10 Best Horror Movie Prequels

5. Paranormal Activity 3

Ouija Origin of Evil
Universal Pictures

Both the second and third Paranormal Activity movies are technically prequels, but it's PA3 that wins out here.

Oren Peli's original Paranormal Activity was a huge success upon its formal release in 2009. For over two years, there had been insane buzz around this picture, with several different versions of the film having made their way online and wowed horror hounds - as shown by how Paranormal Activity made a return of nearly $200 million from a budget that barely topped $200,000.

The first three films in the franchise were all great in their own particular way, with the series sadly tailing off in quality by the time of Paranormal Activity 4 and beyond.

Where Paranormal Activity 3 particularly shines, though, is in how it fully showcases the relationship between Katie and Kristi - the two siblings who each had their own respective adult lives showcased in Paranormal Activity (for Katie) and Paranormal Activity 2 (for Kristi).

Released in 2011, PA3 goes back in time to explore the younger years of these sisters, Kristi's "imaginary friend" Tobi, witches covens, and how the events of the first two Paranormal Activity pictures were first put in motion.

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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.