The first Paranormal Activity was a legitimate runaway success. It was made for nearly nothing and grossed millions upon millions. And while the found footage genre was already starting to show some fatigue at that point, the first PA was actually scary and a short, tight little horror film.
Then came the sequel, which started to build a mythology surrounding the poor families who are haunted in suburban hell. The series became weaker and weaker as it went on, eventually losing all the magic that made the first one a hit. The franchise bit off more than it could chew and had transformed into something generic, not scary and just kind of silly.
But now Paramount and Blumhouse will get another chance to scare audiences because it’s been announced that a seventh Paranormal Activity film is in development. Nothing else is known about the project, which was announced by Studio Chairman and CEO Jim Gianopulos at CineEurope. One thing we can count on: there will be a lot of security cam footage in the movie and someone will get dragged out of their bed by an unseen demon.
It’s hard to believe that there have been six of these movies and it’s even harder to believe that the seventh will reignite the franchise. Blumhouse and Paramount will have to do something big and clever to make this series thrive again. The constraints of the genre and the demands of multiple sequel depleted all the gas in the Paranormal Activity tank but there is a chance for a rebound. But if the minds behind this new sequel want to just do the same old song and dance again, audiences are bound to be bored again.
Side note: can you believe the Paranormal Activity movies have made nearly $900 million? I knew they were a hit but, holy cats, that’s a crap ton of money. Okay, I can’t fault anyone for wanting to make another.