10 Things You Might Not Know About ‘Paranormal Activity’

The first Paranormal Activity cost just $15,000. It went on to gross more than $107 million in the U.S. alone, making it one of the most profitable films of all time. That’s just one of the many facts packed into the latest episode of You Think You Know Movies, which heads deep into the ghost dimension for a look at the first Paranormal Activity.

The film’s stars, Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat, were each paid just $500 to star in the movie. (No wonder the budget was so low!) DreamWorks and Paramount Pictures initially paid $350,000 for the rights to the film and planned to simply remake it at a higher budget; director Oren Peli convinced them to do a test screening of the film which was so successful that it led to a full theatrical release. While Paranormal Activity went on to inspire several American sequels (the latest opens this Friday), it also spawned a Japanese sequel/remake, called Paranormal Activity 2: Tokyo Night.

“You Think You Know Movies?” is a ScreenCrush original series that dives deep into the cinematic worlds of your favorite movies and freeze frames a few tidbits you might not have known. We’ve already tackled Star Wars, The Avengers, and Spider-Man, but now it’s time to fall asleep with a video camera on while we discuss Paranormal Activity!

Watch more installments of ‘You Think You Know Movies?’ below and let us know what movies we should cover next.