Ranking The Paranormal Activity Franchise (And How To Watch In Chronological Order)

The films in this franchise are a bit of a mixed bag overall it is fair to say, but that isn’t much different than a lot of franchises, and personally, even the ones I find decent enough I would say I am not a huge fan of, though.

When they are good they can be really good, but even as someone who doesn’t mind slow pacing, the films do test my patience for how long they take to get going, so I do understand the criticisms.

But they have been a massive financial success, grossing around $900 million, with the budget total for the whole franchise at around $50 million.

Not too bad, right?

Paranormal Activity (2007)

The first and most famous film in the franchise was a huge success it could be said…

Made for just $15,000 originally before Paramount Pictures purchased the rights and spent a little bit more money on the film, it still made a massive $194 million worldwide, and proved again that like The Blair Witch Project, that less is sometimes more, and the film is literally just about a couple, Katie and Micah, in their house, documenting weird shit happening at night.

The film used very simple techniques, such as doors moving, weird sounds, and the terrifying idea that something is in your house, and the less said about what a dumb prick Micah is, the better.

The film created a sense of subtle fear and dread that resonated with audiences worldwide, and if you remember all the marketing and audience reactions at the time, it was a big deal.

The genius was in its simplicity, and playing on such a real life fear so many can relate to, and that subtle simple dread the film portrays as you watch it alone at night soon starts to play on your mind, even if you don’t believe in it all, but much more so if you do.

Whatever you think of the film, and again, much like The Blair Witch Project, it is a very divisive film, but it has definitely left its mark in horror in a massive way, especially found footage horror.

It was just straight forward and simple, and it worked.

Paranormal Activity 2 (2010)

Paranormal Activity 2 is a prequel, with events in the film happening 2 months before the first film, and here, we get to see how Kate’s sister also got haunted and it adds more story elements and background surrounding the events.

I liked the characters in this one a lot, and they were purposely more likable characters compared to Kate and Micah in the original, and while it can certainly be said the films in the franchise take a bit of time to get going, but in the 2nd it seems to drag for even longer, only without the interest and intrigue the original held.

But the final 3rd I thought was quite well done and interesting, it just takes too long to get to the good moments, but when it does, it has some solid scenes, but as said, that is something that could be thrown at most, if not all the films.

I don’t think the film is that bad though for fans of the original, but I also think it tries too hard to feel more polished, but it just doesn’t give us enough of what made the first one work so well, and drags just a bit too much for my liking.

But if you liked the first you will find things to like about the 2nd.

It was also the first found footage film that got an IMAX release.

Paranormal Activity 2: Tokyo Night (2010)

This one is a Japanese spin off alternative side sequel to the original Paranormal Activity film.

Katie from the original film appears, and the film follows Haruka, a young woman who returns to Japan after a car accident in America, only to start experiencing some strange events.

Even though the story does have connections to the previous film, these events are ignored in the later sequels that would follow in the franchise.

The film is OK, but it isn’t really one you have to watch, and a lot of it plays out as just a Japanese remake of the first film really, but was advertised as a sequel, but as said, it does share some connections too, so it’s a bit of both, really?

If you enjoyed the original, it’s worth a watch, but you have seen it all before, only with more intrigue/interest that the original held, although the ending is OK and it does have a few good moments that will appease fans.

Paranormal Activity 3 (2011)

This film is actually my favorite in the franchise, and a film that I think is a bit underrated.

This one is also a prequel, this time set in 1988, and shows us Katie and her sister, Kristi, as kids, and basically we realize shit was all fucked from the start, as it turns out their grandmother was in a cult, which explains why these poor girls have been haunted their entire lives.

The movie actually gives us some answers too, such as the demon’s name, which is Tobi (which, let’s be honest, isn’t the scariest name), and the final act I thought was pretty damn good, and is easily the most scariest of the franchise I think, with some really strong moments.

The film does seem to ignore certain things about the first two films though, and some of the cohesion is lost if you’re familiar with them, but the story it tells is quite interesting and it brings back that interest and intrigue the 2nd one lost a bit.

And that oscillating camera…

Paranormal Activity 4 (2012)

This film is a bit pointless really, it just exists without really adding much at all.

The story follows a random teenage girl who lives across the street from a creepy kid that got adopted by a weird family, and of course, that kid is Hunter, the baby from the second movie.

This one bored me a lot, its incredibly rushed and as I say, doesn’t add much at all, and just feels like a massive cash grab, with a lot that is in the film just not making much sense in the context of the series as a whole up to this point.

The acting was pretty terrible as well, and apart from a couple of half decent scenes, you can easily skip this film as you aren’t missing too much, and it is just all very underwhelming as a whole, and tries way too hard without actually doing anything.

Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones (2014)

This entry into the franchise I think is pretty decent.

In this film we get a different setting, and this time we are introduced to a Latino neighborhood and a new protagonist, Jesse, who starts experiencing paranormal shit after a creepy old woman dies.

It has some decent effects and has some fun moments with various references to the previous films in the franchise, but with a separate plot.

This one definitely feels more fresh, and the different setting works well, and it is a fairly interesting film, that is before it takes a bit of a silly turn.

I won’t ruin anything but the ending sucked I thought, and what worked fairly decently before was ruined a bit, but it’s still worth a watch I think, and I really enjoyed the setting and the characters, and is a film I will defend on my hill as it does get a shit ton of hate.

Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension (2015)

This one I am not much of a fan of at all.

This is the only movie in the franchise that uses 3D effects, which is pretty hilarious really, because, who the fuck asked for that?

The film has various nods to some of the previous films, which I always like, but really, it’s just a bit of a mess of a film.

It leaves a lot of loose ends, and is a very lazy effort, with a certain CGI moment in the film that is brilliantly bad – If you know, you know.

It also takes away some of the lore of the previous films, and for a conclusion to the franchise, assuming another one won’t be made that’s actually connected to the previous films, it is just one massive disappointment.

It just feels like a parody of itself and I thought overall it was a pretty dumb generic film with some very poor writing, and while it has some half decent acting, everything else about it just failed.

Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin (2021)

This film should have just been called Next of Kin, I think it is OK as a movie, just not as a Paranormal Activity movie.

Don’t go into this film expecting a typical Paranormal Activity film, because it’s basically a standalone film, and I would guess the name was just used to garner interest.

It does have some decent acting, but I wasn’t a fan of the main protagonists, and while it’s not that good by any means, I wouldn’t say it’s awful, it’s just OK, and I found it watchable.

And even though I was hoping for a better conclusion to everything prior to release, I also actually didn’t mind that it ended up as a reboot with no connections to the previous films, as it actually felt like a new beginning, but obviously I understand the disappointment of many regarding that.

I have read theories and speculation about how this film does connect to the previous films, but I have to say most seem pretty desperate, and I seem to remember the filmmakers confirming it is just a reboot.

I’ll say it again though, it really should have just been called Next of Kin, and I actually think it would have been appreciated a bit more…..Maybe?

How I Rank the Paranormal Activity Franchise

Paranormal Activity 3
Paranormal Activity
Paranormal Activity 2
Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones
Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin
Paranormal Activity 2: Tokyo Night
Paranormal Activity 4
Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension

Paranormal Activity Timeline: How To Watch The Films in Chronological Order

Paranormal Activity 3
Paranormal Activity 2
Paranormal Activity
Paranormal Activity 2: Tokyo Night
Paranormal Activity 4
Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones
Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension
Paranormal Activity: Next Of Kin