Ghost Money Hunters: “Paranormal Activity 2″ Set
You won’t see shots like this in “Paranormal Activity 2: Road Trip!”
The Hollywood Reporter says that Paramount has put together a staff to make “Paranormal Activity 2.” Michael R. Perry will write the screenplay and Kevin Greutert will direct. The film is scheduled to be released on October 22nd.
The original “Paranormal Activity” was made by Oren Peli for $15,000 (Paramount put in some extra money to clean up the production side when it picked up the rights to the film) and has gone on to earn $151 million. Peli will act as a producer on the sequel. He says:
“These guys get it, and the fans won’t be disappointed.”
Really? Peli is currently in post-production on his own follow-up, “Area 51,” which undoubtedly cost more than $15,000.
The ”Paranormal Activity” is supposed to be part of a Paramount initiative to produce 10-20 films a year that have budgets of under $100,000, which, again, is well over the cost of the original “Paranormal.” Do you want to know why people were scared when watching “Paranormal Activity?” Because it was made so cheaply it looked like it could have been made on someone’s (someone like you) home video camera, and because the actors were complete unknowns who didn’t have a glossy Hollywood polish. In other words, they looked more like you, too. The sequel, whatever the storyline, will not have that quality, no matter how hard the experienced pros try. I’m not a horror expert, but I have friends who are, and they will guarantee you that the more money you put into a horror movie, the less scary it will become.
Fun note: Greutert made his directing debut with “Saw VI.” The next installment in that franchise will likely open the same weekend as “Paranormal Activity 2.”
