Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Slightly more violent prequel connects the first two movies.
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Why Age 16+?
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Paranormal Activity 3
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 17 parent reviews
Based on 58 kid reviews
Kids say the film is a mixed bag, with many viewers finding it to be one of the scariest in the franchise, while others describe it as predictable or even silly. The presence of jump scares, some violent content, and a mild sexual scene has led to different opinions on its appropriateness for younger audiences, with many agreeing that it's better suited for mature teens.
- scary elements
- mixed reviews
- parental guidance needed
- jump scares
- suitable for teens
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
In a quick prologue, set in 2005, Katie (Katie Featherston) drops off a box of old videotapes to be stored in her sister Kristi's basement. The content on these tapes consists of 1988 footage of young Katie (the main character of Paranormal Activity) and Kristi (the main character of Paranormal Activity 2). As kids, the girls live with their mother Julie (Lauren Bittner) and Julie's loving boyfriend, Dennis (Christopher Nicholas Smith). Kristi starts spending time with a sinister-sounding "imaginary friend," Toby, and strange, terrifying things start happening in the house. Dennis videotapes everything, but is anyone really prepared for the true horror behind it all?
Is It Any Good?
It continues the broken/mixed family dynamic of the previous two films, but the characters here are more sharply drawn and more sympathetic; this family has a more loving feel. The main drawback is the plot. Still somewhat ambiguous, it tries to explain everything and conclude the series. But that conclusion is a bit unsatisfying, more like a whimper than a bang. Overall, though, the movie definitely provides strong chills.
Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman, the minds behind the quasi-documentary Catfish, take over as directors on this third entry in the Paranormal Activity series, staying true to the earlier films' style. Wide, unmoving images from surveillance cameras provide endless dread and suspense, never indicating just where the next shock is going to come from. The movie's most ingenious invention is a moving camera, mounted on an electric fan base; as it moves mechanically back and forth, important information moves helplessly, automatically out of frame, and viewers must wait anxiously to see more.
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Movie Details
- In theaters : October 21, 2011
- On DVD or streaming : January 23, 2012
- Cast : Christopher Nicholas Smith , Katie Featherston , Lauren Bittner
- Directors : Ariel Schulman , Henry Joost
- Studio : Paramount Pictures
- Genre : Horror
- Run time : 85 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : some violence, language, brief sexuality and drug use
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
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