In 2006, the most popular horror film series was "Saw", films simply about torture and gore extreme. Audiences may be tired of this old story of people being torn apart in the most horrific ways possible, so why not do the exact opposite and capitalize on it? “Paranormal Activity” is a very pathetic excuse for a new horror series. First released in 2007, the film centered around the idea that there was a ghost or "demon" haunting an unsuspecting couple, who would eventually kill at least one of them. This idea isn't original, but it still could have made a decent horror film. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay However, with the use of the now new popular horror subgenre called "found footage" and the lack of an interesting plot, the film failed to live up to the hype. Yet somehow, 5 additional films managed to be produced over the next few years until 2015, becoming the new "Saw", as all but one of the films were released by the end of October to get additional Halloween revenue. So why might a poorly written franchise have such a popular audience (if you can call it that) or people who are more than willing to shell out money as soon as a new movie hits theaters? Based on the way "Paranormal Activity" was advertised, how it made the "found footage" subgenre more popular, the way it uses cheap jump scares as a replacement for actual horror, perpetuates the Using stereotypes and capitalizing on the idea that sequels are necessary for horror, the series became one of the most popular horror franchises from the late 2000s to the early 2010s. Today , the biggest and most important factor in generating interest in a series is advertising, and Hollywood never turns a blind eye to how much advertising they can pump out to the public. However, with "Paranormal Activity," the way the film was presented was a little more unique than most standard trailers and TV spots. The way it was announced involved both of the previously mentioned elements, but with a slight difference. Basically, the trailers didn't actually show the film, hiding its mediocrity, and instead focused on showing a cinema absolutely terrified to watch the film, with a night camera used to create a more scary. This unique version of the presentation made all the difference in how the film was perceived. They didn't tell the classic series to create hype for the film. People can understand that other people are scared, and if the theater was screaming, they certainly would be too and have a good time doing it if they went to see this movie. This is probably the smartest decision the franchise has made in its entirety. Since no one knew how the films would turn out, they blindly believed that theater was an honest-to-God reaction to “scary moments.” And it should be mentioned that these trailers would be released around Halloween. Most horror films that plan to become popular depend on the excitement of Halloween to generate revenue. Previous examples are "Saw", "Halloween" and many others, as it would make sense to put the audience in the spirit of the spooky season. The ads had such an impact on those who had never heard of “ParanormalActivity,” and without them, the film probably wouldn’t have generated as much revenue as it did. The use of non-standard advertising is certainly one of the things that the producers of the series are most proud of. One of the main reasons “Paranormal Activity” is so popular is because it makes good use of “found footage.” First used in 1999 with the film "The Blair Witch Project", the term "found footage" has gained popularity. Even though "The Blair Witch Project" has become popular in recent years, when it came out, people were more upset that it wasn't as real as they thought. Enter “Paranormal Activity” to change the face of the subgenre. Even though "Paranormal Activity" had the same claim to fame as "The Blair Witch Project", saying it was based on a true story, the way the camera work was done and the most satisfying ending with the warning that it was a fake. from the beginning, this gave it a greater impact. The footage looked even more real, as it had better angles thanks to multiple cameras instead of the single one used in "The Blair Witch Project." “Paranormal Activity” had fundamentally changed the face of “found footage” by using the multiple-camera approach, which then inspired more “found footage” films as it became a much more immersive experience for the moviegoer. Now, why is “found footage” used so much more today than before? Simple, it saves producers a lot of money. By going for a "cheaper" look using simpler camera work and less flashy shots, this allows a film to be made for much less than normal. Hollywood, as a money thief, has been using this technique ever since they realized they could make more money with less work. Of course, this doesn't mean a movie will be bad because it costs less to make, but it might motivate the people working on the project to save money elsewhere, like having good actors or a well-written plot . This is where “Paranormal Activity” falls unfortunately, but as is what happened to the franchise, efforts were made in other parts of the film to do better. Unfortunately for the series, the "horror" it uses isn't exactly good. horror. Jump scares are used constantly throughout the "Paranormal Activity" series, and they're the only thing that works. There is a “mystery” behind all these disturbances, all these demons and everything else, but that is not what scares the public. The scariest moments are when a character is in the dark and is completely silent, in which a loud noise breaks in and annoys everyone. This is the extent of “terror” in films. This is the cheapest and least creative way to “scare” the public. This also leads to moments in the film being rather forgettable. Because only jumpscares are used, it cannot be determined which part of the film would scare them the most. Compared to films like "Halloween" where there is constant fear in the audience, "Paranormal Activity" has no chain of fear throughout the film, only flourishing through the insignificant scares that only create 'a slight acceleration of the heart briefly. to have your heart pounding during long and important parts of the film. This could easily be called a downgrade from what horror films had used before. Horror films have of course evolved like all other genres to reflect the fears of the times. In the early 1900s, monster movies were the most popularwidespread, with classic monsters like Frankenstein and Dracula. This has changed to the more popular films like the aforementioned "Halloween", which are more of the slasher genre, being afraid of a killer on the loose who, for whatever reason, refuses to die. And now we have a brand of horror that is lazier and uses jump scares these days. This is why “Paranormal Activity” cannot be considered a good horror series, nothing remains in the minds of the audience when it is released. No one will actually remember these types of films in years to come, unlike classic monster or slasher scares, because these new types of horror films are not memorable, which is quite sad because the films had the scare potential that could frighten the viewer. Forever. Like Hollywood, a horror film or series wouldn't be complete if it didn't contain the stereotypical white suburban white family. Everyone jokes that white people are always used in horror movies because only white people would stay in a haunted house or woods or wherever the place of danger is and I think that's okay. This joke was created because horror films usually only contain white families or friends who don't use common sense. “Paranormal Activity” is no different. In the first movie there is a white couple arguing about using a camera and nothing interesting until the boyfriend dies because of a ghost demon. The second film features a white family with a father who doesn't believe in the existence of a ghost demon until his mother is possessed. The third film is about the women of the first two films and their childhood in the white family in the 80s and no one. believes the girls' mother's boyfriend about the same ghost demon. The fourth film is about another white family who simply accepts a strange acting out child who allows the ghost demon to torment and kill the family. It may seem like it's the same story, that white people don't always believe the same thing. It gets very boring very quickly. Now, with such poor writing, it probably wouldn't matter if there were people of color instead of whites, but surprisingly the fifth film breaks the norm of these films by using a Hispanic family. But obviously they too were stereotypical, living in a poorer, more dangerous area, but unlike the white families, they are genuinely concerned once they realize what is happening. So why add a different perspective of the demon into a horror series focused on the white family? Producers wanted to have a wider audience for their low-rated films. Not to please the white population, but the Hispanic population. This half-hearted attempt to attract more people into the audience makes some people think the show is racist. There's no real reason to change who owns these hauntings, as the fifth film barely relates to the other four. It was just to take money from non-white people. This reaches a whole new level for horror, and these stereotypes quickly go from cliché to insulting, and this could be another reason why only one more film was released in the series, putting the final nail in the coffin . So, despite all these flaws, why can an audience member enjoy such bland horror? Of course any movie can become a guilty pleasure, something that is absolutely rotten can be loved by some people, but this series is still begging for more movies to be released. Maybe..