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Paranormal Activity

  • 20072007
  • RR
  • 1h 26m
IMDb RATING
6.3/10
245K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,879
217
Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat in Paranormal Activity (2007)
While settling into her new home, Katie (Featherston) is disturbed in her sleep by a mysterious presence. Her husband, Micah (Sloat), tries to ease her fear by installing video cameras in an attempt to capture the strange behavior on tape. Bad idea.
Play trailer1:03
3 Videos
56 Photos
HorrorMystery
After moving into a suburban home, a couple becomes increasingly disturbed by a nightly demonic presence.After moving into a suburban home, a couple becomes increasingly disturbed by a nightly demonic presence.After moving into a suburban home, a couple becomes increasingly disturbed by a nightly demonic presence.
IMDb RATING
6.3/10
245K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,879
217
  • Director
    • Oren Peli
  • Writer
    • Oren Peli
  • Stars
    • Katie Featherston
    • Micah Sloat
    • Mark Fredrichs
  • Director
    • Oren Peli
  • Writer
    • Oren Peli
  • Stars
    • Katie Featherston
    • Micah Sloat
    • Mark Fredrichs
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 1.3KUser reviews
    • 313Critic reviews
    • 68Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 3 wins & 12 nominations

    Videos3

    Paranormal Activity: Trailer #2
    Trailer 1:03
    Watch Paranormal Activity: Trailer #2
    Paranormal Activity
    Trailer 1:48
    Watch Paranormal Activity
    Jason Blum: A Brief History of Blumhouse
    Clip 3:46
    Watch Jason Blum: A Brief History of Blumhouse

    Photos56

    Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat in Paranormal Activity (2007)
    Katie Featherston in Paranormal Activity (2007)
    Ashley Palmer in Paranormal Activity (2007)
    Katie Featherston in Paranormal Activity (2007)
    Katie Featherston in Paranormal Activity (2007)
    Ashley Palmer in Paranormal Activity (2007)
    Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat in Paranormal Activity (2007)
    Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat in Paranormal Activity (2007)
    Paranormal Activity (2007)
    Paranormal Activity (2007)
    Paranormal Activity (2007)
    Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat in Paranormal Activity (2007)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Katie Featherston
    Katie Featherston
    • Katie
    Micah Sloat
    Micah Sloat
    • Micah
    Mark Fredrichs
    • Psychic
    Amber Armstrong
    • Amber
    Ashley Palmer
    Ashley Palmer
    • Diane
    Crystal Cartwright
    • Exorcism Nanny
    • (uncredited)
    Spencer Marks
    • Dr. Johann Averies
    • (uncredited)
    Randy McDowell
    Randy McDowell
    • Lt. Randy Hudson
    • (uncredited)
    James Piper
    James Piper
    • Richard
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Oren Peli
    • Writer
      • Oren Peli
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Steven Spielberg convinced the filmmakers to change the original ending.
    • Goofs
      (at around 18 mins) Towards the beginning of the movie, when Micah and Katie are talking with the psychologist, there is a hard cut from the doctor to Katie as the doctor is talking, but the dialogue does not skip. Since the movie is supposed to be entirely self-filmed footage, this would imply that either there were two cameras filming at once, or that they did a second "take" with the doctor, both of which are unlikely.
    • Quotes

      Katie: You promised me - don't look at me like that! - you promised me you weren't going to mess with that stuff.

      Micah: No. I promised you I wasn't going to buy a Ouija board. I didn't buy a Ouija board. I borrowed a Ouija board.

    • Crazy credits
      Fans who submitted their name on the official website during the film's theatrical run were treated with having their name listed in the film's ending credits on the DVD/Blu-ray release of the film as thanks from Paramount for making the film such a success.
    • Alternate versions
      The version that was released in theaters is the cut supervised by Steven Spielberg. The Director's Cut, comprised of the unedited film with three possible endings, has several differences:
      • 1. There is a scene in the Theatrical Cut not present in the Director's Cut that takes place early on, where Katie and Micah wake up and find her keys thrown from the kitchen counter to the floor.
      • 2. The low frequency tone that occurs when the demon is present is not quite as loud in the Director's cut. There is only one instance of the demon whispering in the Theatrical Cut; there are at least three in the Director's Cut, all of which are heard in the bedroom at night.
      • 3. A lot of the demon noises - the loud growl followed by the bang, the footsteps, even the shadows that appear on the bedroom doors - were completely re-dubbed and retouched. All of these scenes are much, much louder/noticeable in theaters for jump scares. There seem to be at least two added "shadow" effects - another on the bedroom door, and a silhouette in the hallway - in the Director's Cut, whereas the Theatrical Cut only has one shadow used.
      • 4. The night when the demon plays the door games with Katie and Micah (opening and slamming it shut, knocking furiously) has been re-dubbed, as well. The knocking is much faster and louder in the Theatrical Cut.
      • 5. There's some added dialogue between Katie and Micah where they discuss how the stress is negatively affecting their lives. She says she's failing her university course and won't pass unless she "does something drastic" on her midterm. He says he lost a large sum of money playing the stock market earlier, and that he'll be taking a break for awhile.
      • 6. The demon's daytime attack is completely absent. The only time we get a good look at the picture that is smashed and clawed is when the two run up and down the hallway during the night to get away from the demon.
      • 7. There's an extra video attached to the "Goodbye Dianne" explanation at the computer. There is at least two minutes of added footage of the woman's ordeal, which has been heavily used in the TV commercials. Micah shows Katie footage of Dianne's demonic possession and subsequent exorcism as she is tied to a bed. Her appearance transforms from healthy to disheveled and dark, with large cuts on her face and body. Eventually, the footage shows that the exorcism was unsuccessful, and the possessed Dianne becomes so destructive that she chews her own arm off to the elbow.
      • 8. The double-layered voice Katie projects in bed when she says, "Everything will be fine from now on" (and later screaming downstairs) uses a different effect to achieve this. Unlike the Theatrical Cut, the two voices are very distinct.
      • 9. The ending is completely changed. Katie awakes shortly after midnight on the final night, gets out of bed and stares at Micah for roughly three hours. Unlike the Theatrical Cut, she does not move to his side of the bed to continue watching him, and the sheets do not fly off of his body. Instead, she goes straight downstairs. After Micah is awakened by the scream, he runs downstairs and we hear the ensuing scuffle. Like before, Katie slowly climbs the stairs, except the footstep effect is slightly altered and when she enters the room, she is holding a knife and covered in blood. Micah's body is not thrown at the camera; he remains downstairs. Katie sits down on the floor against the bed and proceeds to rock back and forth, knife in hand, for several days. We hear her ignore phone calls and the door bell. Eventually, one of her friends comes in to check on her and finds Micah's body, which momentarily interrupts Katie's rocking. The friend lets out a scream and runs out of the house. Twenty minutes later, we hear the police knock and enter, warning anyone in the house to "make themselves known" because they have their weapons drawn. As they search the first floor, it appears as if the demon has left Katie's body: we see the light to the attic turn on, then off, as if the demon went back into hiding. The police come upstairs, find Katie and warn her to drop the weapon. She's dazed, running toward them yelling, "Where's Micah!? Where's Micah?!". The door to the attic slams shut, startling the police so much that one accidentally shoots Katie dead. The final sixty seconds of the film shows the confused policemen, asking "Where did that [noise] come from?" and ultimately declaring the house "clear". The film fades to black, and a text appears that dedicates the film to Katie and Micah.
    • Connections
      Featured in Trailer Failure: Solomon Kane, Whip It, Serbian Scars, Paranormal Activity, and This Is It (2009)
    • Soundtracks
      Paralyzed
      Performed by Rock Kills Kid

    User reviews1.3K

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    9/10
    The Hype-The Film-The Fear
    Dearest readers, a film like this has not come along since The Exorcist. After listening to all the hype, and following this film until 2007 you could say I knew a lot about this little film. Nothing could prepare me for the climatic, scary ass situations that the cast and crew put on celluloid. Yes, my friends, it really is a scary movie.

    I won't tell you what it's about because by this point you should already know that. What I want to tell you is how great this film really is.

    Director Peli has succeeded in creating a masterpiece with little money and simple theme park haunted house gags. He does something that Hitchcock did so well in his prime-he creates a level of suspense so intense that the smallest sound makes your heart jump.

    That, is great film-making, because it is made with an educated audience in mind. He doesn't cater to the general public he gives film lovers what they want and he gives it to them hard.

    Don't go to this for gore. Don't go to this for Hollywood crap. Don't go to this with your kids under 15. Most importantly....don't go to this...alone.
    helpful•333
    330
    • MrSavari
    • Sep 30, 2009

    FAQ14

    • So they lived in the house how long and never noticed the trap door in the closet ???
    • Wouldn't most people, like, ASK FOR HELP FROM SOMEBODY ANYBODY ???
    • What is 'Paranormal Activity' about?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 16, 2009 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • Official site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Hiện Tượng Siêu Nhiên
    • Filming locations
      • Bavarian Drive, Rancho Peñasquitos, San Diego, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • Solana Films
      • Blumhouse Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $15,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $107,918,810
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $77,873
      • Sep 27, 2009
    • Gross worldwide
      • $193,355,800
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 26 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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