How 'Paranormal Activity' Ended the 'Saw' Age

Over at SyFy, I wrote about the original Paranormal Activity, which came out this week 11 years ago. Before this found-footage horror movie, torture porn was all the rage. Afterward, things changed. Hope you enjoy.

The Horror Hits That Were Complete Surprises

For this week's Debate Club, we wrote about hit horror films that were hardly sure-things at the time. It's important to remember that, say, The Exorcist was something of a risk. Our piece is up at SyFy.

Best Blumhouse Horror Films

Jason Blum has produced some of the biggest horror hits of recent years, so narrowing down his company's films to pick the five best was surprisingly difficult. You can check out our work over at SyFy.

What's the Greatest Horror Movie Sequel?

I had no control over the rankings, but I contributed to Rolling Stone's list of the best horror movie sequels. Read them ... if you dare. (It's just a list. Really, there's nothing scary about it.)

'Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension' Review

That's it, gang: The Paranormal Activity series draws to a close with The Ghost Dimension. Most people, I imagine, are more than happy to see these found-footage horror movies go away. Me, I've always had a soft spot for them. Which probably explains why my review of the final chapter is as much as a tribute to the whole series as it is a discussion of what does (and what doesn't) work in this sequel. You can read all about it over at Screen International.

'Paranormal Activity 4' Review

As I've mentioned before, I'm a fan of the Paranormal Activity series. So, it's no fun to report that the latest installment, Paranormal Activity 4, is the weakest of the bunch. It's not terrible, mind you, but it's the least inventive -- although it did prey on my fear of sharp knives. My review is up at Screen International.

I Heart 'Paranormal Activity'

I've reviewed every sequel in the Paranormal Activity franchise for Screen International, and I'm happy to say I'll be doing the same for this week's Paranormal Activity 4. (I'm seeing it Tuesday night.) I think this is a quite good series of horror films -- inventive and stripped-down in a way that allows for nice, solid shocks. For Deadspin, I advance the theory that this franchise has improved with each installment. Enjoy.

'paranormal activity 3' review

Has a franchise other than Paranormal Activity ever gotten progressively better with each installment? (Maybe The Lord of the Rings.) Much to my pleasant surprise, Paranormal Activity 3 is the best one yet. How did they do it? I reviewed the found-footage horror movie for Screen International.

'paranormal activity 2' review

Following the same formula as the first film, Paranormal Activity 2 is actually better than the original. How did that happen? I explain in my Screen International review.

'the men who stare at goats' and 'precious' reviews

For my latest Consumables column, I take a look at The Men Who Stare at Goats, Precious and Paranormal Activity. Plus, I heap praise on an album that came out in March that I'm still loving, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' It's Blitz!