The latest movie in the Paranormal Activity series has been announced. This will be the seventh film in the hugely successful found footage horror franchise, and it’s set to arrive in 2022.
The series kicked off in 2009 with Paranormal Activity. The film was directed by Oren Peli, a software developer with no prior filmmaking experience, who had a great idea that was relatively easy to execute and set about making it in his own home. The movie focused on a young couple who experience strange, scary noises in their house, so set up video cameras to record overnight to find out what is causing them. It was shot in 2007 and took two years to reach theaters, but was a huge success when it finally did, with audiences flocking to see this scary and intense found footage experience. The tiny $15,000 production budget and $193 million worldwide gross made it one of one of the most profitable films of all time.
A sequel quickly followed, and soon Paranormal Activity had become an entire franchise. To date there have been six movies, and while budgets have grown a little, they have all proved highly successful. None of the films have deviated far from the formula–Paranormal Activity 3 was a prequel, the fifth movie, 2014’s Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones, introduced a cult aspect, and there is a vague connected mythology that has developed across the series. But for the most part the films have just attempted to replicate what made the first film so popular, with varying degrees of success. There was even a Japanese spin-off titled Paranormal Activity 2: Tokyo Night, which was released in 2010.
It’s been five years since the last movie, but there’s another entry on the way. Paranormal Activity 7 was first announced in 2019, with a 2021 release date. However, the COVID-19 pandemic delayed production, and the movie will now shoot this year ahead of a 2022 release. It’s early days, but here’s everything we know so far about the next Paranormal Activity film.
When will Paranormal Activity 7 be released?
Paranormal Activity 7 is scheduled for release on March 4, 2022.
What’s the title?
The movie doesn’t have an official title yet.
Who’s the director?
Will Eubank will direct the movie. This will be Eubank’s second horror film, following 2020’s aquatic monster movie Underwater, which starred Kristen Stewart. Prior to that, Eubank helmed two indie sci-fi movies–Love (2011) and The Signal (2014).
Who’s the writer?
Paranormal Activity 7 will be written by Christopher Landon, who has been heavily involved in the franchise since the second movie, which he co-wrote. Landon was the sole writer on parts 3 and 4, and he wrote and directed the fifth movie, The Marked Ones. Away from Paranormal Activity, Landon wrote and directed the two Happy Death Day films, as well as last year’s body swap slasher Freaky.
Who’s the producer?
Paranormal Activity will be produced by Jason Blum and his company Blumhouse Productions. Blum has been involved with the series since the very start. The success of the first movie helped establish Blumhouse as one of the most successful independent production companies in Hollywood, and it has continued to release popular horror movies made on modest budgets ever since, including the Purge and Insidious movies, and 2018’s Halloween reboot.
Is there any footage or images?
The movie has yet to start production, so there’s no images or footage so far.
What’s the story?
No plot details have been revealed yet, and we don’t know if the movie will be a complete reboot or a continuation of any of the existing stories. However, Landon teased the movie on Twitter, stating, “no one could possibly guess what new, crazy nightmares [Eubank] and I are cooking up. Expect the unexpected.” In addition, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that it will continue the found footage format of the previous movies.
