'Paranormal Activity 7' Brings Back Writer Christopher Landon
Christopher Landon, who wrote Paranormal Activity 2 through 5 (and directed 5, too) is returning to the franchise for the new film – the seventh in the series. Not much is known about Paranormal Activity 7, but it's safe to assume the movie will involve found-footage and also things going bump in the night. It's currently slated for a March 19, 2021 release date.
During an interview with The Evolution of Horror, Blumhouse head honcho Jason Blum dropped the following news regarding Paranormal Activity 7:
"We are doing a new Paranormal Activity. We have Chris Landon, who wrote almost all of them, he directed one of them, he's really kind of the showrunner of the Paranormal Activity. series, and he's coming up withParanormal Activity 7. Which is not the title of the movie, but it is the seventh Paranormal Activity."
However, Landon himself was quick to jump on Twitter and add that he's only "helping out" with the script, not writing it:
I wanted to clarify something about my involvement in the new Paranormal Activity movie. I am helping my friends and co-collaborators at Paramount set a new course for the franchise. I AM NOT writing the script nor am I directing the new movie.
— christopher landon (@creetureshow) March 3, 2020
Landon wrote Paranormal Activity 2, 3, 4, and the fifth entry, Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones, which he also directed. Landon also directed the two Happy Death Day films, and directed the second, Happy Death Day 2U. He also has a body-swap horror movie on the horizon. With his proven track record with Blumhouse, bringing him back to write this new Paranormal Activity movie certainly makes sense (although I personally would be much more excited if he were making a new Happy Death Day movie instead).
Paranormal Activity is the film that more or less put Blumhouse on the map, and Blumhouse has only grown bigger and more powerful since then. As a franchise, the series is...okay. The first film holds up, and I have a soft-spot for part 2. But the franchise's mythology started to get needlessly complicated over time, and the most recent entry – 2015's Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension – was rather bad.
So, is there really any ectoplasm left in the tank for this series? I'd argue that a fresh start – one that jettisons all the mythology of the other movies and takes things back to basics – would probably be the wisest move here. But that's just my humble opinion! Do whatever you think is best, Christopher Landon.