Editorials
Ranking the Entire ‘Paranormal Activity’ Franchise Before ‘PA: Next of Kin’ Releases This Friday
I’ve been in love with the Paranormal Activity franchise ever since I first stepped foot into a midnight screening of the first film back in 2009. The movie was spooky enough, but what really stuck with me was how its subtle scares managed to follow me home after the credits rolled. Of course, I wasn’t the only one who had trouble sleeping that weekend, as Paranormal Activity became an unexpected box-office hit, reigniting the Found Footage craze much like The Blair Witch Project had done a decade prior.
Making over $193 million on a $15,000 production budget, it’s no surprise that Oren Peli’s minimalistic classic spawned a long-running franchise. What no one expected was that the legendary series would finally make a comeback in 2021 with the upcoming Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin. And as we wait for William Eubank and Christopher Landon’s return to this spooky world of eerie surveillance footage and carefully orchestrated jump scares, I think it’s the perfect time to look back on the franchise and rank every single Paranormal Activity movie!
Naturally, this ranking is based on personal taste, so I ask that readers interpret it as a single fan’s humble opinion rather than a definitive evaluation of these movies. That being said, don’t forget to share your own personal ranking with us in the comments below.
7. Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension (2015)
Boasting at least a couple of fun jump scares, The Ghost Dimension has its charms, but it’s easily the worst entry in the series. From Toby’s underwhelming reveal to several recycled plot elements, it makes sense that the franchise took a six-year-long hiatus after this underwhelming sequel. The ill-advised 3D gimmick and questionable CGI also ruin any hope of viewer immersion, which kind of defeats the purpose of found footage filmmaking.
I’d only recommend this one to die-hard fans of the series, though I usually ignore it during the occasional franchise re-watch.
6. Paranormal Activity 4 (2012)
By 2012, the series was already suffering from repetitive scares and a convoluted mythology explaining Toby and his followers. Even so, the fourth entry managed to stay relevant through a handful of effective set-pieces involving satanic rituals and even an Xbox Kinect camera. It may be better than The Ghost Dimension, but Paranormal Activity 4 already made it clear that the franchise needed a new direction.
Despite this, this film is notable for being one of the first Found Footage movies to make use of desktop recordings in its narrative, setting a precedent for future Screenlife thrillers like Unfriended, Searching and The Den.
5. Paranormal Activity 2 (2010)
Bigger isn’t necessarily better when it comes to Found Footage, and Paranormal Activity 2 is a great example of this. Even in this first sequel, the lighting and video quality are already way too good to be believable, and focusing on a larger family means that less time is spent developing individual characters. The script also doesn’t do a good job of justifying why a lot of this footage exists in the first place, though that’s more of a nitpick than real criticism.
Even so, PA2 shows much more restraint than its follow-ups, with Tod Williams finding convincing ways to use Found Footage as a vehicle for tightly choreographed scares. From moments like the panning fan-camera to an improvised exorcism, this is definitely a worthy follow-up to Peli’s opus.
4. Paranormal Activity: Tokyo Night (2010)
While it’s no longer part of the main series canon, Paranormal Activity: Tokyo Night was a strange little Found Footage experiment that’s still worth revisiting today. Re-interpreting the minimalistic formula of the original film with a J-Horror twist (complete with an eerily claustrophobic apartment setting), it’s a shame that so many fans of the series missed out on this one.
The connection to the first film is a little tenuous, with the spin-off following a young Japanese woman who had an unfortunate encounter with Katie during a trip to America, but this slow-burn thriller has quite a few spooky tricks up its sleeve. The scene where Haruka is forced to stand up despite her broken legs is one of the most chilling moments in the whole franchise, and there are plenty of other subtle scares to be found here if you can stomach the deliberate pacing.
3. Paranormal Activity 3 (2011)
One of the first instances of a Found Footage prequel, Paranormal Activity 3 was already testing audiences’ suspension of disbelief by suggesting that Katie’s cursed family was hoarding even more spooky footage. The VHS gimmick may not be all that convincing (it’s in Widescreen and HD), but Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman’s attempt at fleshing out the franchise’s mythology makes for a surprisingly entertaining throwback.
While it’s a shame that the original trailer promised several scares that aren’t in the finished film, there are still many chilling moments in this retro horror story. I particularly enjoy how it presents Toby as an imaginary friend from hell, and you’ve got to give the studio props for hiring the directors behind Catfish to help with the franchise’s authenticity.
2. Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones (2014)
Borrowing elements from films like Chronicle and Afflicted while also dealing with time travel and ruthless street gangs, The Marked Ones may not be the most down-to-earth outing in the series, but I’ll be damned if it isn’t one of the most entertaining!
Focusing on a Hispanic high-school graduate as he finds himself in the middle of a supernatural conspiracy, the film may seem like an unorthodox take on the franchise, but this underrated spin-off was actually a calculated risk. With Paranormal Activity being popular among Latino audiences, producers figured that this sizable demographic might appreciate something marketed specifically towards them. As a South American who considers this a great companion piece to the original trilogy, I guess they were right.
1. Paranormal Activity (2007)
The Blair Witch Project may have put Found Footage on the map, but there’s no denying that Oren Peli’s original Paranormal Activity is responsible for popularizing the sub-genre as a reliable source of low-budget scares.
The most lovably low-fi movie of the bunch, the first film still holds up both as a Found Footage landmark and an inspiring example of indie horror. It’s the cheapest production on this list by a huge margin, but its independent origins and low production value are precisely why I think it’s the series’ most effective outing so far.
After all, Found Footage is at its best when it hits close to home, so what could be scarier than a home movie from hell?
Editorials
‘The Vampire Lestat’ Concert Event Launches New Season With The Ultimate Expression Of Fandom
There are thousands of passionate fans decked out in gothic chic and champing at the bit like feral creatures. They’re screaming for Lestat, a legendary vampire-turned-rock star, as if the entire crowd has been glamored into submission.
The entire experience is magic, but not because some supernatural thrall has been activated. What’s going on is even more special. It’s the power of the effusive fandom that’s been authentically assembled by AMC’s sublime Immortal Universe, namely Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire, now, The Vampire Lestat.
The Vampire Lestat is far from the first Anne Rice adaptation, and it’s not as if there’s been a lack of erotic vampire material for audiences to sink their teeth into. On June 2nd, during a one-night-only spectacle, New York City’s prestigious Beacon Theatre shook from Sam Reid’s bravado performance and an audience full of adoring fans who had already memorized Lestat’s songs.
It’s clear that The Vampire Lestat just hits differently than its predecessors. It’s become more than just a TV series at this point, and this opulent display of ego, swagger, and pure sex is the perfect way to premiere the new season and give back to the fans who helped make Interview with the Vampire/The Vampire Lestat such a breakout success. It’s exactly the sort of hyperbolized hedonism that would make Lestat cackle.
For all intents and purposes, AMC has successfully created the illusion that this concert/premiere is just one of the many destinations on Lestat and his band’s 54-stop tour that is simultaneously playing out on this season of television. It’s such a sophisticated and thorough level of interactive fan engagement that the audience doesn’t just understand, but also manages to accentuate through its involvement.
It’s a level of seamless synergy that’s not unlike the give-and-take relationship of vampire and victim.
Before the concert started, “LeStans” were sitting in the Beacon and flipping through a fake Rolling Stone issue with Lestat emblazoned on the cover, complete with interviews with the undead frontman inside. Other fans were admiring the vinyl pressing of Lestat’s EP as they walked past a section of undead band merch. Fandom and fantasy blur together, and it all becomes this elaborate, immersive experience. Fan celebration, erotic gothic fantasy, and a lavish rock concert transform into one beautiful thing.
To this point, AMC Global Media’s Chief Content Officer and President of AMC Studios, Dan McDermott, introduced the event by reiterating to fans, “You are the heartbeat of the series.” That’s abundantly clear on nights like this as that heartbeat collectively pulses to this performance. In terms of how AMC engages with The Vampire Lestat’s fans, it’s as bold a reinvention as the season itself.
This intuitive gamble speaks to AMC’s creativity in this department and a fandom that is eager to seize such opportunities. It’s the same innovation that led to zombie walks for The Walking Dead and real-life Los Pollos Hermanos restaurant pop-ups from Breaking Bad. It’s a great way to pump up the audience for The Vampire Lestat and then maintain that enthusiasm for the whole season.
For most series, a rock ‘n’ roll concert just doesn’t make any sense as a promotional tool. The Vampire Lestat finds itself in a very unique position where it can deliver an excellent concert at an iconic theater, but also use it to showcase The Vampire Lestat’s music by Daniel Hart (who was shredding on stage alongside Reid and the rest of their band) and, more than anything, Sam Reid’s endless charisma.
The way in which Reid feeds off of the crowd’s energy, modulating his performance and giving different sections of the Beacon life, is a perfect distillation of the series’ thoughtful relationship with its audience and how it’s become such a breakout success for AMC. AMC Studios President Dan McDermott emphasized that the fans are the reason that the show is still here and why an event like this is even possible. It’s rare to see a series in which every single cog in the machine is so perfectly attuned to its fans. Reid’s fans already cheer whenever they see him, so why not translate that to a concert setting?
It’s clear in this season of television that Reid was born to be a rock star, but it’s surreal to see him effortlessly command the stage — and the audience — at every step of the concert. He recites Shakespeare monologues and bitches out Armand between songs, all while the audience screams in support. For the duration of this concert, Reid is Lestat, and he’s given thousands of fans a memory that’s as immortal as any vampire.
Now bring on the encore and get this show on the road!
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