The Ghost Dimension isn’t exactly frightening — the setup is so well-worn now that it’s hard to be particularly startled by what transpires — but it’s able to wring sufficient dread out of this franchise’s go-to fears.

To the bitter end, the series manages to wring some fun, solid scares out of something other invading something utterly familiar.

By making it so that everyone can see the evil coming, it also robs the franchise of one of its most potent pleasures: studying the frame for signs of trouble, little telltale hints that something is about to go horribly, horribly wrong. Sentient inkblots are a poor substitution for that sensation.

At its most basic level, the Paranormal Activity formula still has some kick, with its combination of creepy lo-fi video and tasteful suburbia creating some strong, unsettling dissonance.

If only Ghost Dimension spent more time in the ghost dimension and less time in the people dimension, we might have had something.