Paranormal Activity 3 (2011)

Directors:

Henry Joost
Ariel Schulman

Writers:

Christopher Landon (written by)
Oren Peli (film "Paranormal Activity")

Release Date:

21 October 2011 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

It Runs In The Family

Plot:

In 1988, young sisters Katie and Kristi befriend an invisible entity who resides in their home.

Plot Keywords:

Loose Tooth | Vhs | Fear | Nonlinear Timeline | Boyfriend Girlfriend Relationship

Awards:

4 nominations

Cast

Lauren Bittner	...	Julie
Christopher Nicholas Smith	...	Dennis (as Chris Smith)
Chloe Csengery	...	Katie
Jessica Tyler Brown	...	Kristi (as Jessica Brown)
Hallie Foote	...	Grandma Lois
Dustin Ingram	...	Randy Rosen
Johanna Braddy	...	Lisa
Katie Featherston	...	Adult Katie
Brian Boland	...	Daniel
Sprague Grayden	...	Adult Kristi
William Juan Prieto	...	Hunter (as William Prieto)
Jackson Xenia Prieto	...	Hunter (as Jackson Prieto)
Paitoon Cheng	...	Ida
Eddie Medrano	...	Party Magician
Rebecca Delgado Smith	...	Crying Bridesmaid
Bailey Michelle Brown	...	Bailey (as Bailey Brown)
Tucker Brown	...	Tucker
Jessica Berger	...	Kid
Hayden Sosa	...	Kid
Asher Rowland	...	Kid
Saige Gernhauser	...	Kid
Meredith Eaton	...	Woman
Bonita Friedericy	...	Dorothy Wolfe
Marilyn Alex	...	Creepy Lady
Jackie Benoit	...	Creepy Lady
Jody Carter	...	Creepy Lady
Maria Olsen	...	Creepy Lady
Karen Teliha	...	Creepy Lady

Directed by
Henry Joost
Ariel Schulman

Writing credits
Christopher Landon		(written by)
Oren Peli		(film "Paranormal Activity")

Produced by
Jason Blum	....	producer
Jeanette Brill	....	co-producer (as Jeanette Volturno-Brill)
Akiva Goldsman	....	executive producer
Christopher Landon	....	co-producer
Oren Peli	....	producer
Gregory Plotkin	....	co-producer
Steven Schneider	....	producer

Cinematography by
Magdalena Górka

Film Editing by
Gregory Plotkin

Casting by
Terri Taylor

Production Design by
Jennifer Spence

Art Direction by
David Batchelor Wilson		(as David Wilson)

Set Decoration by
Kelly Berry

Costume Design by
Leah Butler

Makeup Department
Kymber Blake	....	makeup department head
Paula Jane Hamilton	....	key makeup artist
Rene Vaca	....	department head hair stylist
Robert Hall	....	special makeup designer: Almost Human Inc (uncredited)
Dalton Kutsch	....	special makeup fx technician: Almost Human Inc. (uncredited)

Production Management
Rick Osako	....	unit production manager (as Rick A. Osako)
Ralph Bertelle	....	executive in charge of production (uncredited)
Richard Stirling	....	post-production supervisor (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
James Moran	....	first assistant director
Marc Newland	....	second assistant director
Jaysene Overton	....	second second assistant director
Matt Smith	....	second second assistant director
James Moran	....	second unit director (uncredited)

Art Department
Zachery Alexander	....	property master
Rich Andrade	....	lead person
Alan Barnett	....	art department production assistant
Morgan Blackledge	....	assistant property master
Darren Patnode	....	set dresser
Maxwell Britton	....	set dresser (uncredited)
Niko Hovartos	....	on set dresser (uncredited)
Larry J. White II	....	gangboss (uncredited)
Erica Willis McCormick	....	set decorations buyer (uncredited)

Sound Department
Paul Aulicino	....	assistant supervising sound editor
Peter Brown	....	supervising sound designer
Patrick Cusack	....	field recordist
Robert Deschaine	....	adr mixer
Joe Dzuban	....	sound re-recording mixer
Paul Flinchbaugh	....	digital media assistant
Nerses Gezalyan	....	foley mixer
Glynna Grimala	....	adr supervisor
Greg Hayes	....	mix technician
Gary A. Hecker	....	supervising foley artist (as Gary Hecker)
Michael Hertlein	....	dialogue editor
Daniel S. Irwin	....	dialogue editor
Tim D. Lloyd	....	boom operator (as Tim Lloyd)
Zsolt Magyar	....	sound mixer
Craig Mann	....	sound re-recording mixer
Margit Pfeiffer	....	foley editor
Stephen P. Robinson	....	sound designer
Paul Stevenson	....	foley artist
Tami Treadwell	....	adr recordist
Richard Mercado	....	sound mixer: second unit (uncredited)
Beauxregard Neylon	....	adr mixer (uncredited)
Steve Schwartzberg	....	adr recordist (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Mark Gullesserian	....	special effects foreman
Thomas Mertz	....	special effects coordinator (as Tom Mertz)
Steve Newquist	....	special effects technician (uncredited)
Ted Robinson	....	special effects technician (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Brian Begun	....	compositor: Hammerhead
Rob Blue	....	compositor: Hammerhead
Timothy Michael Cairns	....	compositor: Hammerhead (as Tim Cairns)
Daniel Chuba	....	visual effects executive producer: Hammerhead (as Dan Chuba)
Caitlin Content	....	compositor: Hammerhead
Mark A.Z. Dippé	....	additional visual effects supervisor: Hammerhead (as Mark Dippe)
Jamie Dixon	....	visual effects supervisor: Hammerhead
Michelle Eisenreich	....	visual effects producer: Hammerhead
Brandon Gonzales	....	matte painter: Hammerhead
Deborah Hiner	....	rotoscope artist: Hammerhead
Robert Malina	....	visual effects editor (as Rob Malina)
Daniel Mellitz	....	compositing supervisor: Hammerhead
Candida Nunez	....	tracking supervisor: Hammerhead
Angella Szynkowski	....	i/o: Hammerhead
Tommy Tran	....	compositor: Hammerhead
Derek Zavada	....	system administrator: Hammerhead
Brandon Gonzales	....	concept artist: Hammerhead (uncredited)
Paul Hopkins	....	matchmove/layout (uncredited)
Daniel Loiewski	....	visual effects intern (uncredited)
Linda Tremblay	....	digital compositor (uncredited)

Stunts
James Armstrong	....	stunts
Kelli Barksdale	....	stunts
Emily Brobst	....	stunt double: Katie
Seth Duhame	....	stunt double: Chris Smith
Meegan Godfrey	....	stunts
Nikki Hester	....	stunt double: Lauren Bittner
Craig Jensen	....	stunts
G. Grant Jewett	....	stunt rigger
Michael R. King	....	stunts (as Mike King)
Nicholas King	....	stunts (as Nick King)
Rob King	....	stunt coordinator
Dennis Scott	....	assistant stunt coordinator
Daniel Browning Smith	....	stunts
Steven Stone	....	stunts
Ator Tamras	....	stunt double: Lauren Bittner
Liisa Cohen	....	utility stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Keith Dunkerley	....	camera operator
Keith Dunkerley	....	director of photography: second unit
Paul Farley	....	first company grip (as Paul M. Farley)
Sergio Gutierrez	....	second company grip
Jordan C. Kadovitz	....	video assist (as Jordan Kadovitz)
Damon Liebowitz	....	chief lighting technician (as Damon Leibowitz)
Oliver Mancebo	....	digital imaging technician
Olga Matlin	....	grip
Daniel C. McFadden	....	still photographer (as Daniel McFadden)
Dara Norman	....	dimmer operator
Benjamin Steeples	....	second assistant camera
Phoebe Sudrow	....	first assistant camera
Derek Touvell	....	electrician
Brian Woronec	....	assistant chief lighting technician

Casting Department
Sarah Domeier	....	casting assistant: Los Angeles
Alexa L. Fogel	....	casting: New York (as Alexa Fogel)
Christine Kromer	....	casting: New York
John McAlary	....	casting associate: Los Angeles
Claire Simon	....	casting: Chicago

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Rebecca M. Graves	....	costumer (as Rebecca Graves)
Linda Huse	....	costume supervisor
Candle Williams	....	production assistant: costume department
Christina DeMasi	....	set costumer (uncredited)
Linda Huse	....	wardrobe supervisor (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Maria Gonzales	....	first assistant editor
Joel Griffen	....	assistant editor
Mark Griffith	....	digital intermediate colorist
Omar Hassan-Reep	....	first assistant editor
Vince Hughes	....	dailies operator: nextLAB
Katherine Kane	....	project coordinator
George Koran	....	associate digital intermediate colorist
Nicholas Lareau	....	outpost engineer
Wendy Nomiyama	....	assistant editor
Jose Parra	....	digital intermediate producer
Joe Rosenbloom	....	post-production assistant
David Rosenthal	....	i/o supervisor
Bill Schultz	....	digital intermediate executive
Daniel Sessoms	....	baselight operator: nextLAB
Elliott Traeger	....	post-production assistant
Phillip Dawe	....	post-production coordinator (uncredited)
Katie Fellion	....	post production consultant (uncredited)
Aaron Kroger	....	outpost engineer (uncredited)
Harry Muller	....	color timer (uncredited)
Ron South	....	first assistant editor (uncredited)

Transportation Department
James G. Brill	....	transportation coordinator
Jason Messersmith	....	transportation captain

Other crew
Laura Altmann	....	production coordinator
Steve Berens	....	animal wrangler
Joseph Bodner	....	assistant: Mr. Blum
Cecilia Cardwell	....	studio teacher
Justin Carville	....	first assistant accountant
Nicki Cortese	....	assistant: Mr. Goldsman
Danny Giles	....	production assistant (as Daniel A. Giles)
Hernan Hernandez	....	craft service
Pablo C. Herrera	....	craft service (as Pablo Herrera)
Saj Jayasinghe	....	account manager: Deluxe
Lynn Johnson	....	medic
Jessica Kivnik	....	production secretary
Diane Leaweiss	....	script supervisor
Megan Lurty	....	production assistant
James Messersmith	....	production assistant
Murray Miller	....	location manager
Allyson Nelson	....	production assistant: writer
Chelsea Peters	....	assistant: Mr. Blum
Margaret L. Schlaifer	....	studio teacher (as Margaret Schlaifer)
Sam Schweikert	....	set production assistant: second unit
Patrick R. Siembieda	....	production accountant (as Patrick Siembieda)
Billy Stimson	....	production assistant
Alexis Tanasoca	....	accounting clerk
David Thornsberry	....	location manager
Erin Vitali	....	production assistant
Mandy Yaeger	....	assistant: Mr. Joost & Mr. Schulman
Laura Caulfield	....	production paralegal (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Paramount Pictures (presents)
• Blumhouse Productions (as Blumhouse)
• Solana Films
• Room 101 (as Room 101, Inc.)

Distributors

• Finnkino (2011) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Paramount Japan (2011) (Japan) (theatrical) (as Paramount Pictures Japan)
• Paramount Pictures Entertainment (2011) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Paramount Pictures (2011) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Paramount Pictures (2011) (France) (theatrical)
• Paramount Pictures (2011) (USA) (theatrical)
• Solar Entertainment (2011) (Philippines) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2011) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2011) (Greece) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2011) (Philippines) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2011) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Universal Pictures International (UPI) (2011) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Argentina Video Home (2012) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (2012) (Argentina) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Film1 (2012) (Netherlands) (TV) (limited)
• Odeon (2012) (Greece) (DVD) (blu-ray)
• Paramount Home Entertainment Finland (2012) (Finland) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Universal Pictures Benelux (2012) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures Benelux (2012) (Netherlands) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Zon Lusomundo Audiovisuais (2011) (Portugal) (all media)

Special Effects

• Almost Human
• Hammerhead Productions (visual effects)

Other Companies

• California Film Commission  the producers wish to thank
• Digital Media Services (DMS)  digital marketing asset management
• Digital Media Services (DMS)  on-line promotional material creation
• Digital Vortechs  Avid HD editing equipment provided by
• Dolby Laboratories  sound mix
• Hot Set Catering  catering
• Soundelux  post-production sound services
• State of California  the producers wish to thank (as The State of California)
• nextLAB by FotoKem  dailies

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated R for some violence, language, brief sexuality and drug use

Runtime:

83 min | 94 min (unrated director's cut)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS | DTS

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #47173) | UK:15 | Ireland:15A | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Sweden:15 | Malaysia:PG-13 (censored version) | Singapore:NC-16 (cut) | South Korea:12 | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Portugal:M/16 | Philippines:R-13 (MTRCB) | Italy:T | Japan:G | Germany:16 | Argentina:13 | Mexico:B15 | Australia:M | Spain:16 | Finland:K-15 | France:U (with warning)

Filming Locations:

USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

The symbols that appear behind the pictures in Grandma Lois's house are simplified versions of the Pentagram of Solomon (inverted) and the Triangle of Solomon, symbols depicted in the "Lesser Key of Solomon" and used to summon and constrain demons in classical Goethic Theurgy.

Goofs:

Continuity: The vase of flowers on the dining table downstairs disappears and reappears randomly throughout the movie.

Quotes:

Randy Rosen:She got blown in the face!

Movie Connections:

References Poltergeist (1982)

Soundtrack:

Come My Way

Long Live the Reigning King of "Gotcha!"

Reigning king of the "Gotcha!" moment, Paranormal Activity is back – and though the premise may have worn thin, (how many compulsive videographers can one extended family have?) its minimalist scare tactics are as effective as ever. Scream for scream, the theater experience is without rival; hushed gasps, nervous tittering, and shrieks of surprise are empirical evidence of the films' effectiveness. Hence the backlash when Paranormal Activity hit home video: these movies cater to a crowd.

A prequel of sorts, Paranormal Activity 3 rewinds the franchise to 1988, illuminating the origins of the Presence that ran amok in parts one and two. Helmed by Catfish directors Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman, the flick treads familiar territory, but keeps the audience on its toes. One of the major criticisms leveled against Oren Peli's original was its predictable cycle of daytime exposition and midnight scares. Rinse and repeat.

Screenwriter Christopher B. Landon, who also wrote the underwhelming Paranormal Activity 2, does a better job this time of pitching the odd changeup. With an omnipresent atmosphere of unease, no moment feels entirely safe. And it goes without saying that the freaky stuff is much more explicitly freaky. Rest assured the Rey family doesn't own a pool, let alone a cleaning robot.

Probably the single most brilliant technical addition to the Paranormal Activity repertoire is the oscillating camera. Panning ominously between kitchen and living room, the simple mechanic works like a suspense machine. Joost and Schulman certainly get their money's worth out of the gimmick, milking it for some of their whitest white-knuckle moments. Fashioned from a tabletop fan, the device is a perfect metaphor for the franchise itself: cheap, homemade, effective.

But for ingenuity and inventiveness, the original is still tops. For all its merciless suspense, Paranormal Activity 3 falls back on a few too many false alarms ("Gotcha!") and bad payoffs, and offers no real innovations in imagery. From Poltergeist to The Exorcist, it's easy to tell where the directors pulled inspiration, almost copy-and-pasting classic moments into the found footage aesthetic.

Then again, anyone expecting real innovation from the third Paranormal Activity film is barking up the wrong tree. Part of the fun is how loosely defined the abilities of the otherworldly antagonist are. It possesses, communicates, and manipulates. But wait, there's more! Paranormal Activity 3 plays like a grab bag of horror ideas and iconography. Like any grab bag, not everything inside is interesting.

For one, hand-held footage plays a more prominent role than ever, which strains the believability of some key sequences. Then there's hokey filler like the "Bloody Mary" urban legend, which squarely fills the vacancy left by the Ouija board on the Paranormal Activity blueprint. And who could forget Randy (Dustin Ingram) and his transparent, annoying attempts at comic relief?

Paranormal Activity 3 doesn't reinvent the franchise. It's not even the best Paranormal Activity film. It doesn't need to be. Its aim is to refine the series' mechanics and reinvigorate audience interest, and it succeeds. So what's next? Likely what keeps Paramount executives up at night is how to squeeze the supernatural saga for every penny it's worth. Long live the reigning king of "Gotcha!"