The Paranormal Activity Universe begins when,
after moving into a suburban home, a couple becomes increasingly disturbed by a
nightly demonic presence.
This guide is based on a video from my YouTube channel Cinema
Awards Archive, where I cover every film in the Paranormal Activity franchise,
including the Japanese spin‑off Tokyo Night.
The Paranormal Activity Universe (7 films)
After moving into a suburban home, a couple becomes increasingly disturbed by a
nightly demonic presence.
The Paranormal Activity Film Series:
- Paranormal
Activity (2007)
- Paranormal
Activity 2 (2010)
- Paranormal
Activity 3 (2011)
- Paranormal
Activity 4 (2012)
- Paranormal
Activity: The Marked Ones (2014)
- Paranormal
Activity: The Ghost Dimension (2015)
- Paranormal
Activity: Next of Kin (2021)
Bonus: Paranormal Activity 2: Tokyo Night (2010, Japan)
1. Paranormal Activity (2007)
It is a 2007 American supernatural horror film produced, written, directed, photographed and edited by Oren Peli.
It centers on a young couple (Katie Featherston and Micah
Sloat) who are haunted by a supernatural presence inside their home.
They then set up a camera to document what is haunting them.
The film uses found-footage conventions that were mirrored in the later films
of the series.
Originally developed by Peli as an independent feature and
given film festival screenings in 2007, the film was shot for $15,000.
It was then acquired by Paramount Pictures and modified,
particularly with a new ending that cost an additional $200,000.
It was given a limited U S release on September 25th 2009
and then a nationwide release on October 16th 2009.
The film earned nearly $108 million at the U S box office
and a further $85 million internationally for a worldwide total of about $194
million.
Paramount DreamWorks acquired the U S rights for $350,000.
It is often cited as the most profitable film ever made,
based on proportionate return on investment, although such figures are
difficult to verify independently as this is likely to exclude marketing costs.
The film is the first installment in the Paranormal
Activity film series.
A prequel, Paranormal Activity 2 was
released in 2010.
2. Paranormal Activity 2 (2010)
It is a 2010 American found footage supernatural horror film directed by Tod Williams and written by Michael R. Perry, Christopher Landon and Tom Pabst.It is the second installment of the Paranormal
Activity film series.
The film mostly acts as a prequel to the 2007 film Paranormal
Activity, beginning two months before the events depicted in the original
film, although it is set over a longer period of time and eventually concludes
after the first film's ending.
The film was released in theaters at midnight on October
22nd 2010 in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Mexico, Brazil,
Argentina, Poland and Ireland.
It received mixed reviews from critics and was a box-office success, grossing
over $177 million against a $3 million budget.
An unrated version of the film was also released.
READ : The Evil Dead Universe: All 5 Films in the Franchise
3. Paranormal Activity 3 (2011)It is a 2011 American found footage supernatural horror film directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman.It is the third installment of the Paranormal
Activity series and serves as a prequel, mostly set 18 years prior to
the events of the first two films.
It was released in theaters on October 21st 2011 and is also
Joost and Schulman's first horror film.
The film broke financial records upon release, setting a new
record for a midnight opening for a horror film ($8 million) and the best
opening day for a horror film in the United States ($26.2 million).
4. Paranormal Activity 4 (2012)
It is a 2012 American found footage supernatural horror film directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman and written by Christopher Landon from a story by Chad Feehan.
It is the fourth installment in the Paranormal Activity series
and a sequel to Paranormal Activity 2.
The film features Katie Featherston, who starred in the
first film.
It was released by Paramount Pictures in theaters and IMAX
on October 17th 2012 in the United Kingdom and on October 19th 2012 in the
United States.
5. Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones (2014)
It is a 2014 American found footage supernatural horror film written and directed by Christopher Landon.Released on January 3rd 2014 in the United States, it is a
spin-off and the fifth installment of the Paranormal Activity film
series.
It is also Landon's second directorial film, after Burning
Palms.
It received mixed reviews from critics and grossed about $90
million worldwide.
6. Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension (2015)
It is a 2015 American 3D found footage supernatural horror film directed by Gregory Plotkin in his directorial debut and written by Jason Harry Pagan, Andrew Deutschman, Adam Robitel and Gavin Heffernan.It is the sixth installment in the Paranormal
Activity series.
Most of the film takes place after Paranormal
Activity 4 (2012), though the plot ties in heavily with the events
of Paranormal Activity 3 (2011).
It is the first installment not to star Katie Featherston as
Katie, although she appears played by Chloe Csengery, who had already portrayed
a younger Katie in the last two installments.
The film was released on October 23rd 2015. It grossed over
$78 million worldwide on a $10 million budget.
The Rotten Tomatoes consensus says that the franchise's
"thrills are mostly gone".
Although this film was initially announced and promoted as the final film in
the series, a seventh film, Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin was
released in October 2021.
7. Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin (2021)
It is a 2021 American supernatural horror film directed by William Eubank, written by Christopher Landon and produced by Jason Blum and series creator Oren Peli, serving as the seventh installment of the Paranormal Activity series.In the film, a group who attempt to make a documentary on an
Amish community, only for them to discover the horrific secrets the town holds.
Although Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension was
promoted as the final installment in the original series, Paramount Pictures
announced in June 2019 that a seventh installment and stand-alone sequel was in
development with Blum and franchise creator Peli returning as producers.
Landon was hired to write the script in early 2020 with
Eubank set to direct in February 2021. Principal photography was wrapped by
July 2021.
The film was released in the United States on Paramount+ on
October 29th 2021.
The film received generally negative reviews from critics and grossed $81,596
in home sales.
8. Paranormal Activity 2: Tokyo Night (2010, Japan)
It is a 2010 Japanese independent supernatural horror film written and directed by Toshikazu Nagae.Commissioned by the Japanese distributor Presidio
Corporation, the film is based on the 2007 American film Paranormal
Activity by Oren Peli and documents events that follow from the
original film.
The film was screened at various locations across Japan by
Cinema Sunshine.
It was later screened in various other countries.
It was released onto rental DVD and Blu-ray on March 4th
2011.
It was then released for home entertainment in Japan on
April 5th 2011 and internationally on-demand by AMC Theatres on September 13th
2022, as part of a bundle with the rest of the English-language film series.
Looking for more cinematic universes, long-running sagas, and connected movie timelines? Dive into these in‑depth franchise guides:
- Batman: The Legendary Backbone of the DC Animated Universe
https://www.cinemaawardsarchive.com/2025/12/batman-legendary-backbone-of-dc.html - The Ocean’s Film Franchise – Movies in Order & How They Connect
https://www.cinemaawardsarchive.com/2025/12/the-oceans-film-franchise-movies_15.html - The Wizarding World – 20 Years of Harry Potter Movies
https://www.cinemaawardsarchive.com/2025/12/the-wizarding-world-20-years-of-harry.html - The MonsterVerse Movies Explained (Godzilla, Kong & more)
https://www.cinemaawardsarchive.com/2025/12/the-monsterverse-movies-explained.html - The Conjuring Universe – Complete Horror Franchise Experience
https://www.cinemaawardsarchive.com/2025/12/experience-conjuring-universe.html - Complete Alien Film Series Breakdown
https://www.cinemaawardsarchive.com/2025/12/complete-alien-film-series-breakdown.html
Enjoyed This Paranormal Activity Franchise Guide?
If you’re into found-footage horror, micro‑budget success
stories and long-running horror timelines, make sure to:
- Subscribe to
this blog for more posts from Cinema Awards Archive.
- Visit
and subscribe to the YouTube channel Cinema Awards
Archive for full video essays on the Paranormal Activity series
and other horror franchises.
- Comment
with your favourite Paranormal Activity film and whether
you prefer the early haunted‑house entries or the later mythology‑heavy
sequels.
Your support helps keep this archive of cinema and awards
history growing.
