BlumFest Brings Paranormal Activity, Five Nights at Freddy's, and More Back to Theaters

Some of Blumhouse's most beloved titles are heading back to the big screen.

By Patrick Cavanaugh

As we inch closer and closer to Halloween, horror fans will be revisiting a number of their favorite films that get them into the spooky spirit, which likely include a number of films from Blumhouse Productions. In honor of the festivities, the studio is bringing some of their fan-favorite movies back to theaters on select dates at AMC Theatres locations, including Paranormal Activity, Happy Death Day, and Insidious: Chapter 2. This year's BlumFest will also include The Black Phone and Five Nights at Freddy's, making these screenings great opportunities to revisit frightening features that are confirmed to be getting sequels. You can head to AMC's BlumFest website to purchase your tickets at participating theaters.

The schedule of releases is as follows:

  • Wednesday, September 25th – Paranormal Activity 
  • Wednesday, October 2nd – Lights Out 
  • Wednesday, October 9th – Insidious: Chapter 2 
  • Wednesday, October 16th – Happy Death Day 
  • Wednesday, October 23rd – The Black Phone 
  • Wednesday, October 30th – Five Nights At Freddy's

"This whole month is a love letter to Halloween and our fans, and we're grateful to our partners at AMC for joining us for BlumFest, our annual October celebration of all things Blumhouse. I can't believe we're already celebrating the 15th anniversary of Paranormal Activity, because it feels like we're just getting started," Jason Blum, Founder and CEO of Blumhouse, shared in a statement.

"Though AMC entertains Blumhouse film fans year-round, the Halloween season makes horror movies even more fun," Elizabeth Frank, EVP of Worldwide Programming and Chief Content Officer at AMC Theatres, added. "We're excited to bring the BlumFest celebration to the big screen with fan-favorite movies and unique extra content."

Of all the films being featured in this year's BlumFest, Lights Out marks the only entry that was an entirely standalone experience that hasn't earned any follow-ups. The movie was directed by David K. Sandberg, which was based on a short film he made, with the filmmaker then making Annabelle: Creation before jumping into the world of superheroes with Shazam! and Shazam!: Fury of the Gods.

While movies like The Black Phone and Five Nights at Freddy's are getting sequels, this year's BlumFest is also slightly bittersweet, as it serves somewhat as a reminder that some beloved Blumhouse franchises have stagnated.

This year might mark the 15th anniversary of the release of Paranormal Activity, and while the series earned six sequels, the current status of the franchise is entirely unknown. The last entry, Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin, debuted exclusively on Paramount+ in 2021, with no substantial updates on another entry having emerged in the years since.

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Another screening that will frustrate fans is Happy Death Day, the 2017 slasher that saw a character being killed on her birthday, only to wake up that same morning to re-live the day's events as she tried to discover her murderer. The movie was a surprise hit, which earned it the 2019 sequel Happy Death Day 2U, though that film's underwhelming performance at the box office prevented it from getting a third entry, despite that sequel's post-credits scene setting up a trilogy.

BlumFest kicks off at AMC Theatres on September 25th.

Which movies will you be checking out on the big screen? Contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter or on Instagram to talk all things Star Wars and horror! 

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