Paranormal Activity 3
Encyclopedia
Paranormal Activity 3 is a 2011 American supernatural horror film. It is the third film of the Paranormal Activity series and serves as a prequel
, set 18 years prior to the events of the first two films. It was released in theaters on October 21, 2011.
The film broke financial records upon release, setting a new record for a midnight opening for a horror film ($8 million), the best opening day for a horror film in the United States ($26.2 million), the highest opening for any film in October, highest opening for a film in the fall (September–October), and setting a record opening for the franchise ($52.6 million).
In 1988, a young Katie and Kristi live with their mother, Julie, and her boyfriend, Dennis; Kristi begins interacting with an invisible friend named Toby. Dennis notices that since Kristi's friend appeared, strange things have been happening in the house. Dennis and Julie try to make a sex tape, but are interrupted by an earthquake. While they look for the girls, the camera shows dust fall from the ceiling and land onto an invisible figure in the room. The figure then moves and the dust falls to the floor.
While reviewing the footage later, Dennis notices the strange incident. He invites his friend Randy over to view the footage, who suggests that Dennis place cameras throughout the house to capture any other incidents. That night in the girls' bedroom, Kristi wakes up and begins talking to someone off-camera before going back to bed. When Dennis questions her about this the following day, Kristi tells him that it is Toby. After more disturbed nights and strange occurrences, Dennis discovers a strange symbol in the girls' closet. He finds the same symbol on a picture of women in a book about demonology
. Dennis explains to Julie that the symbol belonged to a witches
' coven
that brainwashed girls of child-bearing age into having sons and then forgetting about it, but Julie dismisses his claim.
After Kristi falls ill, Julie and Dennis take her to the hospital. Katie is left with Randy, and she asks him to play Bloody Mary
with her. They go into the girls' bathroom and say "bloody Mary" three times and turn off the light. When nothing happens Katie insists they try again. Randy is stricken with pain and the lights reveal a large scratch up the side of his body. They try to leave the bathroom but a black figure moves past the door. When Randy tries to leave a second time, furniture is violently thrown around. After Julie and Dennis return, Randy leaves in a rush.
The invisible demon terrorizes Katie and Kristi, harming Katie and later dragging her into a closet in the girls' bedroom until Kristi agrees to do what it asks. The next day Kristi asks her mother to take them to her grandmother Lois' home but she refuses. After Julie encounters terrifying activity in the kitchen she agrees to go to Lois' home. Dennis sets up another camera in the new bedroom. Before bed, Kristi dresses up as a bride, and when asked who the groom is, replies "Toby", upsetting Julie, who never wants to hear that name again. At 1 am, they are awoken by the sound of a car pulling up outside. Julie says the noise is Lois, who has trouble sleeping. After hearing more disturbances, Julie goes to investigate. When she fails to return, Dennis goes to look for her. In the background the camera captures a shadowy female figure. Dennis returns and picks up the camera.
He calls out for Julie and the girls but there is no answer. Downstairs, Dennis notices a human silhouette behind a curtain. When he pulls back the curtain nothing is present, but the room he enters has strange imagery on the walls, including the symbol from the girls' room, which had been concealed beneath framed paintings. Noticing that the back door is open, Dennis goes outside to investigate. In the garage he discovers Lois and several other women, all dressed in black. Dennis flees back to the house, with the women in slow pursuit. In the house he finds Julie at the top of the stairs. As he approaches, he sees that she is levitating unconscious above the floor. Her body is thrown at Dennis, knocking him down the stairs. He picks himself up and sees Kristi, then retreats with her into a closet. Something growls and bangs on the door but eventually leaves.
Dennis and Kristi leave the closet. As they walk through the kitchen, Dennis sees women outside in the garden, circling around a bonfire. As they move into the next room they find Katie crying by Julie's body. He approaches Katie from behind slowly, and places his hand on her shoulder. Katie turns and unleashes an demonic scream that throws him to the other side of the room, injuring his leg. Katie runs away. Dennis tries to crawl toward Julie's body but Lois walks in front of him. As Lois looks down onto him, Dennis' body is suddenly and violently contorted, snapping backwards and killing him. Kristi reappears and goes to Lois, who beckons to Katie. As they head upstairs, Kristi calls to Toby. There is the sound of movement and a monstrous growl as the footage stops recording.
). Jason Blum, Steven Schneider and Oren Peli produced, along with Akiva Goldsman
serving as executive producer
. With a script written by Christopher B. Landon
, the prequel was released on October 21, 2011.
Once again using unique social media strategy after the success of the first two films, Paranormal Activity 3 created the "Tweet Your Scream" campaign on Twitter in preparation for the release.
reports that 67% of 102 critics have given the film a positive review, with a rating average of 5.9 out of 10. The website's consensus is, "While the jolts and thrills are undeniably subject to the diminishing returns that plague most horror sequels, Paranormal Activity 3 is a surprisingly spine-tingling treat." Metacritic
, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, gives the film a score of 59 based on 25 reviews. CinemaScore
polls reported that the average grade moviegoers gave the film was a "C+" on an A+ to F scale. Conversely, Roger Ebert
gave the film a single star out of four, stating that "the appeal has worn threadbare", but predicting that the film will fare well in the box office nevertheless.
, grossing $8 million from midnight showings, setting yet another record for a horror film. Its total Friday gross was an estimated $26.2 million, which was the best opening day gross for a 2011 film since Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2
in July. Bringing its total to $52.6 million, it set a new record for the franchise, a horror film (Paranormal Activity 2, $40.6 million), a film released in October and for any film released in the fall (Jackass 3D
, $50.3 million). As of November 29, 2011, Paranormal Activity 3 has grossed $103,279,885 in the United States and Canada, with $97,000,000 in other countries bringing a worldwide total of $200,279,885 and making it the highest grossing film in the 'Paranormal Activity' series.
Prequel
A prequel is a work that supplements a previously completed one, and has an earlier time setting.The widely recognized term was a 20th-century neologism, and a portmanteau from pre- and sequel...
, set 18 years prior to the events of the first two films. It was released in theaters on October 21, 2011.
The film broke financial records upon release, setting a new record for a midnight opening for a horror film ($8 million), the best opening day for a horror film in the United States ($26.2 million), the highest opening for any film in October, highest opening for a film in the fall (September–October), and setting a record opening for the franchise ($52.6 million).
Plot
In 2005, Katie delivers a box of old videotapes to her pregnant sister, Kristi, and Kristi's husband, Daniel. A year later, Kristi and Daniel's house is seemingly burgled and the tapes are missing.In 1988, a young Katie and Kristi live with their mother, Julie, and her boyfriend, Dennis; Kristi begins interacting with an invisible friend named Toby. Dennis notices that since Kristi's friend appeared, strange things have been happening in the house. Dennis and Julie try to make a sex tape, but are interrupted by an earthquake. While they look for the girls, the camera shows dust fall from the ceiling and land onto an invisible figure in the room. The figure then moves and the dust falls to the floor.
While reviewing the footage later, Dennis notices the strange incident. He invites his friend Randy over to view the footage, who suggests that Dennis place cameras throughout the house to capture any other incidents. That night in the girls' bedroom, Kristi wakes up and begins talking to someone off-camera before going back to bed. When Dennis questions her about this the following day, Kristi tells him that it is Toby. After more disturbed nights and strange occurrences, Dennis discovers a strange symbol in the girls' closet. He finds the same symbol on a picture of women in a book about demonology
Demonology
Demonology is the systematic study of demons or beliefs about demons. It is the branch of theology relating to superhuman beings who are not gods. It deals both with benevolent beings that have no circle of worshippers or so limited a circle as to be below the rank of gods, and with malevolent...
. Dennis explains to Julie that the symbol belonged to a witches
Witchcraft
Witchcraft, in historical, anthropological, religious, and mythological contexts, is the alleged use of supernatural or magical powers. A witch is a practitioner of witchcraft...
' coven
Coven
A coven or covan is a name used to describe a gathering of witches or in some cases vampires. Due to the word's association with witches, a gathering of Wiccans, followers of the witchcraft-based neopagan religion of Wicca, is also described as a coven....
that brainwashed girls of child-bearing age into having sons and then forgetting about it, but Julie dismisses his claim.
After Kristi falls ill, Julie and Dennis take her to the hospital. Katie is left with Randy, and she asks him to play Bloody Mary
Bloody Mary (folklore)
Bloody Mary is a ghost or witch featured in English folklore. She is said to appear in a mirror when her name is called three times or sometimes more while in a dark room, depending upon the version of the story, often as part of a game or dare.-Overview:...
with her. They go into the girls' bathroom and say "bloody Mary" three times and turn off the light. When nothing happens Katie insists they try again. Randy is stricken with pain and the lights reveal a large scratch up the side of his body. They try to leave the bathroom but a black figure moves past the door. When Randy tries to leave a second time, furniture is violently thrown around. After Julie and Dennis return, Randy leaves in a rush.
The invisible demon terrorizes Katie and Kristi, harming Katie and later dragging her into a closet in the girls' bedroom until Kristi agrees to do what it asks. The next day Kristi asks her mother to take them to her grandmother Lois' home but she refuses. After Julie encounters terrifying activity in the kitchen she agrees to go to Lois' home. Dennis sets up another camera in the new bedroom. Before bed, Kristi dresses up as a bride, and when asked who the groom is, replies "Toby", upsetting Julie, who never wants to hear that name again. At 1 am, they are awoken by the sound of a car pulling up outside. Julie says the noise is Lois, who has trouble sleeping. After hearing more disturbances, Julie goes to investigate. When she fails to return, Dennis goes to look for her. In the background the camera captures a shadowy female figure. Dennis returns and picks up the camera.
He calls out for Julie and the girls but there is no answer. Downstairs, Dennis notices a human silhouette behind a curtain. When he pulls back the curtain nothing is present, but the room he enters has strange imagery on the walls, including the symbol from the girls' room, which had been concealed beneath framed paintings. Noticing that the back door is open, Dennis goes outside to investigate. In the garage he discovers Lois and several other women, all dressed in black. Dennis flees back to the house, with the women in slow pursuit. In the house he finds Julie at the top of the stairs. As he approaches, he sees that she is levitating unconscious above the floor. Her body is thrown at Dennis, knocking him down the stairs. He picks himself up and sees Kristi, then retreats with her into a closet. Something growls and bangs on the door but eventually leaves.
Dennis and Kristi leave the closet. As they walk through the kitchen, Dennis sees women outside in the garden, circling around a bonfire. As they move into the next room they find Katie crying by Julie's body. He approaches Katie from behind slowly, and places his hand on her shoulder. Katie turns and unleashes an demonic scream that throws him to the other side of the room, injuring his leg. Katie runs away. Dennis tries to crawl toward Julie's body but Lois walks in front of him. As Lois looks down onto him, Dennis' body is suddenly and violently contorted, snapping backwards and killing him. Kristi reappears and goes to Lois, who beckons to Katie. As they head upstairs, Kristi calls to Toby. There is the sound of movement and a monstrous growl as the footage stops recording.
Cast
- Chloe Csengery as Katie
- Katie FeatherstonKatie Featherston-Life and career:Featherston was born in Texas. She attended James Bowie High School in Arlington, Texas and participated in numerous drama activities. She attended college at the Southern Methodist University where she studied acting...
as Adult Katie
- Katie Featherston
- Jessica Tyler Brown as Kristi
- Sprague GraydenSprague GraydenSprague Grayden is an American television, film and theater actress. She appeared in the television drama Jericho, playing schoolteacher Heather Lisinski.-Early life:Grayden was born in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts...
as Adult Kristi
- Sprague Grayden
- Lauren Bittner as Julie
- Christopher Nicholas Smith as Dennis
- Dustin Ingram as Randy Rosen
- Hallie FooteHallie FooteHallie Foote is an American actress.Born Barbarie Hallie Foote in New York City, the daughter of Lillian Vallish Foote and writer and director Horton Foote, she was raised in Nyack, New York and New Hampshire...
as Grandma Lois - Johanna BraddyJohanna BraddyJohanna Elizabeth Braddy is an American film and television actress, best known for being the voice-actor of character Princess Yue in Avatar: The Last Airbender and Jordan in the ABC Family television series Greek.-Early life:...
as Lisa, the babysitter
Production
Production on the film began in June 2011. The film was directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman (who both directed the documentary CatfishCatfish (film)
Catfish is a 2010 American documentary involving a young man being filmed by his brother and friend as he builds a romantic relationship with a young woman on the social networking website Facebook.-Plot:...
). Jason Blum, Steven Schneider and Oren Peli produced, along with Akiva Goldsman
Akiva Goldsman
Akiva J. Goldsman from Walker Valley, New York is an American screenwriter and film producer. He received an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for the 2001 film, A Beautiful Mind, which also won the Oscar for Best Picture....
serving as executive producer
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
. With a script written by Christopher B. Landon
Christopher B. Landon
Christopher Beau Landon is an American screenwriter best known as the writer of 2007 film Disturbia and as the son of filmmaker Michael Landon.-Career:...
, the prequel was released on October 21, 2011.
Once again using unique social media strategy after the success of the first two films, Paranormal Activity 3 created the "Tweet Your Scream" campaign on Twitter in preparation for the release.
Reception
The film had received generally mixed to slightly positive reception from critics. Review aggregator Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
reports that 67% of 102 critics have given the film a positive review, with a rating average of 5.9 out of 10. The website's consensus is, "While the jolts and thrills are undeniably subject to the diminishing returns that plague most horror sequels, Paranormal Activity 3 is a surprisingly spine-tingling treat." Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, gives the film a score of 59 based on 25 reviews. CinemaScore
CinemaScore
CinemaScore is a market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts based on the data.-Background:...
polls reported that the average grade moviegoers gave the film was a "C+" on an A+ to F scale. Conversely, Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
gave the film a single star out of four, stating that "the appeal has worn threadbare", but predicting that the film will fare well in the box office nevertheless.
Box office
The film performed even better than its predecessorParanormal Activity 2
Paranormal Activity 2 is a 2010 American supernatural horror film directed by Tod Williams and written by Michael R. Perry. The film is a parallel prequel to the 2007 film Paranormal Activity, beginning two months before and following up with the events depicted in the original film...
, grossing $8 million from midnight showings, setting yet another record for a horror film. Its total Friday gross was an estimated $26.2 million, which was the best opening day gross for a 2011 film since Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 is a 2011 epic fantasy film directed by David Yates and the second of two films based on the novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling. It is the eighth and final instalment in the Harry Potter film series, written by Steve Kloves and produced by David...
in July. Bringing its total to $52.6 million, it set a new record for the franchise, a horror film (Paranormal Activity 2, $40.6 million), a film released in October and for any film released in the fall (Jackass 3D
Jackass 3D
Jackass 3D is a 2010 American 3D comedy film and the fourth film in the Jackass series. It was released on October 15, 2010 by Paramount Pictures and MTV Films to American theaters and marked the 10th anniversary of the franchise, which started in 2000...
, $50.3 million). As of November 29, 2011, Paranormal Activity 3 has grossed $103,279,885 in the United States and Canada, with $97,000,000 in other countries bringing a worldwide total of $200,279,885 and making it the highest grossing film in the 'Paranormal Activity' series.