Paramount sent shockwaves through CineEurope attendees today by announcing that a new Paranormal Activity movie is in the works. In a brief but effective statement, studio Chairman and CEO Jim Gianopulos revealed that Jason Blum would be returning to his flagship property, saying the following:
“We are partnering with uber horror producer Jason Blum to bring a new installment of Paranormal Activity.”
This new announcement is fitting, as Blumhouse’s supernatural found footage franchise celebrates its tenth anniversary this year. Though it was shot in 2007, the first film wasn’t given a nationwide release until 2009, where it dominated the box office and made $193.4 million on a $15,000 budget.
The entire six-movie series has made nearly $900M worldwide since, though its latest entry – 2015’s The Ghost Dimension – failed to make an impact with critics or audiences. It was said to be the final installment of the series, too, with Blum claiming it was written to specifically wrap up every Paranormal Activity film Avengers: Endgame-style.
“It’s coming to an end. This is it, the finale,” said the producer at the time. “We’re saying it before the movie opens. We’re not going to grind this horror franchise into the ground. This will keep Paranormal Activity as part of this culture and this particular time in a really fantastic way… All the questions that everyone has asked from the past Paranormal Activity films: What does Toby look like? What’s the backstory to the families? These questions have been teased out. Now they will be answered.”
So far, details about the upcoming seventh movie are being kept tightly under wraps. We don’t even know its title or release date, but Blumhouse would need to start production almost immediately if they want to hit the series’ usual October debut later this year.
Meanwhile, Jason Blum has become one of the busiest men in Hollywood. The Oscar-nominated producer is currently attempting to make a sequel to last year’s hit Halloween re-launch. He’s also attached to Universal’s Monsters reboot, hiring Saw co-creator Leigh Whannell to bring a new take on the Invisible Man to the big screen.
All in all, this sounds like a pretty great time to be a horror fan in general, but tell us, are you excited for a new Paranormal Activity movie? Let us know in the comments section below!