Let’s be honest: even before Blum flat out dissed „Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin,“ the future of this franchise was getting pretty murky. Its latest entry, a Paramount+ exclusive, was poorly received by critics and audiences alike — just look to Rotten Tomatoes, where it didn’t manage to crack above 40% with either group. Audiences certainly haven’t lost their hunger for this particular brand of horror; we’ve recently seen it take on an entirely new form in screenlife movies, many of which still build off the formula that „Paranormal Activity“ introduced so well. The problem is that this franchise desperately needs some fresh ideas and has yet to find them.
In terms of future plans, „Paranormal Activity: The Other Side“ was set to arrive in 2022, but has since been delayed until next year, though few details about its plot or release have been revealed. Based on Blum’s words, it sounds like after this eighth film arrives, it might be a long while before Blumhouse breaks out the camcorders and eerie security footage again. But for you die-hard „Paranormal Activity fans,“ not all hope is lost. During the same conversation, Blum hinted that there may be a path forward by comparing the franchise to another recent Blumhouse project — the „Halloween movies.“ He said:
„With ‚Halloween,‘ we only had the rights to three movies, so we said: ‚Halloween Ends‘! It ends for Blumhouse, at least. With other things, you just have this feeling it’s time to put them to bed. It would come back if some director I love, like Scott Derrickson, said: ‚I have a great idea for a ‚Paranormal Activity‘ movie. But it’s not something I want to do [at the moment].“
Quick — someone tell Scott Derrickson to work on his „Paranormal Activity 9“ pitch!