History Film / ParanormalActivity

* ApocalypticLog: Every movie.

* EldritchAbomination: Guess.

* VoluntaryShapeshifting: According to WordOfGod, the bird-like footprints shown are not necessarily indicative of the demon's true form. It just simply chooses the footprints to appear that way.

* TooDumbToLive: The psychic and Katie repeatedly warn Micah against communicating with/antagonising whatever is in the house. Micah decides to spread talcum powder around, buy a Ouija board, and yells at the demon to do its worst. And to top it all off, he takes Katie's crucifix, the one thing remaining that could've given her any protection from the demon, and ''throws it in the fireplace''. By the time he realises that antagonising the demon is a bad idea, it's already too late.

* ShoutOut: In the original European mythology, demons were depicted as having as the feet of birds, and bird footprints show up in the talcum powder Micah sprinkles on the floor. They were given cloven hooves when the Church attempted to demonize pagan gods like Pan.

* ItsAllAboutMe: Micah is more concerned about the demon haunting what he considers his than for Katie's safety. In the end, when the hauntings have begun to truly take their toll on Katie's emotional well being, he grows out of it. [[spoiler:At this point however it's too late because Katie had started the beginning phase of being possessed.]]

* ItsAllAboutMe: Micah is more concerned about the demon haunting what he considers his than for Katie's safety. In the end when the hauntings have begun to truly take their toll on Katie's emotional well being he grows our of it. [[spoiler:at this point however it's too late because Katie had started the beginning phase of being possessed.]]

* GenreBlind: Micah.

%% Under no circumstances put the name of a trope in a trope entry in spoiler tags. If the trope name on its own is a spoiler, either don't add the example to begin with or embed it as a pothole from another example. See Administrivia/HandlingSpoilers for details.

%%
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[[caption-width-right:370:''[[TagLine What happens when you sleep?]]'']]

* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Arturo is a dangerous and heavily-armed career criminal who [[BigBrotherInstinct cares deeply for his younger brother]] and obsessively investigates the events that led to his [[JustForPun downfall]].

* DaylightHorror: When the demon damages Katie and Micah's photo during the day, you know things have gotten out of hand.

* DaylightHorror: The famous JumpScare in the kitchen, as well as a few other little scares, happen during the daytime.

* DaylightHorror: Many small scares occur during the day. Then [[spoiler:Alex's mother and Ben are killed in the early afternoon]].

* ShoutOut: Dennis and Randy have a debate on what the title of ''Film/BackToTheFuture'' should have been.

* ItsPersonal: Since the original DealWithTheDevil with the Demon involved it getting a male child, it likely would have simply hung around and kept on eye on things, turning on and off the occasional lightswitch and making things go bump in the night, waiting to see if Katie was going to get pregnant someday and have a son. When Micah decided to start pissing it off, it took things next level and then some...

* AlternateRealityGame / ViralMarketing: Sometime after the film came out a [=YouTube=] account controlled by a man named [[https://www.youtube.com/user/jacobdegloshi Jacob Degloshi]] showed clips of him and his daughter being haunted by the demon as he reviewed clips from a VHS showing parts of the second and third films. As things went on, his daughter Sarah (moving in with him from his ex-wife) was being haunted more by the demon to the point where she carved the coven symbol into her arm and killed her pet bird. [[spoiler:The campaign ends on a (now finished) livestream where Jacob reviews the sixth tape only for his house to go out and him to be killed before his possessed daughter and ex-wife. It's implied his exwife was a member of the coven who asked the demon to help her get her daughter back and make her join the coven.]]

* TrailersAlwaysSpoil

''Paranormal Activity'' is a supernatural [[FoundFootageFilms found footage]] horror film franchise that began in 2007. Off of the immense success of the first installment, the films played a big role in turning found footage [[FollowTheLeader into a prominent and profitable horror subgenre]] from the end of the [=2000s=] onwards, with many comparing its impact to what ''Film/TheBlairWitchProject'' did for the subgenre at the end of the 1990s.

Written, directed, shot and edited by one guy (Oren Peli), it was filmed in a week for $15,000 and had a modest festival run, after which it was given a Creator/StevenSpielberg-approved limited theatrical release in late 2009 and given a wider release a month later thanks to an effective fan-driven marketing campaign. It has since made over $193 million, making it -- number verifiability and possible exclusion of marketing costs aside -- the single most profitable film ever made.

* MsFanservice: Skyler, the family friend/house-guest spends most of the movie in flimsy blouses that show off her [[BuxomIsBetter impressive assets]].

The series consists of:

----

Now has a [[Characters/ParanormalActivity character page]].

''Paranormal Activity'' is a supernatural [[FoundFootageFilms found footage]] horror film franchise that began in 2007. Off of the immense success of the first installment, the films played a big role in [[FollowTheLeader turning found footage into a prominent and profitable horror subgenre]] from the end of the [=2000s=] onwards.

It was filmed in a week for $15,000 and had a modest festival run, after which it was given a Creator/StevenSpielberg-approved limited theatrical release in late 2009 and -- thanks to an effective fan-driven marketing campaign -- given a wider release a month later. It has since made over $193 million, making it -- number verifiability and possible exclusion of marketing costs aside -- the single most profitable film ever made.

This gave way to a full franchise, with numerous sequels (almost all {{prequel}}s) centering around Katie's childhood, the origins of her haunting and her connections to similarly haunted family members. The only two entries in the franchise that don't feature Katie are ''The Marked Ones'', [[FormulaBreakingEpisode featuring an entirely new set of Latin-American characters]], and ''Next of Kin''. There was also a Japanese-exclusive sequel to the original film, ''Paranormal Activity 2: Tokyo Night'', released about a month after the American sequel; it follows a completely new story but is not considered canon.

* ''Paranormal Activity'' (2007/2009[[note]]debuted at festivals in '07, hit theaters and gained wider recognition in '09[[/note]])

* KillEmAll: Except for [[spoiler:Katie, who became the demon's host, Ali (and maybe Abby) who was not in the house when all goes to hell, Hunter, who was abducted by possessed-Katie, Randy, who got the hell out of dodge, the babysitter, who also got out while she still could, the sisters' grandma Lois, who was the mastermind of the whole thing (although she does die offscreen, presumably of old age), Hunter and Leila, who fall under Toby's influence, and several other minor characters.]]

''Paranormal Activity'' is a supernatural [[FoundFootageFilms found footage]] horror film series that began in 2007 and has grown into one of the most well-known series of the found footage subgenre.

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* AssholeVictim: [[spoiler: Micah and Dan, to some degree (if you hold him accountable for the passing of the demon to Katie)]].

* CreatorProvincialism: Except for ''4'', the series never once ventured outside of UsefulNotes/{{California}} (or the West Coast for that matter), the home state of the series' main producer, Jason Blum. ''1'' takes place entirely in San Diego, while ''2'' is similarly set entirely in Carlsbad. Most of ''3'' is set in Santa Rosa, except for the prologue (set in Carlsbad) and the third act (in Moorpark), ''The Marked Ones'' is set in Oxnard and Moorpark, while ''The Ghost Dimension'' doesn't specify its location until halfway through, in which it is revealed that [[spoiler: the house is built on the site of Katie's childhood home, and thus Santa Rosa all over again.]] The only exception, ''4'', is set in Henderson, Nevada, which is ''still'' located in the Southwest, anyhow. The series seems to have an allergy towards everywhere but the Southwestern US.

** In ''Paranormal Activity 2'', [[spoiler: Kristi is dragged down the staircase and into the basement, after which she gets possessed, then exorcised. Three weeks later, possessed-Katie (from the end of the first movie) returns to Kristi's house on the final night, kills both Dan and Kristi, and walks off with Hunter.]]

** In ''The Ghost Dimension'', [[spoiler: Leila slowly succumbs to Toby's influence. She doesn't get better.]]

* FateWorseThanDeath: Possession, and whatever it is the demon plans to do if it gets the baby. [[spoiler: ''4'' implies the demon desires to utilize Hunter/Wyatt as a new host, but ''Ghost Dimension'' shows that it needs his blood to make itself a corporeal human body of its own.]]

* GreaterScopeVillain: [[spoiler: Grandma Lois]], being the person who started the contract with the demon in the first place.

* HumanoidAbomination: [[spoiler: In ''The Ghost Dimension'', when it grows powerful enough, Toby eventually forms into a lanky human-ish monster [[LivingShadow shrouded by shadows]] with an utterly inhuman face and GlowingEyesOfDoom. It finally becomes this fully when it gains a corporeal body of its own.]]

* {{Invisibility}}: The demon. The fact that it is never properly shown on-screen [[spoiler: (until the sixth movie, at least)]] [[NothingIsScarier doesn't make it any less terrifying]].

* KillEmAll: Except for [[spoiler: Katie, who became the demon's host, Ali (and maybe Abby) who was not in the house when all goes to hell, Hunter, who was abducted by possessed-Katie, Randy, who got the hell out of dodge, the babysitter, who also got out while she still could, the sisters' grandma Lois, who was the mastermind of the whole thing (although she does die offscreen, presumably of old age), Hunter and Leila, who fall under Toby's influence, and several other minor characters.]]

** Used too much in the third film. At times, Dennis is recording himself reviewing video footage. Then, toward the end, [[spoiler: when they're at the grandmother's house, he sets up the camera in the bedroom when he has no reason to believe a ghost has followed them. Then, when the shit hits the fan, he carries the camera around with him, even picking it up when he drops it when he's in danger.]] Given the nature of people and their camera phones now a days, he was really just before his time. And to be fair, the house is dark and he's essentially using the camera as a flashlight.

* NeckSnap: [[spoiler:Possessed-Katie snaps Dan's neck in ''2''. In ''3'', the demon snaps Dennis' neck ''and'' back, commando-style.]] Happens again in ''4'' when [[spoiler: Possessed-Katie kills Ben at the computer]], and in ''The Ghost Dimension'' when [[spoiler:the now-corporeal Toby strangles Emily before snapping her neck.]]

** Dennis (in ''3'') is one of the only characters who seems GenreSavvy and tries to figure out what the hell's going on without causing problems. Randy, on the other hand, just gets out while he still can. The same can probably be said about the babysitter. Julie was the one who took up the IdiotBall. They also practically delivered the kids to the masterminds of the whole thing, but that's excusable, since they had no way of knowing [[spoiler: Julie's mom]] was behind the whole thing, and it also seems that the demon deliberately encouraged them to leave the house in the first place.

** ''2'' implies that the [[spoiler: break-in]] early in the movie was done to steal a gift Katie made/bought for Hunter. ''3'''s scenes-from-''2'' make it clear that that whoever ransacked the house was [[spoiler:looking for the tapes of the girls as children]].

** [[spoiler: After Possessed-Katie kills Dan and Kristi in ''2'', she sports the same smile while holding Hunter.]]
** [[spoiler: The [[HumanoidAbomination fully-formed]] demon in ''The Ghost Dimension'' flashes an evil grin at least once at the camera.]]

* StoryBreadcrumbs: The over-arcing story is told in this fashion. Each movie reveals a little bit more and the only way you get any idea of what's going on is the watch them all. The first movie introduces Katie and the demon, the two central figures of the haunting. The second film reveals why the demon went after Katie, expands upon Katie's family, and gives the first few hints about the source of the haunting. The third movie more-or-less confirms the source of the hauntings, reveals what happened to Katie and Kristi's parents, and shows where this whole thing started. The fourth film then explores on the fates of Katie and Hunter, while the fifth film reveals the Coven and Toby's endgame. The spin-off film ''The Marked Ones'' shows how widespread the [[spoiler: Witches Covenant is and how others besides Katie are marked for possession by the demon.]]
* SuperStrength: Those possessed by the demon gain greatly increased strength. [[spoiler:Katie]], for example, is able to [[spoiler:throw Micah's body across the bedroom (after heaving it all the way upstairs)]], snap [[spoiler:Dan and Ben's]] necks with ease, and send [[spoiler: Kristi]] flying with a single shove (an act which also kills the latter). In ''The Marked Ones'', [[spoiler: Jesse]] [[DoesNotKnowHisOwnStrength unwittingly]] sends some would-be muggers flying after hitting out at them, and later stops a shopkeeper's baseball bat mid-swing with his hand.

*** Unfortunately, a commercial advertising a showing of the third film on the FXX network played it completely straight, spoiling [[spoiler: Lois killing Dennis]].
** One of the screenshots on back of the DVD of ''Paranormal Activity 2'' is [[spoiler: a possessed Katie]] lurking ominously behind Dan, spoiling part of the ending, as well as the general fact that the film shifts from being a prequel to a semi-sequel. Despite their face being semi-obscured in darkness, anyone who's seen the first movie would easily figure out who this is and when this scene happens in the chronology, both due to the clothing worn by the character in question.

* ExactWords: Deconstructed. Micah promises not to buy a Ouija board. [[spoiler: So, he borrows one instead.]] Great lengths are taken to show how much of a violation of trust it would be to pull this trope on someone.

** Near the start, [[spoiler: Micah does a "slash the throat" motion towards the camera when talking about how to "respond appropriately" to what's going on.]] In the one of the alternate endings, [[spoiler: Katie slashes her own throat.]]

* ItsAllAboutMe: Micah is more concerned about the demon haunting what he considers his than for Katie's safety. In the end when the hauntings have begun to truly take their toll on Katie's emotional well being he grows our of it. [[spoiler: at this point however it's too late because Katie had started the beginning phase of being possessed.]]

* AdultsAreUseless: Dan [[spoiler: until the very end where he saves the day. Then again, his actions result in Katie being possessed, and Micah, Kristi and himself all dead.]]

** Dan managed to [[spoiler: fight off his demonic wife and he won.]]
* BigDamnHero: [[spoiler: Dan rescuing Hunter from a demonic Kristi.]]

* DecoyProtagonist: With Kristi being Katie's younger sister the audience was lead to believe that she would be the protagonist, but Kristi spends much of the movie trying to ignore the hauntings in the hope it will go away. It's Ali who notices all the paranormal activity and is the one doing the investigating, and then when [[spoiler: Kristi gets possessed Dan has to save her and Hunter.]]
* {{Determinator}}: Kristi's resistance to the demon's dragging ability was valiant, [[spoiler: but pointless]].

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: It's clear that Dan does not believe in the demonic haunting whatsoever so when strange things start happening the only thing he can do is blame the people around him. He fires Martine, blames Ali and Brad for various abnormal occurrences, and gets short with his family for even bringing up anything supernatural. However, when the proof of what's happening is presented right in front of him he drops this behavior and immediately searches for a way to save his family. [[spoiler: The way he achieves saving the souls of his family rubbed a good chunk of the audience the wrong way.]]

* NervesOfSteel: In contrast with Katie who always has a little freak out after every single supernatural event, Kristi is incredibly calm and mature about the hauntings. She's scared, but she doesn't let her fear affect her family. [[spoiler: Until she gets possessed.]] The difference between how these two characters act towards the demon is expanded in Paranormal Activity 3 where Katie's freak outs are even worse, while Kristi is even calmer with the demon.

* {{Prequel}}: Starts off as one to the first film and then becomes a semi-sequel by picking up after [[spoiler: Katie's possession.]]
* PapaWolf: Dan resorts to [[spoiler: cursing his sister-in-law Katie, to save his infant son.]]
* PragmaticHero: Dan saves his wife and son by [[spoiler: cursing his wife's older sister. It works, until Katie gets possessed by the same demon to take Hunter like it originally intended to do.]]
* PyrrhicVictory: [[spoiler: The exorcism of Kristi. Unfortunately, the demon simply took control of Katie and returned to finish what it started.]]

* FaceRevealingTurn: [[spoiler: At the end of the film, Dennis tries approaching Katie whose back is facing him. Unfortunately after turning around we learn she's possessed and she sends him flying across the room.]]

* PapaWolf: Dennis loves Katie and Kristi unconditionally and gives it his all to protect them in the finale. [[spoiler: [[ForegoneConclusion Unsurprisingly but sadly]], he is unsuccessful.]]

* ActionGirl: Alex is honestly the most proactive protagonist in the series, more than likely due to her and her boyfriend being a little GenreSavvy. She even attempts [[spoiler: to save her father and brother from Katie]].
* AlternateRealityGame / ViralMarketing: Sometime after the film came out a Youtube account controlled by a man named [[https://www.youtube.com/user/jacobdegloshi Jacob Degloshi]] showed clips of him and his daughter being haunted by the demon as he reviewed clips from a VHS showing parts of the second and thrid films. As things went on, his daughter Sarah (moving in with him from his exwife) was being haunted more by the demon to the point where she carved the coven symbol into her arm and killed her pet bird. [[spoiler: The campaign ends on a (now finished) livestream where Jacob reviews the sixth tape only for his house to go out and him to be killed before his possessed daughter and exwife. It's implied his exwife was a member of the coven who asked the demon to help her get her daughter back and make her join the coven.]]
* BadassNormal: [[spoiler: Alex trying to rescue her father and brother from a demonic Katie was incredibly impressive considering how frightened and vulnerable she was at the time.]]

* BigSisterInstinct: The film opens with Alex distracting Wyatt from their parents failing marriage, throughout the film she continues to do her best at keeping him out of trouble and harm's way, she catches on pretty quick that Robbie is a bad influence on him, and in the end [[spoiler: Alex dies trying to rescue Wyatt from a witch army.]]
* TheCameo: Alex's friend Sarah, who is shown in one scene at the beginning of the film, is the deuteragonist in Jacob Degloshi's viral campaign videos in which she is the target for the demon's haunting. Her somber behavior at the beginning of the shorts implies [[spoiler: that her story takes place after her friend Alex dies.]]

* CreepyChild: Robbie, the child [[spoiler: living with Katie from across the street]]. Given that he's presumably [[spoiler:been raised by the cult, it's not too surprising that he is the way he is.]]
** Alex's brother Wyatt also counts, as Robbie and [[spoiler:Katie]] gradually manipulate him and introduce him to Toby. [[spoiler: Especially after TheReveal that he, and not Robbie, is Hunter.]]

** [[spoiler: Subverted with the rest of the cast since Alex and her parents never figure out exactly why they are being haunted. This directly contrasts with all the other PA movie protagonists.]]

* {{Determinator}}: Much like Dan in ''2'' and Dennis in ''3,'' Alex [[spoiler: gives it her all to rescue the target of the demon's hauntings.]]

** About halfway through, Alex notices a lot of cars pulled up outside Robbie's house. [[spoiler: At the end, she comes face-to-face with a ''lot'' of coven members at the same house.]]
** During their research, Alex and Ben read up about a virgin sacrifice as part of a ritual. [[spoiler: Alex is implied to end up as said sacrifice.]]
* FromBadToWorse: [[spoiler: Robbie is left to live with Alex and her family for a short time when Katie goes missing. The hauntings obviously go worse from then on.]]
* HappilyAdopted: Wyatt. [[spoiler: Unfortunately, his adoption is all part of the demon's plan.]]

* RedHerring: [[spoiler: We're lead to believe that Robbie is really Hunter throughout most of the movie, until it's revealed to be Wyatt.]]
* TheReveal: [[spoiler: Robbie '''isn't''' Hunter at all, it is in fact Wyatt, Alex's adopted brother.]]

* TheStinger: [[spoiler: After the credits, there is a scene in a store of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santer%C3%ADa Santería]] artifacts, set in a SouthOfTheBorder ghetto. As the cameraman and an unseen companion discuss the store's contents as "witchcraft," the female store owner, dressed in black, comes out of nowhere and says "It is the beginning," freaking out the cameraman so much he and his friend flee. This being a tease for The Marked Ones.]]

* UndyingLoyalty: [[spoiler: Alex never gives up on Wyatt, even when her life is in peril.]]
* VirginSacrifice: Part of the demonic ritual requires one. [[spoiler: Alex is strongly implied to be the sacrifice.]]
* WhamLine: [[spoiler: "He looks just like his mom."]] and [[spoiler: "My name is not Hunter!"]]

* AndIMustScream: This film confirms that possessed people can be aware of their actions. [[spoiler: Jesse, after terrorising a shopkeeper and a customer, says that he knew what he was doing but was completely unable to stop himself.]]
* BatterUp: [[spoiler: Marisol knocks a possessed Jesse out with a baseball bat while he's trying to kill Hector.]] Earlier on, a shopkeeper tries to defend himself with a baseball bat against a highly aggressive [[spoiler:possessed Jesse]]. [[NoSell It doesn't work]].

* BodyHorror: Jesse's DemonicPossession starts with a bite mark on his arm. He starts looking more and more sickly as time goes on. At one point, [[spoiler: he pulls long strands of hair out of the corners of his eyes.]]

* CarFu: Towards the end, [[spoiler: Hector and Marisol are driving away with a subdued Jesse in the back seat when the car is suddenly rammed into by another vehicle. By the time they've recovered from their shock, they realise that the crash was deliberate, and that Jesse has been taken by the occupants of the other vehicle.]]

* DeathIsTheOnlyOption: [[spoiler: Oscar tells Jesse that the only way to save themselves from being possessed is for them to kill themselves.]]
* DecoyProtagonist: During the first half of the film, [[spoiler: the movie is centered around Jesse. After the demon fully takes control over Jesse, his best friend Hector becomes the protagonist trying to save him. [[TheBadGuyWins Of course, he fails.]]]]
* DoesNotKnowHisOwnStrength: [[spoiler: Jesse first discovers his newfound SuperStrength when he tries to fight off some muggers. He hits out at them, only to be astounded when he ends up literally throwing them aside with brutal force.]]
* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler: Demon Oscar has enough humanity left in him to kill the witch Ana and then fling himself off a building.]]

* EyeScream: [[spoiler: As part of his physical transformation after becoming possessed, Jesse pulls long, thick strands of hair from the corners of his eyes at one point.]]

* KickTheDog: While possessed, [[spoiler:Jesse bullies the denizens of the local grocery store and tortures his own dog simply because he can.]] He also very cruelly sneers at Hector [[spoiler: that he isn't his friend.]] Later, it gets much worse when [[spoiler:he pushes his grandmother Irma down the stairs, resulting in her hospitalisation.]]
* KickTheSonOfABitch: The two would-be muggers who end up [[spoiler: getting brutally flung aside by Jesse's new demonic SuperStrength.]]

* MuggingTheMonster: A very literal example occurs. [[spoiler: Two thugs try to steal Jesse's backback and start beating the crap out of him, only for Jesse's demonic SuperStrength to kick in and brutally fling his attackers away.]]

* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: [[spoiler: Oscar killing the witch Ana.]]
* OminousVisualGlitch: When Hector [[spoiler: enters the mysterious door]] at the end, the picture glitches and goes black for a few seconds.

* {{Revenge}}: [[spoiler: Oscar murders Ana because she is the witch that marked him for possession.]]
** [[spoiler: On the other hand he might've thought that the demonic possession would end if he killed the witch that marked him.]]
** [[spoiler: This is Arturo's motivation against the witches after the death of his brother.]]

* UndyingLoyalty: [[spoiler: Marisol's resolve never wavered from rescuing Jesse from his possession, while Hector's faith was shaken by Irma's hospitalization]].
* WhamShot: After Hector [[spoiler: enters the mysterious door whilst trying to escape from possessed-Jesse]], as the camera regains focus, it quickly becomes clear that he's in [[spoiler:Katie and Micah's house from the first movie - and in the exact same timeframe as possessed-Katie's murder of Micah]].

** [[spoiler: Irma is left hospitalized by the demon-possessed Jesse and her fate is left unknown.]]
** [[spoiler: Arturo's fate is unknown. He was last seen gunning down witches with his shotgun when Hector and Marisol run into the house. It is possible that he is the one seen getting thrown up against a window that Hector walks up to.]]

* TheBadGuyWins: [[spoiler: Easily the closest Toby has ever come to a loss, and possibly the only film where his victory wasn't inevitable. But, he still pulled it off.]]

** Father Todd mentions that an exorcism would be completely useless in this situation. [[spoiler: Dan]] learned than lesson at the end of [[spoiler:the second]] movie.

** What did he need Hunter for? [[spoiler: Hunter'blood and Leila's blood are the key ingredients in the ritual to give Toby the corporeal body he wants]].
** What does Toby look like? [[spoiler: Toby's true form evolves as he gains strength. At first he manifests as diffused tendrils of dark energy floating around, which later coalesce into a very large cloud capable of interacting with the environment and assuming a vaguely human-shaped form. The cloud becomes more and more dense until it becomes a dark HumanoidAbomination with a [[NightmareFace terrifying face]] about 2 meters tall]].
** Who was watching the tapes from Kristi and Katie's childhood seen in the third movie? [[spoiler: It was Ryan Fleege, the father from this movie. The cult left them in his house along with the spirit camera for him to find]].

* WrongGenreSavvy: Father Todd brings up the often mentioned advice from the previous movies that moving out won't do any good since demons don't haunt places; they haunt people so Toby would just follow them. [[spoiler: In this case he happens to be wrong, since this particular house is a key part of the Coven's plan, being the place where the TimeTravel portal can be opened. Getting Leila as far away from that house as possible would've delayed the bad guys plan]].

* ProductPlacement: Denny's, Froot Loops, GoPro, TikTok and Walmart all feature heavily and their merits are discussed at length by the characters.

** [[spoiler: Arturo's fate is unknown. He was last seen gunning down witches with his shotgun when Hector and Marisol run into the house.]]

* DemonicPossession: It's suggested (and outright confirmed in the DVD commentary) that in the first half of ''1'', Katie is possessed by the demon when she can not remember anything happening. The final day ramps this UpToEleven...

* NightmareFace: Those possessed by the demon occasionally take on demonic facial features. Taken UpToEleven during the ending of the fourth film.

** During one night, the demon "tests" its possession of Katie - the familiar [[HellIsThatNoise rumbling noise]] when Micah is talking to Katie on the swing is a further hint that she is [[NotHimself not herself]]. The final day takes this UpToEleven. In addition, during the first scene in which this happens, [[FreezeFrameBonus Katie's shadow moves towards the door by itself]].

* AdultFear: In the first film, we learn that the entity has pursued Katie since her childhood, and in the third film we see this play out. The second movie's haunting centers on a newborn.
** More of an "any age" fear, but a big part of the first film's appeal was the almost primal fear of feeling unsafe in your own bed, the one place you couldn't feel any more vulnerable.
** With an added dash of DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything, the third film has the parents growing increasingly concerned over Kristi's growing relationship with an imaginary older friend who makes her keep secrets and threatens to hurt her if she tells them. Given that the film is set in the 80s, before the internet made this a common fear, it's not really played up too much, but the parallels are there for modern audiences.
** Near the beginning of ''2'', the Reys' house gets broken into and thoroughly trashed. Nothing (aside from a necklace Katie made for Kristi and [[spoiler:the Featherstones' old videotapes]], as revealed in ''3'') is taken, but the violation the family feels is very real and Kristi in particular is bothered by how nothing of apparent significance was taken. The break-in is what inspires the family to set up security cameras in the first place.
** In ''2'', Kristi and Dan go out for the evening, leaving Ali in charge of looking after Hunter. The demon tricks Ali into leaving the house and locks her outside, leaving Hunter alone with it.
** A similar situation occurs in ''4'': Alex is left to look after Wyatt. Unbeknownst to her, [[spoiler:possessed-Katie]] is in the house with them. As the latter goes upstairs to further manipulate Wyatt, the demon tricks Alex into entering the garage, where it locks her in and turns on the car engine in an attempt to suffocate her.
** Even earlier in ''4'', Wyatt is having a bath when his mother goes downstairs for a few minutes. The demon takes this opportunity to drag Wyatt under the water.
** And finally, in ''The Ghost Dimension'', in which the little daughter of the family, Leila, slowly becomes possessed ever since they moved to a house that, unknown to them, [[spoiler: is built in the land where Katie and Kristi's childhood home formerly stood.]]

''Paranormal Activity'' is a supernatural [[FoundFootageFilms found-footage]] horror film series that began in 2007 and has grown into one of the most well-known series of the "found footage" subgenre.

The first film chronicles a woman named Katie who's spent most of her life haunted by a supernatural presence, and the efforts of her and her boyfriend Micah to set up a video camera to discover what it is -- after which [[FromBadToWorse shit gets real]].