Paranormal Activity 3 (2011)
Average Rating: 6/10
Reviews Counted: 115
Fresh: 78 | Rotten: 37
While the jolts and thrills are undeniably subject to the diminishing returns that plague most horror sequels, Paranormal Activity 3 is a surprisingly spine-tingling treat.
Average Rating: 5.6/10
Critic Reviews: 21
Fresh: 12 | Rotten: 9
While the jolts and thrills are undeniably subject to the diminishing returns that plague most horror sequels, Paranormal Activity 3 is a surprisingly spine-tingling treat.
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Average Rating: 3.3/5
User Ratings: 69,894
My Rating
Movie Info
The Paranormal Activity franchise continues with this third outing from Paramount Pictures. Oren Peli and Jason Blum return to produce the highly secretive feature, with Catfish's directing duo of Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman taking on the helming duties. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi
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Cast
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Katie Featherston
Katie
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Paranormal Activity 3 Trailer & Photos
All Critics (115) | Top Critics (21) | Fresh (80) | Rotten (38) | DVD (6)
Joost and Schulman sustain a consistent sense of dread, playing with our own fears of things that go bump in the night.
Top CriticIf you haven't seen the first two movies, why are you watching this? And if you have seen the first two movies, why do you need to watch this?
Series creator Oren Peli and his conscripts have managed to do it again, but you have to wonder how far they can continue to push this found-footage angle.
The shtick movie "Paranormal Activity 3" is the horror equivalent of vaudeville comedy: a little patter, a little pie in the face, repeat.
This third Paranormal is a prequel that occasionally goes off the rails but also offers more laughs and somewhat more character development than the previous installments.
It ... brings fake-out jolts and humor into play.
Sustaining horror is what the Paranormal Activity movies are all about and in that sense, part 3 doesn't disappoint.
A couple of hair-raising moments, a couple of legitimate jolts and some funny cheap ones.
Drips with tension, horror, and building suspense that explodes in to a mind blowing finale that you'll not soon forget.
Paranormal Activity 3 doesn't reinvent the series' wheel but it definitely refines an already effective format.
There really just aren't any scares to be had here. Even people who normally find themselves scared at the smallest "boo" will find themselves drifting off less than halfway through the film.
Paranormal Activity 3 delivers, and does it without gore or "look at me!" special effects.
In the moments that count, those silent wolf-hour compositions of gathering dread, the franchise has earned a place of pride in horror history.
Delivers the clean, simple jolts and scares the series is known for.
Defies Hollywood's conventional money-making formula by injecting a fresh shot of creativity into the series... and it's arse-clenchingly scary.
Delves far more into the mythology of the series, which may render the picture less scary to some, but there's still enough thrills and chills to keep most audiences thoroughly freaked.
A bit more frightening than the previous two installments. Still, the idea of invisible spirits menacing suburbia has been done countless times. "Insidious" was much more effective, and it had a PG-13 rating. Paul Chambers, CNN.
How many times in these movies can the filmmakers repeat the same things? (Blu-ray Combo edition)
For me, it was a matter of diminishing returns on a product that wasn't very good to begin with.
You don't go to horror movies for story. You go for sensation, to be moved. Paranormal Activity 3 not only gets that, it also asks you to get it, to be aware of how you're being moved, and your part in the moving.
Yes, it feels familiar, but they keep finding a way to make me nervous/scared.
given the increasing familiarity (some might say "exhaustion") of these aesthetic devices, it is almost unavoidable that Paranormal Activity 3 will feel like a slight letdown
The tension is slowly bled out, the metacommentary on movies' phantom power is eerie, and the directors capture a creepiness in the sleepy, after-hour spaces of home.
"Paranormal Activity 3" the best in the bunch. If you are ready for a scare and maybe a sleepless night check out this edition and be prepared for some unanswered questions and a few new answers!
Visible for miles, the predictable turn of the VHS tape undermines a movie that's already weak in scariness.
It's everything you expect -- bad writing, bad acting, bad direction, dull characters and long stretches of boredom punctuated by sudden jolts.
Audience Reviews for Paranormal Activity 3
Super Reviewer
Super Reviewer
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- Katie: Fuckin' potato dick.
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- Katie: I'm making a sandwich!
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- Katie: Aaaah!
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- Katie: Ah!
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- Katie: Did you hear that? Ah!
Discussion Forum
| Topic | Last Post | Replies |
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| Paranormal Activity 3 Movie Review | 6 months ago | 0 |
Latest News on Paranormal Activity 3
January 3, 2012:
Paramount Issues Official Announcement for Paranormal Activity 4The camcorder franchise continues.
October 24, 2011:
Box Office Guru Wrapup: Paranormal Activity 3 Scares Up A Huge OpeningScaring up more business than the rest of the films in the top ten combined, the horror prequel...
October 20, 2011:
Critics Consensus: Paranormal Activity 3 is Certified FreshThis week at the movies, we've got a vengeful spirit (Paranormal Activity 3, starring Katie...
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Foreign Titles
- Actividad paranormal 3 (ES)
