Blumhouse is a name synonymous with many iconic horror film franchises, but as is the case with all horror, not every movie Jason Blum’s company churns out is a winner. The CEO was recently on hand in Locarno, where he admitted one of their recent horror movies was actually “terrible.”
Anyone who has an affinity to horror movies and a Paramount+ subscription might know exactly what Jason Blum is talking about. Variety captured Blum’s thoughts recently, where he admitted that the 2021 release Paranormal Activity: Next Of Kin, wasn’t a good movie. Blum said:
It has been enough already. That last ‘Paranormal Activity’ movie was terrible.
Jason Blum didn’t mince words when it came to Paranormal Activity: Next Of Kin, which was released in 2021 on Paramount+. The movie chronicled a team hoping to make a documentary about why the main character’s mother abandoned her, so they travel to an Amish commune where all sorts of spooky things are happening. The movie was widely panned by critics (it failed to make CinemaBlend’s top horror of 2021 list), and apparently, is not a movie that Blum is proud of.
What’s even more interesting about the news is that Jason Blum teased the long-running horror franchise might actually be coming to an end. Blum talked about where he’s at with the franchise at the moment and what it might take for future Paranormal Activity movies to happen:
With ‘Halloween,’ we only had the rights to three movies, so we said: ‘Halloween Ends!’ It ends for Blumhouse, at least. With other things, you just have this feeling it’s time to put them to bed. It would come back if some director I love, like Scott Derrickson, said: ‘I have a great idea for a ‘Paranormal Activity’ movie.’ But it’s not something I want to do [at the moment].
Blumhouse currently has Paranormal Activity: The Other Side on the way with a tentative 2023 release date. Assuming Jason Blum isn’t implying that movie is done, it’ll take a lot after that to convince the studio to greenlight another movie in thre franchise for a while. I’m definitely interested in the idea of seeing a director like Scott Derrickson step in to make a Paranormal Activity movie (especially after that ending with The Black Phone), but who knows what notable directors are lining up to do something for the franchise (CinemaBlend’s Jason Wiese is a fan of Jordan Peele, but would he take a shot at it)?
Assuming Paranormal Activity: The Other Side is the last entry in the franchise, that’s a solid run for a horror series. Plus, considering the impact Paranormal Activity has had on pop culture throughout its run, it’s hard to believe we won’t see some sort of remake or reboot happening years down the road. Maybe when there’s a genre like “found footage VR” or something, though I’m not sure I’d want to experience a franchise like that in virtual reality. It’s also possible that Jason Blum might just change his thoughts on the films if The Other Side is a hit, but we’ll just have to wait and see if that happens.
As mentioned, Paranormal Activity: The Other Side is expected to release sometime in 2023. Paramount+ subscribers have a lot of horror to stream on the platform beyond the iconic franchise, so be sure to check out what offerings are there if you’re a subscriber.