This personal admission might reveal my youthfulness, but Paranormal Activity is one of the first movies that kickstarted my horror obsession, leading to a franchise I curiously watched morph with every entry. I’ll defend Paranormal Activity 2, where most people don’t, and alternatively, I saw Paranormal Activity 3 as the franchise’s inevitable decline. While we can all agree that Paranormal Activity 4 is a cut-and-dry piece of dookie, Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones brought me back with a screaming vengeance, ready for more door-slamming bravado.

So, moment of truth – does Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension close Blumhouse’s near-iconic franchise with a boisterously enraged bang? Nah, it’s more like a inevitably cluttered whimper that attempts to answer all outstanding questions while simultaneously tying a neat little bow around Toby’s debut appearance.

Franchise editor Gregory Plotkin steps in to direct this latest bout of demonic angst,...