Oren Peli is the modern face of paranormal activity. This Israeli born creative genius behind the wildly successful Paranormal Activity movies and Insidious (my daughter still sleeps with the light on—thank you, Oren!) has found a winning formula that combines low-budget movies with old-school horror. How did he accomplish such a feat?
No idea.
So, moving on, let’s discuss the guy’s interesting background. Peli moved from Israel to the US at 19 and lived in a house all by himself that creaked and groaned inexplicably in the night. After changing his underwear repeatedly, he began to think, how can I capitalize on this horrifying experience I’m having? Paranormal Activity was the result.
After changing his underwear repeatedly, he began to think, how can I capitalize on this horrifying experience I’m having? Paranormal Activity was the result.
With a shoestring budget of $15,000, Paranormal Activity came to life, on the shoulders of the incredibly successful—though IMHO, Ed Woodishly so-bad-it-was-good, Blair Witch Project.
You may wonder how he achieved the lightning in a bottle hit that so many other gifted filmmakers had tried and failed so miserably to do after The Blair Witch Project?
How should I know?
But, I’ll take a stab at it. Peli was a game programmer, which made him an expert in technology, graphics and keeping the short attention span-challenged, coach potato addicts (you know who you are) from grabbing the remote and a bag of ‘itos.
Oren is also a bit of an old-fashioned guy too, with a love of old horror and an understanding of what made those movies great—despite their technical handicaps.
If you’re wondering what’s up next for Peli, a new movie is currently in production in Europe starring Jesse McCartney that sounds pretty intriguing. It’s about a group of friends who are stranded in a creepy post-apocalyptic, abandoned town. After nightfall…sorry, I’m too frightened to write what happens next.
“…As the sun sets on this radioactive ghost town, inhuman cries cut through the night air. It seems they are not alone.” – synopsis from untitled new movie.
Honestly, I don’t much care for horror movies, but I do love suspense and can’t wait for Oren’s next plot to be unearthed. How about you?