Dust Off Those Night Vision Cameras: Another 'Paranormal Activity' Sequel Is Coming!

About 10 years ago, audiences were shocked and terrified to sleep in their own beds when they first saw the haunting trailer for the film Paranormal Activity. There was no masked slasher menacing teenagers, no drooling double-mouthed aliens terrorizing space workers, and no hideous monster lurking in the shadows. No, this film was full of ghosts that viewers never saw but definitely knew were there. Simple door openings and sheets being pulled away were what really made audiences quiver in fear. Camcorders and Nightvision would replace basic cinematography to make the whole thing feel more real, and it worked all too well.

Similar to the shark in Steven Spielberg's Jaws, the lack of visual representation of the evil entity made things on the screen even scarier for viewers watching all the frightening activity. But the fact that it was happening in an average suburban habitat hit way too close to home for some, making this an experience resulting in sleeping with the lights on for some time after the credits rolled. This eerily awesome endeavor would produce several sequels, expanding the story and providing new scares along the way. However, after 6 films, the franchise saw some fatigue and quietly ended its reign of dominance over the genre. But enough time has passed, and the movie gods have decided it is time for Paranormal Activity to come back from the dead and scare audiences once again.

Paramount has decided to team up with horror powerhouse producer Jason Blum for the 7th entry in the franchise. This makes a lot of sense considering the Paranormal films helped launch Blumhouse into the horror hit-generating machine that it is today with titles like The Visit, Sinister, Happy Death Day, The Purge, Ouija, Split, and the Academy Award-winning Get Out. I mean, it's not hard to believe when you realize the first film made a whopping $193 million off a budget of only $150,000. This modestly budgeted motion picture would go on to scare audiences for years afterward, spawning one of the most iconic franchises of the Found Footage genre. And whether you enjoy these flicks, as I do, or it's not really your cup of tea, there is no doubting this is a landmark series. Altogether, the Paranormal phenomenon has accumulated a grand total worldwide of just under $900 million. If Paramount believes it can light the fuse to reignite all that glorious activity, they have found the right man to help them achieve this goal in Jason Blum.

The Found Footage genre was all the rage for a while, coming off such game-changers as The Blair Witch Project, Quarantine, and Cloverfield. It almost seemed like every year audiences would be privy to at least one shaky cam fest of horror and mystery. But the genre has gone dark for some time, leaving the door wide open for some talented entity to bring it back to its former glory. Whether they continue the narrative from the first 6 films or revamp it in an entirely new direction, I feel very confident that it will definitely have us jumping behind the couch in fear for our lives, or in the least have us in a panic attack every time a door slightly moves. And the beauty here is, these films are commonly turned around very quickly, so do not be frightened if one day a trailer glitches its way onto one of your screens. You've been warned!