The Paranormal Activity movies are an American horror series with seven movies so far in the franchise. The series was created by Oren Peli and has been subject to mixed reviews amidst positive and negative reviews which the series have received over time. The first movie in the series was released in 2007, with the last one so far released in 2021.
The movie follows the story of a family that is haunted by demons that terrifies and murders several members of the family and even other bystanders. Each film follows at least one family member’s encounter with a demon and how it eventually possesses them and murders people.
The movies from the series appear to be filmed from production cameras set as security cameras to make the movies look like false footage. The series starts with Paranormal Activity in 2007 and the sixth one dropped in 2015 for Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension. Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin was released in 2021.
How Many Paranormal Activity Movies Are There?
Seven Paranormal Activity films chronicle the narrative of a nasty demon named Tobi through a succession of video cassettes, home security camera recordings, and digital records. The films span a period of 25 years. Below is a list of all paranormal activities movies in their release order:
- 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)
- Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin (2021)
However, following the story’s timeline, you can watch it 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)
- Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin (2021)
Paranormal Activity Movies In Order
If you’re looking to watch the Paranormal Activity series, you should either follow the pattern of release or the movie’s timeline. For the release order, you should start from the first installment with the same name, Paranormal Activity, released in 2007. The sequel to that is Paranormal Activity 2, which was released in 2010.
The Third part, Paranormal Activity 3, follows and was released in 2011. The fourth installment dropped in 2012 for Paranormal Activity 4. The other two movies from the series are Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones and Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension, which were released in 2014 and 2015 respectively. Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin was released in 2021, but it is a reboot of the franchise and it can be watched in whatever order.
Still, on this list, we will focus on Paranormal Activity movies in chronological order, so check it out below.
1. Paranormal Activity 3 (2011)
The film is the third entry in the Paranormal Activity series, however, it is the first chronologically in terms of events in the film. The tale of Kristi and Katie’s upbringing is told in this film, which serves as a prelude to the second episode. The story takes place in 1988 in California, where Kristi and Katie live with their mother, Julie, and Julie’s boyfriend, Dennis, a videographer.
It takes place in September 1988, approximately two decades before the first two films. The two girls were living with their mother, Julie, and her boyfriend, Dennis, at the time. Kristi begins to see visions of an imaginary companion named “Tobi,” who is actually the devil who would haunt the family for years to come.
It all begins when Dennis notices that unusual things have been happening since Kristi’s imaginary buddy, Tobi, came. Randy, a buddy, then advises him to install cameras throughout the house when Dennis informs him about filming during an earthquake in the house and noticing an unseen person in the footage.
Kristi later informs Tobi that they are no longer friends. Following that, Dennis discovers a symbol in the girls’ closet and recognizes the same sign in a demonology book. Kristi soon gets very unwell, and Julie and Dennis rush her to the hospital. Back at home, Katie and Randy are being assaulted by a dark figure who is hurling furniture around the room.
Randy tells Julie and Dennis what occurred when they get home, and Dennis explains that the sign from the girls’ closet is from a witches’ coven that tricked girls of child-bearing age to produce sons and then forced them to give it up later.
The devil attacks again, this time causing Katie damage, driving Kristi to do what it demands. She then instructs her mother to drive them to their grandmother’s house. Strange things occur, ending in the deaths of Dennis and Julie, but Lois, Katie, and Kristi appear to be OK.
This third film deftly weaves together the events of the previous chapters, depicting Katie and Kristi’s traumatic childhoods but still standing on its own (spectral) feet as a watchable horror picture in its own right. Its 1980s background also allows its creators to incorporate a Teddy Ruxpin toy in an accidental yet extremely spooky way. I’d always suspected those dreadful dolls couldn’t be trusted.
Even though it’s merely another discovered video film, and yet another in which the protagonist keeps his camera running no matter how horrible events unfold, Paranormal Activity 3 is without a doubt the most sweaty-palmed, pulse-quickening film you’ll ever see!
2. Paranormal Activity 2 (2010)
The events in Paranormal Activity 2 begin a few months before those of the first, but the two films mix together at the conclusion and become parallel to one another. That example, throughout the second film, there are discussions regarding Katie and Micah’s encounters with a supernatural presence.
The film follows a couple, Kristi and Daniel, whose home has just been “burgled” and wrecked. However, it appears that they did not enter their baby son, Hunter’s, bedroom, and the only item stolen was a necklace that Kristi received from her sister, Katie.
Martine, the house nanny, is persuaded that there are “bad spirits” in the house, so she burns sage to get rid of them. Daniel dismisses her since he doesn’t like the notion.
Kristi, who believes the house is haunted, tells Katie about being tormented as a youngster by a demon. Ali, Daniel’s daughter from a previous marriage, begins studying the bizarre happenings and discovers that when people make bargains with demons for anything, the demon typically delivers it to them in exchange for the soul of the firstborn son. Hunter was their family’s first boy born in the 1930s.
Soon after, weird incidents intensify, and the family’s dog, Abby, is assaulted by a demon and has a seizure. Kristi is also assaulted by a demon, who pulls her to the basement and takes possession of her.
When Daniel returns from taking Abby to the veterinarian with Ali, he notices a bite mark on Kristi’s leg as well as a film of Kristi’s attack, and he rehires Martina.
Martina then uses a crucifix to exorcise the demon, and Daniel decides to give it on to Katie so that his family will be secure. Katie enters the couple’s house the night after Micah is slain, murders Daniel and Kristi, and then takes Hunter with her.
The events of Paranormal Activity 2 begin up exactly where the original film left off in the last act. Katie murders Micah snaps Daniel’s neck and snatches baby Hunter before vanishing into the night. The devil has finally collected on the agreement it made decades ago, leaving fresh questions for future sequels.
Although the ’80s-set Paranormal Activity 3 is the fan-favorite sequel, it was Paranormal Activity 2 that took an incredibly simple plot, split it wide open, and turned it into a franchise.
3. Paranormal Activity (2007)
The first movie of the Paranormal Activity franchise was released in October of 2006. This film somewhat overlaps the second, with the events taking place during the concluding minutes of ‘Paranormal Activity 2’.
The film is based on a VHS video shot in 1988 that was taken from Kristi and Daniel’s home after Katie gave it to them. The film depicts a young Kristi, Katie, their mother, Julie, and her boyfriend, Dennis, and how they were visited by spirits. It all begins when Dennis notices that unusual things have been happening since Kristi’s imaginary buddy, Tobi, came.
Randy, a buddy, then advises him to install cameras throughout the house when Dennis informs him about filming during an earthquake in the house and noticing an unseen person in the footage.
Kristi later informs Tobi that they are no longer friends. Following that, Dennis discovers a symbol in the girls’ closet and recognizes the same sign in a demonology book. Kristi soon gets very unwell, and Julie and Dennis rush her to the hospital. Back at home, Katie and Randy are being assaulted by a dark figure who is hurling furniture around the room.
Randy tells Julie and Dennis what occurred when they get home, and Dennis explains that the sign from the girls’ closet is from a witches’ coven that tricked girls of child-bearing age to produce sons and then forced them to give it up later.
The devil attacks again, this time causing Katie damage, driving Kristi to do what it demands. She then instructs her mother to drive them to their grandmother’s house. Strange things occur, ending in the deaths of Dennis and Julie, but Lois, Katie, and Kristi appear to be OK.
The clip concludes with her hurling Micah into the camera and vanishing. Other possible endings exist, although they are not official to the franchise. As a result, this timeline matches the original theatrical conclusion, in which Micah dies and Katie vanishes.
4. Paranormal Activity 4 (2012)
The fourth edition in the franchise appears to be out of place and unimportant to the plot, as it is set in November of 2011.
It picks up after demon-possessed Katie murders her sister, Kristi, and her husband, Daniel, while kidnapping their son, Hunter. Katie has yet to be located in 2011. However, a new family has settled in Nevada and has become the subject of the film. Alex lives with her father, Doug, her mother, Holly, and her younger brother, Wyatt.
Following a series of bizarre happenings, Alex, with the assistance of her boyfriend, Ben, installs cameras throughout the house. They have a neighbor called Robbie who is staying at Alex’s house while her mother is in the hospital.
Wyatt reveals Robbie’s imaginary acquaintance to Alex one day. He also informs Ben and Alex about meeting this individual while flashing a green sign on his back. Later in the film, it is revealed that Robbie’s mother’s name is Katie and that Robbie is actually Hunter.
As time passes, odd incidents continue, and one night, Alex discovers tape from the home in which Katie tells Wyatt she will wait until he is ready. When she tries to show her parents the tape, she discovers that it has been destroyed, much to her amazement.
Doug and Alex go out to supper the next night, and when they return, Ben and Holly have been tragically murdered. Doug is also slain as he tries to track down Wyatt and Holly, whom he believes he saw. Alex is subsequently attacked by other ladies as she attempts to flee Katie. The camera falls and the recording ceases as she gets closer to Alex.
Small beams of light from a video gaming system form an unsettling star field in a gloomy environment in one particularly striking visual motif.
In many respects, “Paranormal Activity 4” is one huge setup, leading to a single, predictable what’s-behind-you jump fright and then a riotous ending — one that hints deeper mythology, opening the door (but, of course, for another sequel).
5. Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones (2014)
The fifth film in the series is officially a spin-off and takes place in 2012, following the events of ‘Paranormal Activity 4’. For the first time in the series, the film is set in a Latino village, where a group of youngsters discovers a mystery cult that has “marked” one of them.
It begins in 2012, when Jesse, a high school graduate, lives in California with his father, Cesar, and grandmother, Irma. Hector is one of his friends. When they learn of the murder of a lady named Ana, who is thought to be a witch, they notice their classmate, Oscar, fleeing the scene, making him a suspect.
Jesse and Hector, two pals, then enter Ana’s apartment to investigate, only to find magic artifacts and other objects, such as a spelling notebook. Jesse, Hector, and another buddy, Marisol, test out a ritual in Jesse’s apartment only to see staged events. One night, the three friends are also having a chat with an unknown entity.
Later on, Jesse discovers a bite mark on his arm and learns that he possesses superhuman abilities. He soon meets Oscar, who warns him about having something inside him that would allow him to destroy those he cares about, and then Oscar commits suicide.
At Ana’s apartment, whispers from a trap door entice him, and he sees the younger Katie and Kristi before being attacked by a force. After that, he begins to become black, as Oscar predicted. His pals, Hector and Marisol, who are now concerned, seek assistance from Oscar’s brother, Arturo, who assists them in locating Ali, who has researched the demons.
From there, they discover the presence of a coven of witches known as “The Midwives,” urge them not to allow Jesse to become totally possessed, and give them an address where the last ceremony is due to take place.
To assist, Irma attempts to cleanse Jesse, but he knocks her down the steps. Jesse is subsequently abducted after attempting to harm his buddies. Hector and Marisol travel to the location that happens to be Lois’ residence with the assistance of Arturo and Arturo’s friend, Santo.
They walk in to try to halt the ceremony, but Hector appears to be the only one who lives as the others are slaughtered. As he flees from Jesse, who is now chasing him, he passes through a door that transports him back in time to Micah and Katie’s home.
He attempts to gain Katie’s attention, and when it appears that he has failed, Katie sees him and believes he is an intruder and tries to assault him, but it is Micah who is stabbed. Jesse emerges as he attempts to flee, and he drops his camera amid what appears to be a murder scene. The camera is then switched off by one of the witches.
There are some amusing touches. Instead of an Ouija board, like in the original film, the evil force seeking to take control of Jesse communicates using an ancient Simon electronic toy. It’s a little horror-movie gibberish, but it’s more ridiculous than scary.
In terms of scares, “The Marked Ones” pulls out all the stops. Of course, the series had already ratcheted up the fear factor, progressively undermining original writer-director Oren Peli’s excellent restraint in favor of an ever-increasing level of explicitness.
6. Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension (2015)
Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension, expected to be the franchise’s final entry, was released in 2015, although is set in 2013. The film begins with a scene from the conclusion of Paranormal Activity 3, set in 1988, in which Katie and Kristi watch as a strange force crushes Dennis’ spine.
Grandma Lois leads the girls upstairs as the creature steals the camera. A guy tells the girls about “Toby” and how vital they are to his plan. Ryan Fleege, his wife Emily, and their six-year-old daughter Leila are preparing to spend Christmas twenty-five years later in 2013 when Ryan’s brother Mike comes in after splitting up with his girlfriend.
- RELATED: 30 Best Indie Horror Movies
Skylar joins them and observes Leila chatting to an imaginary buddy named Toby. Mike discovers a box of old videotapes dated from 1988 to 1992.
The videos show a young Kristi and Katie with their mother and her lover Dennis in 1988, while others from 1992 show the two exercising magical skills with the strange man at Lois’ residence.
Ryan and Mike discover that the girls appear to be aware of their presence: they can predict Ryan and Mike’s every move as the duo concurrently watch the video…
7. Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin (2021)
Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin is the seventh installment and a reboot of the Paranormal Activity series.
The film follows a young woman trying to discover what happened with her mother, who disappeared years ago, until she discovers a terrifying truth about her mother’s past.
Do You Need To Watch Paranormal Activity Movies In Order?
The Paranormal Activity films are linked, and the series includes prequels, Jumps, flashbacks to the past to explain the tale, and subplots. As a result, it is important to see Paranormal Activity movies in order.
Will There Be More Paranormal Activity Movies?
As previously stated, there is a new Paranormal Activities episode called Next of Kin. The seventh installment of the Paranormal Activity franchise will be the first since 2015’s ‘Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension.’ A documentary on the franchise is also in the works, in addition to this newest installment.