Paranormal Activity, a horror film currently in limited release nationwide, tells the story of a young couple who move into a house in the city but are soon plagued by a supernatural entity that likes to scare them in the middle of the night.
The two men (one an atheist, the other a believer, in an “X-Files” style) use cameras mounted on their beds to record the strange forces that disturb them as they try to sleep.
One of the scariest scenes in this movie is in the basement of the house. Everyone who grew up together knows childhood is always a source of fear.
The dark, quiet, and mysterious dungeon creates a sense of dread and becomes a new target. What makes Paranormal Activity 2 so great is its ability to match (and sometimes exceed) the level of horror of the original film, which isn’t easy to do with horror. Having said this, let’s dig in to know if Paranormal Activity is based on a true story.
First, Paranormal Activity ends with Katie being shot and killed by the police. At one end, Katie returns to her room after beating Mika, smiles at the camera, and slits her throat. The studio rejected the second choice because it didn’t want to waste the enterprise on the first film and cut off the potential of the franchise, which many horror fans were very grateful for.
Is “Paranormal Activity” a True Story?
Writer/director Oren Peli says there isn’t much reality in paranormal activity.
One sure way to understand a story that has no real-world roots is to look for alternate endings. Paranormal Activity has had three productions – one original version and two animated features filmed after Paramount started putting money into the project.
“It’s easier to shoot the first time if I know what the film is going to look like and what the final cut is going to be,” writer/director Oren Peli recalled in a 2012 interview with Slamdance. This is not difficult when it comes to facts.
For example, most of the stories are locked in the third episode because of the nature of the season. That said, the creative spark that ignited Paranormal Activity began in the real world, although it’s less ghostly than you might think.
When asked about his inspiration while writing the screenplay, Peli told The Guerrilla Filmmaker’s Handbook that it all started with a simple experience.
“I moved into a new house and started hearing voices at night,” the filmmaker said. “My first instinct was not that the house was sick, but I thought about what was going on. They set up the camera.”
Again, Paranormal Activity is not based on a true story. However, there’s no need to stop combing your home videos for signs of a murderous demon lurking behind you.
The Real Idea Came from the Sound of the Floor Creaking.
Tell us about your humble beginnings. Paranormal Activity is a sophisticated concept in its unique simplicity, but director Oren Peli actually came up with the idea after getting a little spooked by the noises in his new home.
As you know, the floor creaks, the foundation sinks, and the walls shake. Peri began to wonder what would happen if these strange sounds were more than just everyday creaks, and in that moment the seeds of paranormal activity were born.
He explained to Newsweek magazine: “I don’t think it’s anything supernatural.” A lot of it was a natural process, like making the house calmer, but it got me thinking. “What happens when you’re asleep?”
How the Movie Slipped from a Bigger Budget
The original version of Paranormal Activity was shot virtually for free, using off-the-shelf equipment and starring unknown actors. When DreamWorks first acquired the film, they planned to remake it with a little more polish in the studio. The studio saw Peli’s original version of the film as a proof of concept.
However, according to the Los Angeles Times, as part of their deal, Peli and producer Jason Blum required the studio to conduct at least one test screening of the original cut before embarking on a remake. The idea was essentially to give the movie a chance before remaking it.
When test screenings began, it was like a train wreck, with some audience members starting to leave the theater midway through the movie. The filmmakers were worried that it was because the movie was too bad, but it wasn’t; it was because audiences were too scared.
Adam Goodman, the studio’s production manager, said the screening was “one of the worst previews I’ve ever been to” until a final interview revealed that viewers were not bored but terrified. He said he thought so.
