Paranormal Activity was a genuine game-changer in the horror space when it hit theaters in 2007, and now it’s going to be haunting gamers next. Shot for $15,000 and then amplified with $200,000 worth of reshoots and special effects, the first Paranormal Activity went on to earn over $194 million at the global box office. This success forced the film industry to adapt, with several imitators and sequels quickly filling up the big screen. The trick to the series is the way the lo-fi scares and realistic presentation of a mysterious supernatural threat that felt like bringing the audience into the haunted house themselves.
The natural means of making the franchise scarier would be to actually drag people into the story and force them to withstand the scares themselves, with video games serving as the perfect medium to accomplish that. Despite that, there have only been two games in the overarching franchise: 2011’s mobile game Paranormal Activity: Sanctuary and 2017’s VR title Paranormal Activity: The Lost Soul. Set for release nine years after The Lost Soul, The Mortuary Assistant creators Darkstone Digital are bringing gamers back into the franchise with the pretty horrifying-looking Paranormal Activity: Threshold.
Similar to other entries in the Paranormal Activity franchise, Paranormal Activity: Threshold focuses on a relatively normal family who find themselves bedeviled by some sort of mysterious entity haunting their house. The trailer for the game, which was provided early to members of the press (including Comicbook.com), highlights a first-person gameplay style that feels familiar to anyone who has played games like Outlast or Amnesia games.
Behind a home video camera, players can explore the house and discover puzzles and mysterious object similar to an Ouija Board and an apparent EMF detector. The trailer hints that a sense of atmosphere and sudden jump scares will be the name of the game, with the video highlighting a mysterious being hiding behind corners and popping up at unexpected junctions. The entity also seems to have a bit more overt aggression than previous ghosts and demons in the series, as one particularly harrowing moment in the teaser shows the player checking their gear only to be grabbed from behind and pulled away.
The concept seems to be rooted in recreating the found-footage approach of the films, with a storyline and character focus that feels right at home alongside the original film and the various sequels that followed it. Darkstone Digital seems to be bringing their experience with the acclaimed The Mortuary Assistant to bear with Paranormal Activity: Threshold, promising an unsettling experience that keeps players on the edge of their seats.
While the game doesn’t have a formal release date scheduled yet, it is expected to launch in 2026. For horror fans dying to live out their own haunting, Paranormal Activity: Threshold is now available to wishlist on Steam.
The post This $900 Million Horror Franchise That Changed Everything 16 Years Ago Is Now a Video Game, and Here’s Your First Look appeared first on ComicBook.com.
