PARANORMAL ACTIVITY scared the proverbial unmentionable excremental waste material out of audiences when it screened at films festivals in 2007. The film made such a big impression that DreamWorks snatched up the rights early in 2008; unfortunately, their game plan was not to release the micro-budget horror movie but to remake it on a larger scale. Now, over a year-and-a-half later, writer-director Oren Peli’s original film will screen in a handful of theatres. A midnight screening at the Alamo Draft House on Thursday, September 24 will kick off Austin’s Fantastic Fest. On the same night, there will be additional midnight “sneak preview screenings” in seven other cities: Los Angeles (ArcLight Hollywood), New York (Landmark Sunshine Theater), San Francisco (The Castro), Chicago (The Music Box), Boston (The Coolidge), Atlanta (The Plaza) and Seattle (Neptune). These screenings will be free, on a first-come-first served basis.
The next evening, September 25, will offer “limited release” midnight screenings at other venues around the country:
- Alamo Draft House
1120 South Lamar
Austin, TX 78704 - State
233 State Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48104 - Southpoint Cinema 16
8030 Renaissance Pkwy. Suite 975
Durham, NC 27713 - Mall of Louisiana
9168 Picardy Ave Extension
Baton Rouge, LA 70809 - Cinemark 16
1700 26th Street
Boulder, CO 80302 - Studio 35 Cinema
3055 Indianola Ave
Columbus, OH 43202 - AMC Universal
6000 Universal Blvd.
Suite 740
Orlando, FL 32819 - Marcus Eastgate 16
5202 High Crossing Blvd.
Madison, WI 53704 - Neptune
1303 N.E. 45th Street
Seattle, WA 98105 - Premiere College 9
125 Premiere Drive
State College, PA 16801 - El Con
3601 E. Broadway
Tucson, AZ 85716 - Ross Media Arts Center
313 N 13th St
Lincoln, NE 68508 - Del Mar 3
1124 Pacific Ave.
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
There will be additional screenings on September 26 and on October 1-3.
In case you do not see a theatre near you, the official website for PARANORMAL ACTIVITY offers a feature for you to “demand” a screening in your area.
Although not a perfect movie (the attempt, a la BLAIR WITCH, to convince you that this is real-life footage, is unconvincing), PARANORMAL ACTIVITY is extremely effective in its slow build-up and use of suggestion to convey a mounting sense of dread. Horror fans really should take advantage of this limited opportunity to enjoy this crowd-pleasing movie on the big screen.
View a larger version of the trailer below.
This article has been edited for clarification.