'Paranormal Activity 3' Gets 2011 Release Date!

[Admiral_Young]

The ending and origin of the entity was interesting. I don't know if it resembled anything from a previous movie though...especially not having seen the film that Ethros mentioned. I kind of called it just not exactly as it was portrayed. I agree, we haven't touched no the girls performances. They were terrific. The little girl is Katie I believe, she's the younger of the two sisters as was established in the second movie. At least I think so.

 

[Ethros]

Kristy is the younger one, Katie the older

I found this link over at BOM and the link FULLY lays out the plot points in ALL 3 films to date.

Just wanna say that's GREAT article. As I too haven't seen PA1 or PA2 since they came out in cinemas, that was a great read.
Obviously I can't say if the filmmakers are thinking the same thing, but from that it would likley a sequel could take place in 1992

And I'd forgotten about the lines of the demon wanting the first born son after its deal and so on. So in a way you could say there isn't need to follow up on what happens after the end of PA2, as the demon has what it wants now. But still I wouldn't mind seeing Ali or someone going to rescue baby Hunter, proton packs loaded

 

[Admiral_Young]

I know I screwed up their ages...thanks for the correction.

 

[Ethros]

I went to see this on my own this afternoon (my cinema is always dead on an afternoon so there's usually just me and like 3 other people in there when I do it) to guarantee I'd see it.


But I now need to convince my ladyfriend to come see it too. She saw the first one when it came out and scared her half to death. She actually bought the second one on DVD when it was in the bargain bin, but won't dare watch it. Ha. I need to get her to watch that and then get her to come see the new one too... it's gonna be tough

 

[Admiral_Young]

The first movie is the only movie that genuinely scared me. There have been scary moments in the following two but nothing to match the first film. I think they need to stop just having freak out moments and go back to capturing that moody freaky atmosphere.

 

[Captain Craig]

Yeah, I've just gone back and watched that full trailer near the start of this thread. Ha, pretty much all of it isn't in the film!
I wonder if they were just filmed to lure us in, or are gonna be deleted scenes on the DVD, or on an Extended/directors cut thing.

Thanks for the reminder. I went back and watched that also and it was good.
I can see where cutting out the scene of young Kristi tossing water on Tobey to reveal him would change the movie dynamic. If Julie had had that experience at that point in the movie then the reveal of the kitchen drop latter on might not have been the same. I think the scene with the 'specialist' getting head banged on the kitchen table likely happened not long after that...assuming there is a directors cut and not just scenes shot only for a trailer.

Speaking of new hotties I think Julie the mom(Lauren Bittner) was quite striking. Katie herself though(Katie Featherston) has a few nice pics up on her IMDB page. I don't see the babysitter listed on IMDB at all sadly.

 

[Admiral_Young]

I have had a crush on Katie Featherston from the moment I saw her...I liked Sprague Grayson as well who plays Kristie. I didn't think much of Julie but that's just me I guess. I just am gaga about Katie lol.

 

[Ethros]

Right from the very first trailer too, was the scene of the two sisters playing Bloody Mary, as opposed to Katie and that Randy guy in the final film.
Wonder if that was just a 'trailer fake out', or an alternate version. I can't see it being a deleted scene; ha I doubt Katie would want to play that again after the time with Randy.

Edit- actually, maybe it took place before that, and nothing happened when K & K did it so she wanted to try it again



I haven't seen it, but isn't the PA2 DVD billed as an "extended edition"? Wouldn't surprise me then if the PA3 one is too

 

[Captain Craig]

Speaking of Randy the friends I saw it with were discussing who is doing the filming, at least the house fire seen in that second trailer.

What was your opinion on Randy's relationship with Dennis? Was it just an employer/employee? Dennis used Randy to help film weddings etc OR was it ALSO that they were friends? Cause despite how Randy got the hell out of there if he considered Dennis a friend it could be Randy that is doing the filming. A type of follow-up when he doesn't hear from Dennis then catches wind of the fire on TV. At least if it was Randy you wouldn't have to explain how 'yet another' person is wanting to film things. Randy already has that fixation.

Still that would only cover the house fire, what about the 1992 tapes. Not like Randy is going to stick around for 4 years or that whoever has the girls would allow it. So are we looking at yet again a fourth person that needs a McGuffin for filming household events? Remember the McGuffin in PA2 was the apparent home invasion.

 

[archeryguy1701]

I'm hoping to see the third one this weekend, but I wanted to comment on.....

The first movie is the only movie that genuinely scared me. There have been scary moments in the following two but nothing to match the first film. I think they need to stop just having freak out moments and go back to capturing that moody freaky atmosphere.

I agree completely. The thing I loved (and the first several times I saw it, hated) about the first movie was the fact that I felt it was genuinely scary. It was subtle, it was "moody" and it built up quite nicely. It felt like the second one seemed like it tossed all that out in favor of LOUD NOISES!!!! To be honest, I was more scared going into the second movie than I was coming out!

For something else I'm hoping the new movie improves on.... the only thing in the second movie that was more disappointing than the change in "strategy" was how they tried to tie the stories together. It just didn't work for me and trying to glue to pieces together was just painful. I'm hoping the third movie ties into the first two a little bit more smoothly.

 

[Admiral_Young]

Okay I finally read the article that Craig posted above and man was it awesome. It essentially breaks down the films and focuses on just the arc involving the girls and the demon Toby. These films are delving into nasty piece of business and have managed to establish it's own mythology while playing around with horror tropes and paranormal legends and clichés (not the term I wanted to use but I suppose it will do until someone is able to come up with another one). which is why I'm a big fan of the movies.

Now then spoilers will follow in this post...I believe that the grandmother took the girls upstairs to perform some kind of brainwashing or conditioning ritual. This is why both the girls memories of this incident are erratic and incomplete. Hunter I believe is the key element into freeing Katie of what has been done to both of them. Ali I think should be set up as the heroine of the fourth film since she is from another family entirely. She's not prone to the demon pact Lois and her witches have made with Toby. I think "Paranormal Activity 4" needs to focus on Ali researching ways to stop Toby and break the pact and cultivate allies at the same time saving her sister from Toby's possession.

The thing is though if Oren Peli and whoever writers this next movie wanted to...it could end tragically instead of heroically. Peli stated that he made the first film because he was inspired by things that scared him as a child. I happen to think these films aren't meant to end with a happy ending. Katie could be killed as well...and Hunter saved by Ali. I really don't know how to resolve this particular plot point but it does need to be resolved and I will be personally upset if they do not resolve it.

 

[Ethros]

It's funny how it really has become the new Saw. First in that there will be seemingly endless sequels with one out every year at Halloween. Yet also in that the "horror" aspect of it gets all the attention, but it's the story that will drive the fans back.

I always felt with Saw, by the third or fourth one, it was the ongoing plot of the 'bad guys'- Jigsaw, Amanda, Hoffman, and Jill Tuck, and the detectives on their case was a major part in what the fans went for, and not just to see some more blood & guts.
As opposed to say ongoing sequels to horror franchises like Halloween, Friday the 13th, Hellraiser, Nightmare on Elm Streets, etc, that are basically just the same shtick repeated in every movie, but getting progressively worse with each one.


So with PA, yeah the scares are fun. But it's the whole Katie-Kristy-Hunter-Toby etc story as to why I'm looking forward to PA4

 

[Captain Craig]

Glad you guys liked the article, thought you might.
The idea of Ali becoming the hero to save her young brother is a daring idea Admiral. Would they do that though or is that another "horror trope" such as Lori Strode or Sydney in the Scream films having a teen girl is the hero?

I feel like that would be a closing chapter and that they are likely to explore those tapes marked 1992. Clearly a recasting is in order. So if they do the '92 tapes we will have a third set of actresses playing Katie and Kristi.

It is the character growth/arc I'm enjoying as much as anything. Interesting Ethros talks about that in SAW as I never stuck around long enough to really see that unfolding by the 3/4 films. I just lost interest in those early.

 

[Ethros]

Yeah the general story in Saw I-III isn't overly played, but after the reveal of the new villain at the end of IV, they do become quite arc heavy for V-VII.

Basically in each Saw film there are two plots, one of the person playing the game with all the blood and guts, and the other of the arc plot.
With all the various characters and the interconnecting flashbacks throughout each film (a lot of the time expanding on scenes in other films) a newbie could watch and follow the horrific "game" story, but I think they'd be pretty lost by jumping into the arc plot.




You know, I really enjoyed PA3, so this isn't a major criticism. But after I saw the first two, I went to bed that night, turned off the lights... and my mind wandered to the movie I'd just seen. And damn it if I didn't want to turn the light on! And be getting nervous if I heard some random noise from downstairs.

In fact I remember after seeing the first one, I had to take a leak in the middle of the night, and our bathroom is downstairs. So I went down, still thinking of that damn movie. It was really dark, I did my business, and as I came out of the bathroom I heard some weird sound from the living room. Now I'm sure it was just a normal house noise, but man it scared me half to death. I almost ran upstairs to go back to bed!

Anyway, with PA3 I didn't get that at all. It kinda seemed in this movie a lot of the scares were more about the suspense (awaiting what that moving fan-camera would show us next) than actual jumps. Thinking about it the demon/Toby didn't really do that much freaky shit in this one as in the other two.



Also a minor irritation- why didn't the (hot) babystitter tell them about what happened to her? It wasn't like they wouldn't believe her or think she was crazy, it was all there on the cameras. You think they might want to know "oh by the way your house is haunted." And that scene of her looking into Toby's cupboard "lair." I wonder what she saw?

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

I've been very fortunate with these movies in regards to the audiences I was with, and this one was no exception. The movies are repetitive at this point, and I don't really feel a need to revisit them on video, but they're huge fun in the theater.

I had a blast seeing this one.

 

[Admiral_Young]

@Craig...I don't know if it would be a daring idea if they made Ali the main character and heroine. In fact in thinking about the generational aspect of these movies I think it is perfect sense. The first one gave us Katie and Micha who were a young couple in their mid-twenties. The second movie introduced us to Kristi and her husband. The third has gone back into the past when the girls were little and shown us their grandmother. I think it is a perfect theme to have Ali be the central character in the fourth film. Hitting all of those age demographics.

I can't think of anything else with regards to resolve the main arc. Ali and Hunter are the key to breaking this demonic pact. I am sure of that. I hope Peli and the screenwriter will recognize this fact as well. They're at a crossroads. Do we reward our loyal audience who have made these films possible by giving them a payoff to our original story line? Or do they risk alienating them with another story line? I also hope they bring back the directors for the fourth.

 

[jefferiestubes8]

Re: 'Paranormal Activity 3' and earlier films

I watched the original Paranormal Activity this week on Netflix streaming for the first time. No 5.1 surround sound.
I thought it worked even with the muffled audio from the microphone on the camera. With a budget of $15,000. it was scarier than The Blair Witch Project which was shot for around $30,000. I believe in 1999 (plus another $30k in promoting the TBWP film). Also P.A. did not have as much shakiness as the kids running around with the camera in TBWP.
I've been told that the Paranormal Activity 2 is a better film but that I had to see the first one first. I was able to guess where the plot was going too many times. The actors were pretty good and gave a realistic image of a couple living together with the arguments and all. The doctor seemed very phony and contrived especially with the 2nd visit. They should have done some more takes and gotten a better more believable performance out of him...
The last act of the film had some scary moments with the sound design and the practical effects.
With the Netflix streaming I stopped the film a number of times and watched the last 20 minutes a day later so I did ruin the pacing myself...
I'm guessing there wasn't a heck of a difference in the 5.1 and 2.0 surround sound with the first film with that budget.
Perhaps the 2nd film has a better 5.1 surround sound design & mix? I'll borrow the DVD to find out.
Last week in 10 cinemas in the US Regal Cinemas screened all 3 films back to back in chronological order.
I heard that part 3 was a prequel so I'll see how the 2nd one is before I want to commit.

 

[Obiwanshinobi]

Why even commit? They're all pretty much the same. Go watch 2 and 3. Knock it out in a weekend if you can.

 

[Admiral_Young]

^ They're not really the same in terms of the arc. Perhaps in the scare tactics and the film structure of the films, I'll grant you that.

"Paranormal Activity 2" is generally considered by hardcore fans inferior to the first one until the ending of the movie. I know I was immensely disappointed by it and not scared at all, in fact I laughed out loud at a lot of the "scary bits" and I almost never do that in a horror movie. The third is an improvement.

 

[Mike Farley]

I'd say 2 and 3 are about equal in the not-scary-even-a-little department. PA3 suffers from a terrible ending.