The Paranormal Activity Sequel You Never Knew Existed

Following in the footsteps of "The Blair Witch Project," "Paranormal Activity" helped popularize the found footage sub-genre of horror and take it to new, terrifying heights. Who could've guessed that a movie about a guy who decides to film his own bedroom in order to catch proof of a supernatural force would find such explosive success? It wound up generating over $193 million on a $15,000 budget (via Box Office Mojo), making it one of the most profitable films of all time (via The Hollywood Reporter).

There has been a slew of sequels since the original film was released back in 2007, with the brand new movie "Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin" on the way to Paramount+. However, direct sequel films aren't the only ways "Paranormal Activity" can measure its success. Former "X-Men" comic book writer Scott Lobdell penned the digital comic "Paranormal Activity: The Search for Katie" back in 2009. Later a video game called "Paranormal Activity: The Lost Soul" brought a VR element to the franchise's storytelling.

In addition to those alternate media successes, there is one other movie that often gets forgotten in the mix: the 2010 film "Paranormal Activity 2: Tokyo Night". No, this isn't the 2010 "Paranormal Activity 2" most people think of.

In the original 2007 film "Paranormal Activity" Micah (Micah Sloat) begins filming himself and his partner Katie (Katie Featherston) after they become convinced that there is some kind of evil spirit haunting Katie — a spirit Katie believes has been stalking her for her entire life. That story ends with a possessed Katie murdering Micah and disappearing.

While there are many American sequels to that first film, there is only one international "sequel" — "Paranormal Activity 2: Tokyo Night". This film, whose story feels more like a remake of the first movie than a sequel, focuses on Haruka Yamano (Kazuyoshi Tsumura) and her brother Koichi (Aoi Nakamura). While visiting San Diego, Shigeyuki is in a car accident that breaks her legs.

Stuck in a wheelchair, Haruka Yamano is cared for in her Tokyo home by Koichi when they discover that the wheelchair keeps moving on its own. From there, the remainder of the film plays out very similarly to the original with Koichi getting a camera to try and figure out what is moving the wheelchair and why — with deadly results. There is also a fun twist that cleverly ties in the events of the first "Paranormal Activity," making it clear the film isn't just a remake.

While "Paranormal Activity 2: Tokyo Night" never spawned further sequels, it does represent an interesting alternate direction the franchise could have gone in. It'll be very hard to stream "Tokyo Night" in the US, but the new film, "Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin" is streaming Paramount+ beginning October 29.