Paranormal Activity

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Paranormal Activity

R

2009

1h 26m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

82%

Tomatometer

206 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

Sep 1, 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

Apr 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

Aug 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, 2025

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, 2025

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

Dec 4, 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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Stacey A

Jun 10, 2026

Great movie, really brought a new twist to the horror genre. Got to attend a Q&A screening recently, had an amazing time!

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Abdihakin A

@RT73263828 1 day ago

Best movie of OG blumhouse movie

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Ian S

@FuggyWugginshyre Oct 21, 2026

A movie that still holds the test of time surprisingly! There are some genuinely well done moments of horror here and some genuinely cheesy moments. Overall the movie does some simple unsettling scenes well that are still enjoyable almost two decades later.

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glock L

@glocklesnar777 Oct 15, 2026

as iconic as a movie can get

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Justin S

@RT55474625 Oct 3, 2026

Paranormal Activity proves you don’t need huge effects to be creepy. The slow build, nighttime footage, and quiet tension make every little movement feel unsettling. My Rating: 6.8/10

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Jason W

@Thejasonwatts Sep 28, 2026

Paranormal Activity, like the Blair Witch Project is a near perfect "Found Footage" film. I prefer the alternate ending version but it doesn't fit with future films. It harnesses one thing majority of this genre miss...the realness! The actors don't look like they are acting and the dialogue feel natural, unrehearsed and unscripted. The people and surroundings look real, not prop filled and sanitized. One con I have, although minor, as with other films as well, is the addition of post production sounds (the rumbles and heavy bass). If it were true found footage, there would be zero sounds besides what comes through the camera microphone.

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Oren Peli

Director

Katie Featherston

Katie

Micah Sloat

Micah

Amber Armstrong

Amber

Mark Fredrichs

Psychic

Ashley Palmer

Girl on Internet

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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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