15 Recent Horror Movies Destined To Become Halloween Essentials

It's safe to say Paranormal Activity 2was a bit of a dud. Attempts to make a cross narrative, tying in the events of the original, didn't quite work. It took some cupboard doors slamming (the only scare) to actually wake a lot of viewers up. It's a bit of a miracle, then, that the franchise still had some malaise left in it. That's all thanks to this superb trilogy topper.

Taking a prequel format, going back to when Katie and Kristi were children of the eighties, helming duo Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman have gone back to what made the original so effective - they've made it scary.

The multi-camera format works much better than last time, with chunky cameras of the time set up around the house to catch the sprints at work. It's rich pickings for the Catfish directors to pull off some jumpy moments, with highlights being a cupboard locking moment that makes you want to curl up into a ball and, in a scene that will be talked about for years to come, a brutal hair yank that comes from nowhere. This is a suburban ghost story done very well and will contribute to some sleepless Halloween nights to come.