Image Source: Paramount Players
Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin (2021) took a lot of people by surprise. Dormant since 2015’s Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension, many fans were left wondering if they would ever see another film in the series. Following the same formula that its predecessors did, Next of Kin is a found footage supernatural horror film that follows its protagonist on a journey of discovery – to some pretty terrifying results.
Growing up in an adopted family, Margot never knew her mother, Sarah, or any of her blood relatives. Like any movie protagonist in this situation, Margot feels compelled to search for answers and decides to document her experience along the way. At the beginning of the film, she contacts a young Amish man named Samuel she believes is her cousin. Samuel agrees to take her back to his settlement and introduce her to her family. She takes him up on his offer and travels with her friends, Chris and Dale, back to Samuel’s home, the Beller Farm. Unfortunately, there’s no cell phone service and their car breaks down. This is where the twists and turns begin.
Is the Beller Community in Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin Amish?
No, the Beller community isn’t Amish. In one scene, Margot finds a room full of computers and cameras they’ve been using to spy on her. She discovers years of footage and records showing that they have been stalking her since before Samuel contacted her. Then, after a particularly shocking scene where Margot is violently attacked by an unseen force and left bloody, Dale and Chris hitch a tide with a mail carrier to get to an auto parts store in an attempt to repair their car so they can leave. The mail carrier reveals the Bellers aren’t Amish, confusing both men. He goes on to say he’s been running the same route for years and knows all the local communities, and every single one of the authentic Amish settlements says the Bellers aren’t like them.
As the film progresses, we come to realise the Bellar Community isn’t what it seems. It’s all an act.
What Secret are the Bellers Hiding?
The trio discovers demonic symbols and a pit under a church that leads down to underground catacombs, which leads them to believe they might be staying with a cult. But, ultimately, they discover the Bellers have managed to cage a powerful entity known as Asmodeus, a king of demons. Asmodeus is not a creation of the Paranormal Activity team, but a demon from The Book of Tobit, which dates back as early as the 2nd century BCE. In the film, the entire community is dedicated to containing the demon (and, therefore, protecting the world from it). They keep their secret under an Amish lifestyle’s guise.
What Happened to Margot’s Mom?
The Bellers contain Asmodeus by offering a female sacrifice who takes Asmodeus into her body to be contained for the span of the body’s lifetime. Sarah, Margot’s mother (cleverly named after the woman in The Book of Tobit), is Asmodeus’ current vessel.
Why Do the Bellers Want Margot?
The Bellers believe each female vessel must come from the same bloodline, which is why they’ve jumped through hoops to find Margot. It turns out Sarah sent her away as a baby to protect her from the same fate she was forced to endure. The entire movie is one massive attempt at prepping Margot for the ritual that will transfer Asmodeus from her mother to her. Unfortunately for them, Margot’s a fighter, and her friends stick by her side the entire time. Finally, with the help of Chris and Dale, Margot’s saved from the ritual that would allow Asmodeus to take possession of her, and after a grueling battle with the disfigured and possessed Sarah, Chris, and Margot escape. Sadly, Dale isn’t so lucky.
Why Do the Bellers Turn on One Another?
After interrupting the ritual, chaos unfolds. As Sarah’s body grows weaker, she’s no longer able to contain Asmodeus, and his effects on the settlement turn the people rabid and violent. As Chris and Margot escape the compound, Margot looks back to see the community slaughtering one another.
What Happened to Samuel at the end of Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin?
The film ends with a few sheriffs turning up to find the aftermath of the massacre. Samuel, somehow still standing, greets the first and kills him. Samuel passes by the second cop and waves his hand at him. The cop proceeds to shoot himself in the head. This sequence suggests that without a proper female sacrifice, Asmodeus is free to take whatever vessel he desires. Possessing Samuel, he can finally leave the Beller farm and roam the Earth freely without being held back.
Margot might have survived her encounter with the Bellers and Asmodeus, but the world may suffer for it.
