Paranormal Activity

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Paranormal Activity

R

2009

1h 26m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

82%

Tomatometer

209 Reviews

57%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

Soon after moving into a suburban tract home, Katie (Katie Featherston) and Micah (Micah Sloat) become increasingly disturbed by what appears to be a supernatural presence. Hoping to capture evidence of it on film, they set up video cameras in the house but are not prepared for the terrifying events that follow.

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Critics Consensus

Using its low-budget effects and mockumentary method to great result, Paranormal Activity turns a simple haunted house story into 90 minutes of relentless suspense.

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Julie and Brandy

Autostraddle

09/01/2021

it was awesome in the way that it was extremely, horrendously and torturously stressful... worth it.

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Shubhra Gupta

The Indian Express

04/17/2019

4/5

[Paranormal Activity] is way more scary than Blair Witch because it takes the old conceit of things that go bump into the night, and brings it slyly into a well-to-do, middle class suburb.

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Deborah Ross

The Spectator

08/30/2018

This is a scarily well-made scary little film, although it certainly isn't flawless... But the acting is supremely naturalistic and, for such a small-scale project, it does have an amazingly heightened effect.

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Yasser Medina

Cinefilia

Oct 19

5/10

The found footage horror premise has a certain originality in evoking a few chills in domestic atmospheres, but, in general, the little substance there is goes out like the lights in the bedroom. [Full review in Spanish]

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Bryce Hanson

Horror Movie Talk

Sep 23

10/10

...Before every douchebag had a ghost hunting tv show, this tapped into the suspension of disbelief around “real hauntings”... Ghosts [aren't] reaching through tvs stealing children, but [they are] knocking things off of shelves like housecats.

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Joseph Tomastik

Loud and Clear Reviews

12/04/2024

4.5/5

I had my bets on liking the film … I did not expect it to be one of the scariest movies I’ve ever seen.

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Bret M.

@BretM-3 5d

This movie is very interesting to me. This movie doesn't really "scare" me and it didn't make me jump, but it succeeds so well at just being creepy. There are so many scenes that are tense and not only sends chills up your spine, but also get under your skin. Specifically the way somehow just turning on a light in a dark house can be so eerie. And don't even get me started on the shadow passing over the door, because that was so creepy! But I feel like another part of what makes this so creepy is how realistic it is. Now I do think it's a bit silly to have a guy just walking around his house recording everything (even them eating) but that's just part of the disbelief you have to suspend for this type of found footage movie. But it feels so realistic. It just looks like 2 people living their lives and experiencing creepy things. It's so creepy because it feels so real. So overall, this is one creepy movie that just continuously gets under your skin. Definitely worth watching.

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Carlos M

@CarlosMZ Mar 14

Fue y será una de las mejores películas de terror de su genero fake documental.

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Damon G

@Dmoney420 Feb 22

Bunch of jump scares in this one super scary love the franchise

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Leo S

Feb 8

I can’t praise this movie enough. I think Paranormal Activity is a must-watch, especially for low-budget films like this. Every penny of its budget contributed to a spectacular piece of cinema. Throughout the movie, you really care about the main characters, Micah and Katie, who are facing a paranormal entity, with their hopelessness worsening as the story progresses. The film does an excellent job of building horror—you genuinely feel that nobody is safe, and the demon becomes increasingly aggressive. I know that not everyone is going to be a fan of this kind of horror, but I was certainly entertained. It’s a must-watch, especially if you enjoy horror films.

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Tommy D

@Thomas005 Jan 21

Just this paranormal activity are good and scary

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Ben C

@BenC91 Dec 31

I'm a super horror fan, and this is my all-time favourite.

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Oren Peli

Director

Katie Featherston

Katie

Micah Sloat

Micah

Amber Armstrong

Amber

Mark Fredrichs

Psychic

Ashley Palmer

Girl on Internet

Paranormal Activity: Official Clip - We Need Your Help

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Paranormal Activity: Official Clip - Powder Footsteps

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Paranormal Activity: Official Clip - How Did She Die?

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Paranormal Activity: Official Clip - Dragged Out of Bed

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Paranormal Activity: Official Clip - I Feel it Breathing on Me

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Paranormal Activity: Official Clip - The Sheets Move

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Paranormal Activity: Official Clip - Slamming the Door

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Paranormal Activity: Official Clip - Paranormal Ending

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Paranormal Activity: Official Clip - Ouija Board on Fire

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Synopsis

Soon after moving into a suburban tract home, Katie (Katie Featherston) and Micah (Micah Sloat) become increasingly disturbed by what appears to be a supernatural presence. Hoping to capture evidence of it on film, they set up video cameras in the house but are not prepared for the terrifying events that follow.

Director: Oren Peli
Producer: Jason Blum, Oren Peli
Screenwriter: Oren Peli
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Paramount Pictures, Blumhouse, DreamWorks Pictures
Rating: R (Language)
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 16, 2009, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $107.9M
Runtime: 1h 26m

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