6. Dusted off
Solid foreign sales were a good start, but if Paranormal Activity was to have any hope of seeing the inside of a few more cinemas, it needed another lucky break.
It got it when Adam Goodman accepted a job as production chief of Paramount in June 2009.
Granting the film a place on the studio's autumn release schedule, Goodman laid down a challenge to his marketing team to find a way to get the word out.
The first step was another festival launch, this time the prestigious Telluride Film Festival, not an event usually known for its genre screenings.
Nevertheless, the movie was shown at an outdoor screening to several hundred rain-sodden guests and few walked away despite the biting cold.
It garnered more positive reviews, and, more importantly, some solid word of mouth buzz beyond those who had seen it a couple of years ago and those who had been trying to get it out into the world.
The real challenge was to come, though.
"This is a very challenging movie to market in the sense that, you know, we don’t have named stars. And this is the studio that has, you know, the big temples, you know, Transformers and Star Trek," Peli admitted at the time.
"We figured the main strengths of the movie is the way it plays in the theaters, because usually the audience reacts and is like through the roof. So that’s one of the things they’re trying to emphasize that this is the kind of thing that it’s more than just a movie, it’s kind of like an experience or an event. And that’s why they tried to make it special.
"So it’s best at college towns and it’s special screenings."
And in the spirit of the Blair Witch, it's also the internet….
Next: Viral Terror?
Comments
sowasred2012
Oct 20th 2009, 12:44
This feature is all well and good but it's not helping us Brits get it any faster! I've been hearing about how much this film is scaring the s**t out of people across the pond for a few months now, and I've done my little 'demand it' thing several times - and it's still not out till next sodding month! What are we supposed to watch at Halloween? The Fourth Kind? f**k that (although Milla Jovovich is in it, and she *is* hot so... but then again, she's in all three Resident Evil movies so her presence maybe doesn't make a film watchable). Actually, anyone know if any cinemas are planning to do some kind of Halloween night, featuring this?
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graverobber666
Oct 20th 2009, 13:36
Don't believe the hype, saw it last night. Creepy? Absolutely. Terrifying and THE SCARIOEST FILM EVER? Absolutely not.
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Comex
Oct 20th 2009, 16:49
ROTFL! The funniest part of this interview is: "From my research, I learned the more violent entities are demonic. We wanted to be as truthful as we could be." I could not have kept a straight face if I said this in an interview.
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chuffster
Oct 23rd 2009, 11:30
They say you won't sleep after watching it....they were right,I had so much sleep during this over hyped bore fest,I didn't need any at bedtime! Only scary to children under 3 and anyone with a seriously over active imagination...
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chuffster
Oct 23rd 2009, 11:31
They say you won't sleep after watching it....they were right,I had so much sleep during this over hyped bore fest,I didn't need any at bedtime! Only scary to children under 3 and anyone with a seriously over active imagination...
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JimmyJump
Oct 23rd 2009, 14:50
We should all remind ourselves that, luckily, there's different points of view, i.e. different points of experiencing something. I saw the movie, and although it didn't 'scare' me, I found myself at the edge of my seat at times. Because the movie is well done and grabs (and keeps) your attention. The intro is rather lengthy, but once the 'action' gets underway, the flick is thoroughly enjoyable. And that's the most important thing, no? JJ
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