly because everyone knows to sit tight and wait for the Act 3 twist. (The half-cooked concepts about killer trees haven’t helped.) But Shyamalan still knows how to set a tense scene -- "The Last Airbender" aside -- and given a pre-existing idea like "Paranormal," he can render it immensely creepy, like all of his movies have felt at one point or another. The buzz from hiring such an infamous director wouldn’t be a bad thing, either.

[i]Who would you choose to direct the next "Paranormal" movie? Let us know in the comments section and on [url="http://twitter.com/mtvmoviesblog/"]Twitter[/url]![/i]



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