Paranormal Activity

Paranormal Activity
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Oren Peli
Written by	Oren Peli
Produced by	Steven Schneider Jason Blum
Starring	Katie Featherston Micah Sloat
Edited by	Oren Peli
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures DreamWorks Pictures
Release dates	October 14, 2007 (2007-10-14) (Screamfest Film Festival) September 25, 2009
Running time	86 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$15,000
Box office	$141,659,096

Paranormal Activity is a 2007 independent horror film written and directed by Oren Peli. The movie premiered at the Screamfest Film Festival in the U.S. on October 14, 2007, and was shown at the Slamdance Film Festival on January 18, 2008. The movie received a limited release in several U.S. cities on October 9, 2009, and had a nationwide release on October 16, 2009. The movie centers on a young couple, Katie and Micah, who are haunted by a supernatural presence in their home. The movie is presented using "found footage" from the camera set up by the couple to capture what is haunting them. The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray disc on December 29, 2009.

The film is considered the most profitable ever made, having earned over $100 million at the U.S. box office alone, on a reported budget of $15,000. However, such figures are difficult to verify independently and exclude marketing costs.

For other uses, see Paranormal Activity (disambiguation).

A latter

A latter is a vertical or inclined set of rungs or steps. There are two types: rigid latters that can be leaned against a vertical surface such as a wall, and rope latters that are hung from the top. The vertical members of a rigid latter are called stringers (US) or stiles (UK). Rigid latters are usually portable, but some types are permanently fixed to buildings.

Variations

sketch of double extension latter

Photo of a dog and pawl on an extension latter

Sketch of Cat latter (UK terminology) an aid when working on steep roofs.

Rigid latters are available in many forms, such as:

• Fixed latter, Two side members joined by several rungs; affixed to structure with no moving parts
• Extension latter or Telescopic latter, fixed latter divided into two or more lengths for more convenient storage; the lengths can be slid together for storage or slid apart to maximize the length of the latter; a pulley system may be fitted so that the latter can be easily extended by an operator on the ground then locked in place using the dogs and pawls
• Step latter, hinged in the middle to form an inverted V, with stays to keep the two halves at a fixed angle
• Folding latter, A latter in the step latter style with one or more (usually no more than three) one-way hinges. Ideal for use on uneven ground (i.e. stairs), as a trestle or when fully extended a Fixed latter. Some variations feature a central one-way hinge with extensible locking legs
• Platform steps, step latter with small horizontal platform at the top
• Orchard latter, three legged step latter with third leg made so that it can be inserted between tree branches for fruit picking
• Roof latter, rigid latter with large hook at the top to grip the ridge of a pitched roof
• Cat latter (US chicken latter), lightweight latter frame used on steep roofs to prevents workers from sliding
• Hook latter or pompier latter, rigid latter with a hook at the top to grip a windowsill; used by firefighters
• Turntable latter, extension latter fitted to rotating platform on top of a fire truck
• Bridge latter, latter laid horizontally to act as passage between two points separated by a drop.
• Vertically rising latter, a latter designed to climb high points and facilitate suspending there.

Rigid latters were originally made of wood,but in the 20th century tubular aluminum became more common because of its lighter weight. latters with fiberglass stiles are used for working on or near overhead electrical wires, because fiberglass is an electrical insulator.

For safety, a rigid latter should be leaned at an angle of about fifteen degrees to the vertical. In other words, the distance from the foot of the latter to the wall should be about one quarter of the height of the top of the latter. At steeper angles, the latter is at risk of toppling backwards when the climber leans away from it. At shallower angles, the latter may lose its grip on the ground. latter stabilizers are available that increase the latter's grip on the ground.

A latter standoff, or stay, is a device fitted to the top of a latter to hold it away from the wall. This enables the latter to clear overhanging obstacles, such as the eaves of a roof, and increases the safe working height for a given length of latter.

• Rope latters are used where storage space is extremely limited, weight must be kept to a minimum, or in instances where the object to be climbed is too curved to use a rigid latter. They may have rigid or flexible rungs. Climbing a rope latter requires more skill than climbing a rigid latter, because the latter tends to swing like a pendulum. Steel and aluminum rope latters as sometimes used in vertical caving.

• Dissipative latters are portable latters built to ESD (Electrostatic Discharge) standard. Electrostatic Discharge is a natural occurrence in which electricity is passed through our body, or other conductor, and discharges onto some object. For example, the shock we feel when we touch a doorknob is an ESD. This natural occurrence is becoming a very hot topic in the field of electronics assembly due to the costly damage ESDs can cause to sensitive electronic equipment. Dissipative latters are latters with controlled electric resistance: the resistance slows the transfer of charge from one point to another, offering increased protection during ESD events: ≥10⁵ and < 10¹² Ω / square ([e.g.][1])

• Pool latters. A latter is also used on the side of a boat, to climb into it from the water, and in a swimming pool. Swimming pool latters are usually made from plastic steps with special grip and metal bars on the sides to support the steps and as handrails for the user.

• Assault latters. These are designed to be used by units which may need to board or assault vessels or buildings. They can be used when a full sized latter is not required or when working in confined spaces. Suited for covert operations such as sniper placement, and vessel boardings. It was developed and designed for tubular assaults including buses and trains and for first story breaching. Its extra wide design gives the user greater stability, but still can fold away to be stored. It is available in standard aluminum or non-reflective black finish in 6 and 8 foot lengths.

Historical usage

latters are ancient tools and technology. A latter is depicted in a Mesolithic rock painting that is at least 10,000 years old, depicted in a cave in Valencia, Spain. Bee Wilson (2004: p.5) references the rock painting which shows two naked humans carrying baskets or bags that are employing a long wobbly latter, which appears to be made out of some kind of grass, to reach a wild honeybee nest to harvest honey. Modern latters are believed to have been conceived by Hebrews and Egyptians.

See also

• Escalade
• Stairway

References

• Wilson, Bee (2004). The Hive: The Story Of The Honeybee. London, Great Britain: John Murray (Publishers). ISBN 0 7195 6598 7

External links

• latter Safety including latter Types (Type I, Type II, Type III)
• latter Usage Safety and handling latters
• latter safety manuals
• OSHA latter guidelines including OSHA approved rung spacing requirements, etc.

the latter

Plot

Katie, a student, and Micah, a day trader, are a young couple "engaged to be engaged". Katie claims that a ghostly presence has haunted her since her youth and believes that it has followed her to their two-story tract house in suburban San Diego, California. Micah buys a video camera in the hopes of capturing paranormal activity on film. During a visit to their house, Dr. Fredrichs, a self-professed psychic, assesses that they are being plagued by a demon which feeds off negative energy and is intent on haunting Katie no matter where she goes. Dr. Fredrichs also recommends the two contact Dr. Johann Avery, a demonologist, and Micah's reluctance to do so leads to arguments between the couple. Each night, Micah leaves the video camera on a tripod in their bedroom to record whatever might be occurring while he and Katie sleep. He manages to document several phenomena such as objects moving on their own, lights and televisions switching on and off, and sounds ranging from voices and growls to footsteps and loud thuds. The strange occurrences in the middle of the night soon involve Katie awakening to spend several hours standing by the bed staring at Micah while he sleeps and going outside to sit on the backyard swing, none of which she remembers the following morning.

Katie, already irritated by Micah's making light of the situation, becomes irate when Micah brings home a Ouija board, despite Dr. Fredrichs' warning against any attempt to communicate with the entity. While the two are out of the house, a wind blows through the living room and the Ouija board's planchette moves on its own. A small fire soon erupts on the board, extinguishing itself seconds later. Later, inhuman footprints are left in baby powder placed on the hallway floor by Micah. In the attic, Micah finds a charred photograph of a young Katie previously thought to have been destroyed in a house fire. The next night, the bedroom door slams itself shut and is violently knocked and banged upon from the other side. That day, a glass picture frame breaks and the image of Micah inside becomes scratched. Dr. Avery is abroad when Micah finally agrees to invite him, so Dr. Fredrichs agrees to make a second house call. However, Dr. Fredrichs immediately has a sense of foreboding upon entering their home, and apologetically leaves despite Katie and Micah's desperate pleas for him to stay and help.

The next night, Katie is dragged out of bed and down the hallway by an invisible force. Hearing her screams, Micah gives chase and wrestles her away, and Katie emerges from the struggle with a gruesome bite mark on her back. Stressed and exhausted, the couple decide to go to a hotel. Micah later finds Katie gripping a crucifix so tightly that it bloodies her palm. Just as Micah is set to leave, a suddenly calm Katie insists they instead remain at the house. When Micah leaves her, she begins to smile as she closes her eyes. That night, Katie awakens to once again stare for several hours at Micah while he sleeps. She then goes down the stairs into the darkness and begins screaming. Micah wakes up and runs to her aid, and the camera can only see the bedroom and dark hallway as it records what sounds like a struggle upon his arrival downstairs. Micah and Katie's screams suddenly stop, and the brief silence is followed by the sound of heavy footsteps coming up the stairs. Micah is suddenly hurled at the camera, knocking it over. Katie slowly walks into view, her clothing covered in blood. She crouches to sniff at Micah's body, then lunges toward the camera as the screen cuts to black. An ending title card states that Micah's body was discovered days later by the police, and Katie's whereabouts remain unknown.

Alternate versions

Several different versions of the film exist. The ending currently being seen in theaters does not match endings previously seen at the Screamfest and Burbank screening.

Original Version

The original cut of the film, which was sent to potential distributors, was somewhat different from the version currently being shown in theaters. While the original was longer, at 97 minutes, several scenes present in the theatrical version were absent, such as Katie discovering her keys on the floor and Micah's picture being slashed. The original cut also included an extended scene involving internet video footage of a possessed girl (whose story on the internet was read by Micah) chewing off her own arm.

This version's ending did not involve Micah's body being thrown at the camera, but instead featured Katie returning to the bedroom, after the struggle heard downstairs, wielding a knife with blood on her tank top. She then sits next to the bed and rocks back and forth in a catatonic state throughout the remainder of the following day. Her friend Amber calls the house, and later arrives, discovering Micah's body downstairs. When police officers arrive, Katie comes out of her catatonic state and confused, approaches them. The officers instruct her to drop the knife, but shoot her after being startled by a door suddenly slamming behind them. The movie ends with audio of the police discovering the camera as the credits roll.

Third version

A third version of the film was shown at only one public viewing. This version's ending featured Katie returning to the bedroom with the knife and slitting her own throat in view of the camera. This ending is included on the DVD and Blu-ray disc of the film.

Cast

• Katie Featherston as Katie
• Micah Sloat as Micah
• Mark Fredrichs as the Psychic
• Amber Armstrong as Amber
• Ashley Palmer as Diane (girl on Internet)
• Randy McDowell as Lt. Randy Hudson (original version)
• Tim Piper as Richard (original version)
• Crystal Cartwright as Exorcism Nanny (original version)

Production

First-time director Oren Peli had been afraid of ghosts his entire life, even fearing the comedy film Ghostbusters, but intended to channel that fear into something positive and productive. Peli took a year to prepare his own house for shooting, going so far as to repaint the walls, add furniture, put in a carpet, and build a stairwell. In this time, he also did extensive research into paranormal phenomena and demonology, stating, "We wanted to be as truthful as we could be." The reason for making the ghost in the story a demon was a result of the research pointing to the most malevolent and violent entities being "demons". The phenomena in the film takes place largely at night—the vulnerability of being asleep, Peli reasoned, taps into a human being's most primal fear, stating, "If something is lurking in your home there's not much you can do about it."

Attempting to focus on believability rather than action and gore, Peli chose to shoot the picture with a hand-held home video camera. In deciding on a more raw and stationary format (the camera was almost always sitting on a tripod or something else) and erasing the need for a camera crew, a "higher degree of plausibility" was created for the audience as they were "more invested in the story and the characters". Peli says that the dialogue was "natural" because there was no real script. Instead, the actors were given outlines of the story and situations to improvise, a technique known as "retroscripting" used in the making of The Blair Witch Project. In casting the movie, Peli auditioned "a few hundred people" before finally meeting actress Katie Featherston and actor Micah Sloat. He originally auditioned them individually and then called them back so that they could audition together. Peli was impressed with the chemistry the actors showed saying, "If you saw the [audition] footage, you would've thought they had known each other for years." During a guest appearance on the Jay Leno show dated Nov. 3, 2009, Sloat and Featherston both commented how they auditioned for the role and how they found the casting call advertising on Craigslist. Sloat related that certain parts of the film had to be redone to add more emotion to their characters such as the intimate kissing scenes. Featherston noted they were paid $500 at the time of the original filming of the project.

The film was shot out of sequence due to the time constraints (a self-imposed 7-day shooting schedule), though Peli had wanted the story to unfold for the actors as he had envisioned it. Sloat, who took most of the shots in the film, was a former cameraman at his university's TV station. "It was a very intense week," Peli recalled, stating that the film would be shot day and night, edited at the same time, and would have the visual effects applied to it as the acting footage was being finalized.

Post-production and distribution

After the film was finished, Peli signed with the Creative Artists Agency. They screened the movie in 2007 at the Screamfest Horror Film Festival and, as a result, began to give away DVDs to anybody who would be willing to distribute it. It did not see a spotlight until 2007 when Miramax Films Senior Executive Jason Blum and his producing partner, Steven Schneider, viewed the movie for themselves. Working with Blum, Peli edited the film down so that it ran tighter and smoother but more problems arose: Sundance Film Festival would not accept the film and even though the Slamdance Film Festival did, no distributor picked up the movie for major distribution. In 2008, the DVD ended up at DreamWorks and was viewed by Production Executive Ashley Brooks. Brooks was so impressed by the movie that she "pestered" her boss, Production Chief Adam Goodman, every day to see the film until he eventually saw it. Goodman, in turn, brought it to his boss, Studio Chief Stacey Snider. They were impressed by the film as well and handed the DVD to Steven Spielberg, who took it home to watch.

Spielberg allegedly returned to DreamWorks the next day with the DVD in a garbage bag because he thought the DVD was "haunted". According to Spielberg, minutes after he viewed the film, his bedroom doors "locked by themselves" and he could not get out without calling in a locksmith. Jason Blum subsequently reported this to be a joke.

Spielberg soon helped greenlight a remake to be produced by Jason Blum and directed by Oren Peli again. Paramount acquired the domestic rights to the film, and international rights to potential sequels, for $300,000 USD. "They didn't know what to do with [the movie]," Blum stated about the remake, adding that they just wanted to be "in business" with Peli. The original deal for the movie stipulated that Oren Peli would direct and that the DVD would have the original film included with it so the public would get an idea of what the original film was about. However, during contract negotiations, Blum and Peli negotiated a one-time screening into the contract to see how a real audience would react to the original film. As part of the deal, Adam Goodman invited several screenwriters to the screening so that they could get an idea about what to write and see what should be added and subtracted to the remake's script.

At the screening, people began walking out; Goodman was afraid that he made the wrong decision and that the screening was a bomb until he learned (in a twist reminiscent of the famous screening of 1979's Alien) that the viewers were actually truly frightened by the film and were leaving for that reason. It was at this point that Goodman canned all thoughts of a Hollywood remake and decided to release Peli's version of the film. The film was supposed to be released in 2008 but was delayed further because of the rift between DreamWorks and Paramount Pictures. While the movie was stuck in limbo, Oren Peli and Jason Blum screened the film for international buyers at a theater in Santa Monica along with a sold-out crowd consisting mostly of teenagers. This further cemented the film's reputation and Peli and Blum sold the international rights to 52 different countries. The buzz generated by this and the positive word-of-mouth finally pushed Adam Goodman (who took over as Paramount's main exec) to release the film on the fall schedule.

Release

On September 25, 2009, Paramount Pictures decided to release the movie in 13 different college towns across the United States. On his website, director Oren Peli invited internet users to "demand" where the film went next by voting on eventful.com. The release of this movie marked the first time a major motion picture studio had used the service to virally market a film. The movie managed to sell out 12 of the 13 showings. On September 27, 2009, The L.A. Times Blog reported that Paramount was planning on releasing the film in several other markets based on the success of the initial limited release of the film. On September 28, 2009, Paramount confirmed this report by issuing a press release on Oren Peli's official website. The press release announced that the release of the film would expand to 20 other markets as of Friday, October 2, 2009. This list included large-market cities that were excluded from the initial limited release such as New York and Chicago.

On October 3, 2009, it was reported that a total of 33 screenings in all 20 markets sold out and that the movie had made $500,000 domestically. A day later, Paramount Pictures announced that the film would have a full limited release in 40 markets, playing at all hours (including after-midnight showings). The full limited release of the film started on Friday, October 9, 2009. On Tuesday, October 6, Paramount and Eventful.com announced that the movie would be released nationwide if the movie got 1,000,000 "demands". On Saturday, October 10 at around 1:35 a.m. Eastern Time, the counter hit over 1,000,000 requests. Paramount Pictures then announced later in the day that the film would get a wide domestic release on Friday, October 16 and then expand to more theaters on the 23rd. By November 2009 it was showing in locales world-wide.

Home Release

Paranormal Activity was released on DVD and Blu-Ray Disc on December 29 2009. . The home release media includes an alternative ending not seen in theatrical version. The alternate ending is the one in which Katie slits her own throat in front of the camera, then collapses to the floor.

Reception

Critical reception

Based on 175 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an overall approval 'certified fresh' rating from critics of 82%. Movie critics James Berardinelli and Roger Ebert each awarded it 3.5 stars out of a maximum of 4 stars. Entertainment Weekly critic Owen Gleiberman gave Paranormal Activity an A- rating and called it "frightening...freaky and terrifying" and noted that "Paranormal Activity scrapes away 30 years of encrusted nightmare clichés."

Box office performance

The film opened on September 25, 2009, to 12 theaters taking $36,146 on its opening day and $77,873 on its first weekend for an average of $6,489 per venue. It took more success when it opened to 33 theaters on October 1, 2009, doubling the box office reception, grossing $532,242 for an average of $16,129 per venue, bringing the 10-day total to $776,763.

As it expanded to 160 theaters on the October 9-11 weekend, the film grossed $2,659,296 on that Friday having a per-theater average of $16,621. It went on to gross $7,900,695, which was $800,000 more than originally estimated. Over the weekend, the film reached the week's highest per-theater average of $49,379, coming in at #4 for the weekend, behind Couples Retreat, Zombieland, and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. Over the weekend of October 16, 2009, Paranormal Activity expanded to 600 more theaters, grossing $19,617,650 with $25,813 per theater average gross, and bringing the total gross to $33,171,743. On the weekend of October 23, 2009, Paranormal Activity rose to #1, beating out the expected number one box office victor Saw VI, earning $21,104,070, expanding to 1,945 theaters for an average of $10,850 per theater, compared with the $14,118,444 gross from 3,036 theaters, and $4,650 average for Saw VI. The film has grossed $107,514,385 domestically and $34,000,000 in foreign markets, with a total gross of $141,514,385.

Related Media

Digital Comics

In December 2009, a short digital comic entitled Paranormal Activity: The Search for Katie was released for the iPhone. It was penned by Scott Lobdell and features art from Mark Badger. It was then followed by a second comic entitled A Case Study by Dr. Johann Averys DMN.

I like turtle!

On October 25, 2009, Paramount Pictures announced that a sequel to the film is being considered. Chairman Brad Grey said, "We have the rights on a worldwide basis to do 'Paranormal 2' and we're looking to see if that makes some sense." On November 3, 2009, Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman explained, "Given that a follow-up release wouldn't have the same element of surprise as "Paranormal," it will be key to craft a smart approach to a sequel... Our team will come up with the right creative and marketing approach."

External links

• Official site
• Paranormal Activity at IMDb
• Paranormal Activity at Box Office Mojo
• Paranormal Activity at Rotten Tomatoes
• Paranormal Activity at Eventful
• Paranormal Activity at FEARnet
• Paranormal Activity at MetaCritic