Watch order guide · Paranormal Activity

How to watch the Paranormal Activity movies in order

Updated October 21, 2026 · 8 min read · 7 titles · 10 hours

Watch Paranormal Activity in release order from Paranormal Activity (2007). Story order differs: Paranormal Activity 3 is set in 1988, in Katie and Kristi's childhood, and most of Paranormal Activity 2 takes place in the weeks before the first film. Next of Kin (2021) stands apart from the Katie and Kristi story.

Titles

7

Films

7

Watch time

10 hours

Box office

$891 million

Avg IMDb

5.4

Paranormal Activity movies in release order

Here is every Paranormal Activity title in the order it came out, 2007 to 2021: 7 films. Optional entries are marked; you can skip them on a first watch.

Paranormal Activity timeline: movies in chronological order

The same titles in story order, by when they take place, with the year or era each one is set in.

Release or chronological: which order is best?

Release order and story order disagree on 2 titles here. In release order you start with Paranormal Activity (2007); in story order you start with Paranormal Activity 3, set in 1988, which came out 4 years later.

First time through, watch in release order. That is how the twists, returning characters and callbacks were built to land, and later entries assume you have seen the earlier ones. On a rewatch, try story order. It turns Paranormal Activity into one continuous story and makes the prequels play as setup instead of backstory.

Paranormal Activity also runs a separate continuity: Next of Kin. It has its own line on the timeline, so you can watch it on its own without breaking the main story.

Where to start

Every Paranormal Activity movie, explained

One entry per title in release order: what it is about, why it matters to the bigger story, who is in it and how it did.

No. 01 · 2007 · Film · 1h 26m · 3rd in story order

Paranormal Activity

After a young, middle-class couple moves into what seems like a typical suburban house, they become increasingly disturbed by a presence that may or may not be demonic, but is certainly the most active in the middle of the night.

Why it matters: Katie and Micah's camera; the place to start.

Starring

Katie Featherston, Micah Sloat, and Mark Fredrichs

Director

Oren Peli

Box office

$193 million

Scores

IMDb 6.3 · Rotten Tomatoes 82%

No. 02 · 2010 · Film · 1h 31m

Paranormal Activity 2

Just as Daniel and Kristi welcome a newborn baby into their home, a demonic presence begins terrorizing them, tearing apart their perfect world and turning it into an inescapable nightmare.

Why it matters: Kristi's family, mostly in the weeks before the first film.

Starring

Sprague Grayden, Brian Boland, and Molly Ephraim

Director

Tod Williams

Box office

$178 million on a $3 million budget

Scores

IMDb 5.7 · Rotten Tomatoes 58%

No. 03 · 2011 · Film · 1h 23m · 1st in story order

Paranormal Activity 3

In 1988, young sisters Katie and Kristi befriend an invisible entity who resides in their home.

Why it matters: Katie and Kristi as children in 1988; the earliest story.

Starring

Katie Featherston, Sprague Grayden, and Lauren Bittner

Director

Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman

Box office

$207 million on a $5 million budget

Scores

IMDb 5.8 · Rotten Tomatoes 68%

No. 04 · 2012 · Film · 1h 27m

Paranormal Activity 4

It has been five years since the disappearance of Katie and Hunter, and a suburban family witness strange events in their neighborhood when a woman and a mysterious child move in.

Why it matters: Five years later, Katie and Hunter reappear.

Starring

Katie Featherston, Kathryn Newton, and Matt Shively

Director

Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman

Box office

$143 million on a $5 million budget

Scores

IMDb 4.7 · Rotten Tomatoes 23%

No. 05 · 2014 · Film · 1h 24m

Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones

Seventeen-year-old Jesse has been hearing terrifying sounds coming from his neighbor’s apartment, but when he turns on his camera and sets out to uncover their source, he encounters an ancient evil that won’t rest until it’s claimed his very soul.

Why it matters: A spin-off that widens the coven story.

Starring

Andrew Jacobs, Jorge Diaz, and Gabrielle Walsh

Director

Christopher Landon

Box office

$91 million on a $5 million budget

Scores

IMDb 5.1 · Rotten Tomatoes 41%

No. 06 · 2015 · Film · 1h 27m

Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension

Using a special camera that can see spirits, a family must protect their daughter from an evil entity with a sinister plan.

Why it matters: Closes the Katie and Kristi story.

Starring

Chris J. Murray, Brit Shaw, and Ivy George

Director

Gregory Plotkin

Box office

$79 million on a $10 million budget

Scores

IMDb 4.6 · Rotten Tomatoes 16%

No. 07 · 2021 · Film · 1h 38m · optional

Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin

Margot is a documentary filmmaker looking to meet her long-lost mother and extended family in a secluded Amish community. She and her film crew soon realize the family that welcomes them into their home might be hiding a sinister secret.

Why it matters: A standalone new story; optional.

Starring

Emily Bader, Ari Notartomaso, and Alexa Shae Niziak

Director

William Eubank

Scores

IMDb 5.3 · Rotten Tomatoes 32%

Paranormal Activity box office and budgets

The 6 Paranormal Activity films with reported numbers have grossed $891 million worldwide on about $28 million in combined budgets, roughly 25 times what they cost. The biggest is Paranormal Activity 3 at $207 million, 23% of the franchise's total on its own, followed by Paranormal Activity ($193 million) and Paranormal Activity 2 ($178 million).

Measured against what it cost, the best return belongs to Paranormal Activity 2, which made 59 times its $3 million budget. The weakest was Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension at 7.9 times its $10 million budget. As a rule of thumb, a film needs about two and a half times its budget at the box office to cover marketing and the theaters' cut.

The best and worst rated Paranormal Activity movies

Across 7 rated titles, Paranormal Activity averages 5.4 on IMDb. The top of the list is Paranormal Activity at 6.3, then Paranormal Activity 3 (5.8) and Paranormal Activity 2 (5.7). At the bottom: Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension (4.6) and Paranormal Activity 4 (4.7).

1. Paranormal Activity6.3 · RT 82%
2. Paranormal Activity 35.8 · RT 68%
3. Paranormal Activity 25.7 · RT 58%
4. Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin5.3 · RT 32%
5. Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones5.1 · RT 41%
6. Paranormal Activity 44.7 · RT 23%
7. Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension4.6 · RT 16%

Who appears in the most Paranormal Activity movies

Katie Featherston leads with 5 appearances as Katie Featherston, ahead of Micah Sloat (3) and Chloe Csengery (3). Counted from each title's top-billed cast.

Paranormal Activity directors and creators

7 filmmakers have directed or created Paranormal Activity; Henry Joost has the most, with 2.

• Henry JoostParanormal Activity 3 (2011) and Paranormal Activity 4 (2012)
• Ariel SchulmanParanormal Activity 3 (2011) and Paranormal Activity 4 (2012)
• Oren PeliParanormal Activity (2007)
• Tod WilliamsParanormal Activity 2 (2010)
• Christopher LandonParanormal Activity: The Marked Ones (2014)
• Gregory PlotkinParanormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension (2015)
• William EubankParanormal Activity: Next of Kin (2021)

How long it takes to watch every Paranormal Activity movie

All 7 titles add up to 10 hours. That is about 6 two-hour evenings, or 2 days of ten-hour binges. The essentials cut it to 9 hours. The longest film is Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin at 1h 38m.

Which Paranormal Activity movies can you skip?

1 title can go without losing the main story. They are side stories, spin-offs or entries the later films ignore. Dropping them saves 2 hours.

• Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin2021 · Film · 1h 38m · optionalA standalone new story; optional.

Common questions

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