Is Paranormal Activity film fiction or non-fiction?

Answer 1

Paranormal Activity is NOT real footage, and it is NOT based on a true story, either. It is 100% fictional (make-believe). See the Related Question for more details, including links to the movie's official website, where the writer/director explains how he came up with the idea.

There are a lot of people out there who seem to be totally convinced that it's real footage (or, at least, based on a true story), and I'm guessing they have confused you. I promise you, they are misinformed. It's not real; it's not partly real, or based on something real, or even inspired by something real. It's a totally fictional story and all of the footage is fake. The director and actors have said so themselves, as they are NOT dead or missing and have in fact done many interviews since the movie was released.

And in fact, passing off a fictional movie as the truth is nothing new. The Blair Witch Project did the exact same thing 10 years ago. The movie The Blair Witch Project was advertised as real, undoctored footage. Supposedly these three kids had gone missing while camping in the woods, doing a film project on the Blair Witch. No trace of them was ever found...except for the footage they shot. The footage shows them being stalked and terrorized by an unseen evil spirit (the Blair Witch).

All of it is completely fake. There's no Blair Witch, and all three kids are alive and well. They were never missing; again, the entire thing was fake.

You should always be suspicious when a movie claims to be the truth, or based on the truth, because at best this is usually an exaggeration, and at worst it's an outright lie. Many films claim to be based on true stories when they're not: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Strangers, Fargo, Spinal Tap, Rose Red. All of these movies were advertised as being "based on a true story," when in fact they are not. They are fiction.

Even movies that really ARE based on a true story are still mostly fictional. For example, The Amityville Horror and The Haunting in Connecticut. These films were supposedly based on the experiences that two families had living in haunted houses. These two families (the Lutz's from Amityville, and the Snedekers from Connecticut) really do exist, and they really did live in these supposedly haunted houses. But are the houses REALLY haunted?

Both The Amityville Horror and The Haunting in Connecticut have been called hoaxes. The Amityville Horror has been pretty much proven to be a hoax, or at the very least, an extreme exaggeration. And even Lorraine Warren, the paranormal investigator who helped both of these families and still believes their claims, insists that the movies are only "very, very loosely based" on the real events.

The Exorcist was supposedly based on a true story, but it too may have been a hoax (or, a case of misdiagnosed mental illness). Same thing with The Exorcism of Emily Rose. It's based on a supposedly true case of demonic possession (the "real" possessed girl was named Anneliese Michel), but the events depicted in the film are still primarily fictional.

Again, be VERY wary when a movie claims to be "based on a true story." Usually, it's either an extreme exaggeration, or an outright lie. The bottom line is, if it were REALLY a true story, then it would be labeled a "documentary." Same thing with a novel. It may claim to be based on a true story, but unless it's labeled a "memoir," you should be very suspicious.

Again, see the Related Question below.

Answer 2

Paranormal Activity is a complete work of fiction written by Oren Peli.

Answer 3

Well it depends if you believe. Ghosts are real.

Answer 4

paranormal activity is nonfiction. they have actors play the parts fro them.