26 Years After the First Movie, the New Paranormal Activity Is Finally Returning to Its Roots

It’s a new era at Paramount Pictures after their merger with Skydance, and there’s a renewed interest in several previous franchise staples. That includes the 2000’s powerhouse horror franchise Paranormal Activity, which is being produced by James Wan’s Atomic Monster and Blumhouse, and now the film is looking to get even closer to its roots with its choice of director.

According to THR, the new Paranormal Activity film from Atomic Monster and Blumhouse will be directed by Ian Tuason. Tuason is a Canadian filmmaker who has a history in live-action virtual reality horror shorts, and they have proved to be incredibly popular, drawing in millions of views on YouTube and a showcase spotlight at SXSW. Tuason also won the audience award for his latest feature, The Undertone, at the Fantasia International Film Festival, which then led to a bidding war that A24 ultimately won.

Ian Tuason Is Perfect For The Paranormal Activity Franchise

The more you learn about Tuason’s work, the more he seems to be a perfect fit for the Paranormal Activity franchise. Tuason’s work with virtual reality horror shorts is a great fit for what made the original Paranormal Activity film so memorable, playing on all of your senses and what you don’t see as much as what you do see.

That goes tenfold for The Undertone, which is Tuason’s new horror film that is all about paranormal activity that highlights the impact of sound. The film utilizes sound in truly unique and haunting ways, taking the lead character and viewers through a continually more frightening and eerie journey as she listens to a set of recordings after moving in to care for her mother.

The ability to create a sense of terror by playing on the senses and not necessarily showing you the terror directly is part of what made the original film so effective, and Tuason seems to know exactly how to bring that sense of eeriness to his projects. With James Wan and Blumhouse fully on board and supporting the relaunch, this seems like a brilliant pairing that could bring a new wave of popularity to the franchise.

That also means potential profits, as the original film had a tiny budget of $15,000 but brought in over $194 million at the box office. Since that initial release, there have been seven films in the franchise, with the last film in the franchise released in 2021.

The new Paranormal Activity currently has no release date.

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