If you like getting spooked by things that go bump in the night, or you simply have a love for found footage movies, then chances are you have come across the Paranormal Activity films. The film series – about spooks, demonic possession, camera footage, and witches – has a strong cult following and has developed into an intriguing collection of movies.
But if you are new to the Paranormal Activity film series, where do you start? Also, how many Paranormal Activity movies are there and in what order do you watch them?
All these answers are revealed below. So, let’s take a trip to the other side and find out what lurks in the shadows and on the screen.
________________
The original movies in production order
The first Paranormal Activity movie was released in 2007 and centred around a young couple called Micah and Katie. The couple experience strange happenings in their home, so Micah decides to set up a camera to record what is taking place.
Over the course of multiple nights, strange phenomena occurs, leading the couple to believe their house is haunted. The camera captures the events of each day, with the supernatural situation escalating each evening.
Paranormal Activity grabbed the attention of audiences world wide and grossed more than $193 million from a budget of just $15,000. As such, a sequel was put into production to further the story.
Paranormal Activity 2 arrived in 2010 and was also a financial hit, paving the way for Paranormal Activity 3 in 2011 and Paranormal Activity 4 in 2012. From this point on, the series dropped the numbers from its title for 2014’s Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones and 2015’s Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension.
As the series has developed it created a world around characters that include Katie, Micah, Kristi, Hunter, Grandma Lois and Tobi. If you wish to watch the original series of Paranormal Activity movies in the order they were produced/released, the list is as follows:
- Paranormal Activity (2007)
- Paranormal Activity 2 (2010)
- Paranormal Activity 3 (2011)
- Paranormal Activity 4 (2012)
- Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones (2014)
- Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension (2015)
________________
The anomaly
Outside of the original series of films, Paranormal Activity birthed a spin-off (of sorts). The movie was not part of the original series and was instead a one-off continuation of the original movie.
The unofficial film – Paranormal Activity 2: Tokyo Night – was released in 2010 in Japan, as a sequel to 2007’s Paranormal Activity. The film follows a new set of characters who experience strange happenings.
Tokyo Night was not followed by any further sequels and is not referenced in the main series. As such, it exists as an anomaly to the series.
Should you wish to watch the spin-off, then the order would be as follows:
- Paranormal Activity (2007)
- Paranormal Activity 2: Tokyo Night (2010)
________________
The original movies in timeline order
OK, so that’s production order of the original series and the anomaly covered, but is that everything?
Nope.
When developing the world around the original Paranormal Activity movies, the filmmakers decided to flesh out the story by jumping back and forth across the timeline. Brief comments in one film could form the basis for the next, even if the situation took place in the past.
So, while Paranormal Activity was the first film in the series to be released, it isn’t the first film in the PA timeline. In fact, it’s not even the second!
I’ll list the films in timeline order in a moment, but before I get to that, here is when the events of each film take place:
- Paranormal Activity – The events of the film take place during September 2006.
- Paranormal Activity 2 – The majority of the film’s events take place throughout August 2006 (just prior to the events of Paranormal Activity), but the film also features scenes set during October 2006 (just after Paranormal Activity).
- Paranormal Activity 3 – The majority of the film’s events take place during September 1988. The film also includes scenes set in 2005 and 2006.
- Paranormal Activity 4 – The events of the movie take place between October and November 2011.
- Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones – The events of the movie take place during June 2012. The film largely sidesteps the ongoing storyline to further expand the PA world, but does include a scene set during 2006.
- Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension – The majority of the events of The Ghost Dimension take place during 2013, however, it also includes links back to 1988.
Now, putting the movies into chronological order as per the original Paranormal Activity timeline, the films fall in this order:
- Paranormal Activity 3 (2011)
- Paranormal Activity 2 (2010)
- Paranormal Activity (2007)
- Paranormal Activity 4 (2012)
- Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones (2014)
- Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension (2015)
If you wish to watch the movies in order of their timeline, then use the above list as a guide.
All of the original Paranormal Activity movies are currently available on DVD, Blu-ray and digital.
The movies are available as separate releases, so if you have a particular favourite – or you only want to own Paranormal Activity on Blu-ray – you can pick and choose as you wish.
The films are widely available and can be found on Amazon UK.
OK… now onto the next stage of the Paranormal Activity franchise…
__
The reboot movie
In 2021, following a six-year break, the Paranormal Activity movie series was rebooted with the arrival of a new movie, not connected to the original series. This movie – Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin – was conceived as a reimagining of the entire franchise, which cast away all previous continuity, and (so far) exists as a single entry.
Should you want to watch the rebooted movie, you need only watch this entry:
- Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin (2021)
__
Every Paranormal Activity movie in production order
And finally, should you want to watch every Paranormal Activity movie that has been released – including the unofficial Japanese sequel AND the reboot – here is a list of all the Paranormal Activity movies in production order:
- Paranormal Activity (2007)
- Paranormal Activity 2 (2010)
- Paranormal Activity 2: Tokyo Night (2010)
- Paranormal Activity 3 (2011)
- Paranormal Activity 4 (2012)
- Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones (2014)
- Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension (2015)
- Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin (2021)
__
I appreciate that between all the timeline hopping, the unofficial movie, and the reboot, the Paranormal Activity movie series can get a little confusing to follow, but hopefully this post has helped to clear things up a little.
Happy viewing!
Read more:
Disclaimer: I earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article.
It's A Stampede! 
Leave a Reply