Few horror franchises have had as astronomical a rise and fall as Paranormal Activity, the collection of found footage horror films that helped define Blumhouse in the production company’s early days and has since become an oversaturated remnant of the past. The franchise calls on the allure of low-budget found footage films like The Blair Witch Project and was initially marketed as too scary to watch, simply advertising by showing clips of audiences’ terrified reactions to early screenings. Originally produced on a mere $15,000 budget, the first film would spur on one of the top 10 highest-grossing horror franchises of all time, as well as several less memorable sequels — with one exception.
