10 Horror Movie Sequels That Had No Right To Be This Good
3. Paranormal Activity 3
By their very nature, sequels tend to operate under a law of diminishing returns. These follow-ups exist because an initial idea proved to be successful, and thus that concept is expanded on and revisited in future films, usually in a way that sees that base kernel of the franchise become less special.
With the Paranormal Activity series, the second film very much fit in with the above logic. The original movie was a belter which caught the imagination of horror hounds across the globe and reinvigorated the long-stagnant found footage subgenre, and the second PA offering was decent but nowhere near as good as its predecessor.
Traditionally, Paranormal Activity 3 would've been worse than PA2 and would've been followed by more sequels that got progressively sh*tter with each passing entry. Surprisingly, this threequel proved to be a fantastic, harrowing effort which manages to equal the quality and terror of Oren Peli's 2007 original.
Technically, the third Paranormal Activity is actually a prequel, but don't let that get in the way of it being included here in this sequels list. Plot-wise, directors Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman spotlight the younger days of sisters Katie and Kristi - the focus of Paranormal Activity and Paranormal Activity 2, respectively - and explore their first interactions with the demonic presence that's tormented them in adulthood.
The scares, the ominous sense of dread, and the inventive ways of framing this story make for a thoroughly disturbing watch.