Last Thursday night, the directors and lead actor of horror film, Paranormal Activity 3, came to Toronto for “Tea with Toby”, the movie’s evil spirit, and true star. They were also there to showcase the movie’s extended cut and discuss the film’s production. Luckily for all involved, Toby himself could not make it.
Directors Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman sat up on the screen-lit stage at the Rue Morgue office and quickly explained how they became involved in the series. A random call from a Paramount producer gave them the opportunity to take charge of the third film, after he saw their only other major movie, Catfish. They immediately accepted.
Such spur of the moment thinking turns out be a theme when it came to the film’s creation. Schulman and Joost talked about how they wanted the film to feel organic because of its found footage genre. Aspects of the script were drawn from the house they were using as a set. For instance, they took special notice of a small crawlspace they call the “scare hole” on the upper floor.
“That little closet, that didn’t exist until we found that location,” said Joost, referencing the claustrophobic cupboard where Toby lives. “Then one day we went around and realized, that place is really damn scary.”
Individual scenes are built on a similar philosophy, as they modified lines in an attempt to get natural dialogue. Schulman complimented lead actor, Chris Smith, on his performance, but Joost expressed that some moments in the script didn’t feel right for their shooting style.
Improvisation has pushed a lot of this series forward, though it has had unexpected consequences. Fans often speculate on how minor lines from the first film will play out in sequels, despite the fact that there was little planned backstory. In the first Paranormal Activity, the series’ one recurring character, Katie, at one point reveals that when she was younger, her house burned down.
“The line about the fire when Katie was a kid, that was just made up on the spot by (actress) Katie Featherman,” Schulman said. Some fans complained when in Paranormal Activity 3, a prequel centred on Katie’s childhood, didn’t have anything close to a fire. Attention to moments like these shows how much of the series’ mythology is based on unintended details from the original film.
As a result Oren Peli, the director of the first film, has become the guardian of the mythology and encourages an attention to detail. Schulman mentioned, with a bit of frustration, the amount of work that goes into getting the right props. The house had to be undecorated since the 1980s and the camera had to be made in the exact timeframe of the film. Take the same stance with props as they do with plot, and fans will notice.
While they were excited to discuss the film’s creation, Joost and Schulman were tight-lipped about any sequel details. Schulman pointed out they are not officially attached to film, speculation “just came out of the air.” Paranormal Activity 4, announced only a few days earlier, is set for release October 26.
Paranormal Activity 3 comes out on DVD and Blu Ray January 24, and the re-edited compilation Paranormal Activity: The Chronology is already available on iTunes.
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Top image: A scene from Paranormal Activity 3. Courtesy Paramount Home Entertainment.
