Random Facts About Making Of 'Paranormal Activity' Most People Don't Know About (15 items)

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  (#9) Peli Spent A Year Researching And Preparing For Principle Photography

  The actual production of Paranormal Activity only took seven days. But Peli spent a year in the pre-production phase doing research for the movie. He directed, edited, mixed, and cast the film himself. Peli also says he spent the year getting his house in San Diego prepared for filming:

  I read a lot of books on the subject. Many interviews, accounts of exorcisms and stories about haunted homes. All accounts on the topic, so now I have a large library about every angle of haunting, possessions and exorcisms. There are even some good TV shows. So, yes, I got my hands on everything. From my research, I learned the more violent entities are demonic. We wanted to be as truthful as we could be.
   
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  (#8) Peli Got The Idea For The Story From His Own Supernatural Experience

  Peli is not claiming he had a ghost in his house, but a few weird things he couldn't quite explain occurred. In order to find a few answers, Peli set up cameras all around his home to record things while he slept at night. Thus, Peli came up with the idea for his first feature film:

  I thought it would make a great movie. I think a lot of people can relate to the question of what happens at night when you’re most vulnerable. You have no idea what’s going on. This taps into the most primal fear, if something is lurking in your home there’s not much you can do about it.
   
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  (#4) Peli Had Absolutely No Film Production Experience

  Exactly 10 years ago was one of the most important & nerve-wrecking days of my life - world premier of Paranormal Activity at Screamfest. pic.twitter.com/ZrmbJLUKbr

  — Oren Peli (@Oren_Peli) October 14, 2017

  Paranormal Activity didn't just mark Peli's debut behind the camera for a feature film - it was his first time doing anything cinematic at all. The software programmer never even directed a short, and lacked any experience in movie production. Still, Peli knew he had a good premise for a horror movie. He gathered a group of friends, came up with $15,000, and hired some actors. The entire shoot lasted just seven days and took place at the director's house in San Diego.

  Peli's only other directing credit came in 2015 with the horror movie Area 51. He now has several writing and producing credits to his name, though.
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  (#15) Peli's Follow-Up, 'Area 51,' Was A Massive Box Office Flop

  Peli's directorial debut may have been the most profitable movie in cinema history, but his follow-up, Area 51, is one of the biggest box office flops ever. The found footage horror film possessed an estimated budget of $5 million, but only brought in a paltry $7,556 at the box office. The film was plagued with years of reshoots, and only received a limited release in theaters. It was also a critical bomb, with a 17% critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

  As of 2018, Peli's sophomore effort remains his only directing credit besides Paranormal Activity.
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  (#1) 'Paranormal Activity' Is The Most Profitable Movie Ever Made

  The documentary-style horror movie was made for a mere $15,000. By the end of its theatrical run, the film raked in $193 million worldwide. Those figures make Paranormal Activity the most profitable movie of all time when based on return on investment (ROI), which sits at over 645,000%. That ROI percentage is even higher than another revered ROI and horror touchstone: The Blair Witch Project. 
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  (#12) Peli Didn't Write A Script Before Filming

  Much like The Blair Witch Project, Paranormal Activity did not use an actual script. The director auditioned a few hundred actors before casting Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat as the lead characters. But neither really knew any details of the story before production, according to Peli:

  There was no dialogue. There was only an outline of the story, the actors never received any script. They didn’t know about anything they were getting into. All they knew is they were going to do something about a haunted house and basically discovered everything as they were shooting. There were no lines for them to follow. Everything was spontaneous.
   

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