From Jason Blum (Insidious, Sinister) and Josh Gates (Destination Truth), Stranded is the new Syfy reality series that uses the same stripped-down first-person method from Paranormal Activity to document an unconventional and terrifying paranormal and psychological experiment, in which participants are stranded at haunted location for a week and must record the entire experience themselves.  Each of the six hour-long episodes features the self-recorded footage of a group of everyday paranormal enthusiasts, combined with strategically-placed security cameras at each location.

During this recent exclusive phone interview with Collider, executive producer Jason Blum talked about how Stranded came about and why he thought it was a great fit for what he’d already done on the narrative side, the process of selecting the individuals and locations for the show, how he got some fun ideas for future movies while they were scouting possible haunted locations, and where his love for genre and horror started.  He also talked about how he expects Paranormal Activity 5 to go into production in middle to late Spring for an October release, why he and the film’s partners thought there was further story to be explored for Insidious 2, what made him want to collaborate with Ryan Murphy (American Horror Story, Glee) on a modern-day remake of The Town that Dreaded Sundown, that he hopes Area 51 will be released soon, and that he’s not currently juggling quite as many projects as IMDB would lead you to believe.  Check out what he had to say after the jump. 

The new Syfy reality series Stranded, which debuted on February 27^th, documents an unconventional and often terrifying paranormal and psychological experiment.  Each episode features the self-recorded footage of a diverse group of every-day paranormal enthusiasts who are left stranded at one of the most haunted locations in America and record the entire experience with hand-held cameras creating an unscripted first-hand account of their stay.

While we will share what executive producer Jason Blum had to say about the new show next week, we did want to share his updates on some of his current and upcoming feature films.  Blum told Collider that he expect Paranormal Activity 5 to go into production in middle to late Spring for an October release and that he hopes that franchise will remain ongoing, why he and the film’s partners thought there was further story to be explored for Insidious 2, what made him want to collaborate with Ryan Murphy (American Horror Story, Glee) on a modern-day remake of The Town that Dreaded Sundown and why he thinks that will appeal to audiences, that he hopes Area 51 will be released soon, and that he’s not currently juggling quite as many projects as IMDB would lead you to believe.  Check out what he had to say after the jump.

Previously mentioned today was the shelving of Independence Day 3D, a re-release that was intended to open on July 3rd of 2013. Here are some other new releases and release date shuffles:

• Paramount’s Paranormal Activity 5 is scheduled to open on October 25, 2013.
• Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones will be re-released in 3D on September 20, 2013.
• Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith will be re-released in 3D on October 4, 2013.
• Sony/Columbia’s Invertigo, a sci-fi film directed by D.J. Caruso (Eagle Eye), has been moved from its March 7, 2014 date to a date yet to be determined.
• All You Need Is Kill, starring Tom Cruise, moves up one week to March 7, 2014.

Hit the jump for posters, synopses and more information on each film. 

The fourth installment in the Paranormal Activity franchise literally opened in theaters three days ago, but Paramount has already given a greenlight and a Halloween 2013 release date for Paranormal Activity 5.  Though the decision isn’t exactly a shock, many expected Paramount to take a bit more time to figure out how to move forward with the series in the wake of Paranormal Activity 4’s relatively disappointing box office numbers.  The found footage horror pic scored only $30 million domestically this weekend, falling short of the opening weekend takes of PA 2 and PA 3.  Hit the jump for more.

Two movies opened on Friday but there was really only one game in town: Paranormal Activity 4. Since 2009, the low-cost horror franchise has ruled late October with its increasingly impressive openings. That tradition hit a speed bump this weekend with PA 4’s estimated $30.2 million debut from 3,412 locations. That falls short of PA 2 and 3 and is also off from the scaled-back projections that followed the film’s Friday opening.

We’ve just about made it to Mondo’s Universal Monsters gallery show—their biggest show ever, opening this Friday and playing home to nearly 20 posters and 50-plus originals (according to Mondo’s creative director, Justin Ishmael, at tonight’s 3D screening of Creature From The Black Lagoon)—but that doesn’t mean all of Mondo’s other business has been put on hold.  In fact, they’re going to be dropping the remaining prints from their recent New York Comic-Con appearance tomorrow morning.  Wanna know what’s going on sale, what it’ll cost you, and what it looks like?  Meet me after the jump, folks.

A few clips to share with you today.  Choose wisely:

• Paranormal Activity 4, starring Katie Featherson and Kathryn Newton, opens October 19th.
• Fun Size, from debut feature director Josh Schwartz, stars Victoria Justice, Jane Levy, Thomas Mann, Johnny Knoxville and Chelsea Handler.  Fun Size opens on October 26th.
• Ginger & Rosa, Sally Potter’s drama starring Elle Fanning, Alice Englert, Annette Bening, Christina Hendricks and Alessandro Nivola opens in the UK on October 19th.

Hit the jump to watch the clips. 

Two new clips to share with you today: one comes from director Rich Moore’s animated arcade game homage, Wreck-It Ralph; the other hails from Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman’s Paranormal Activity 4.  The previously released clip from Wreck-It Ralph showed our titular hero (voiced by John C. Reilly) meeting Vanellope von Schweetz (Sarah Silverman).  This time around, Ralph meets up with “Hero’s Duty” drill sergeant, Calhoun (Jane Lynch).  The Paranormal Activity 4 clip gives more frantic looks at creepy stuff like dead-eyed kids skulking about and a girl levitating off of her bed. So, there’s that.

Wreck-It Ralph, also featuring the voices of Jack McBrayer, Alan Tudyk, Mindy Kaling and Adam Carolla, opens November 2nd.  Paranormal Activity 4, starring Katie Featherson and Kathryn Newton, opens October 19th.  Hit the jump to see both clips.

A new trailer for Paranormal Activity 4 has gone online.  I haven’t seen any of the movies, but this one shows yet another use for Microsoft’s Kinect: discovering spooky stuff.  This brings the grand total of reasons to own a Kinect to still zero.  Also, there’s a creepy child involved, so if you’re terrified of dead-eyed 7-year-olds who can’t reach things on high shelves, then this movie will probably scare the pants off you.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer, and to read reactions from Fantastic Fest attendees who saw a work-in-progress cut of the film.  Paranormal Activity opens October 19th.

A new teaser clip for the upcoming sequel Paranormal Activity 4 has been released.  Plot details were virtually non-existent before the film’s first trailer debuted, and this clip further entices fans of the franchise to start piecing together how this film fits into the series’ mythology.  There are a couple of creepy shots here, but the plot is still rather unclear.  I assume the pic’s basic premise will remain a secret until opening night.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer.  Directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman, Paranormal Activity 4 opens on October 19th.

The first two trailers and a new poster for Paranormal Activity 4 have gone online.  We’ve known next to nothing about the plot up until this point, and based on this trailer it appears that things will be taking place during present day in this fourth installment in the popular found footage franchise.  As far as I can tell these are all new characters, though I assume the third act of the pic will somehow tie into the series’ “mythology.”  They utilize a pretty cool new found footage technique by having the main character in the middle of a Skype call when said activity occurs, but I’m told this device was also used in the horror anthology V/H/S.  Nevertheless, the trailer promises jump scares and found footage aplenty, so I’m sure fans of the Paranormal Activity franchise will be pleased.

Hit the jump to watch the trailers and check out the poster.  The film is directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman.  Paranormal Activity 4 opens on October 19th.

The first official trailer for the upcoming fourth entry in the ever-popular found footage horror franchise Paranormal Activity is set to be released this week, and in keeping with the new trend of actually doing marketing for trailers, a poster and an incredibly brief teaser trailer for the film have gone online today.  As far as I can tell, the teaser only offers footage from the previous films.  We know next to nothing about Paranormal Activity 4 other than the fact that Paranormal Activity 3 directors Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman have returned to take the helm with a script by The River producer Zack Estrin.

Hit the jump to check out the poster and teaser trailer, and be sure to check back here on Wednesday, August 1st to watch the first full trailer.  Paranormal Activity 4 opens on October 19th.

Four weeks ago, the summer movie season started off with a super-powered bang in the form of Marvel’s The Avengers. Since then?  It’s been difficult to prove that any other film was in theatres. That changed on Friday when Sony’s Men in Black 3 became the first post-Avengers release to take first place. From its very wide release in 4,248 locations (including 3D & IMAX), MIB3 took in an estimated $18 million. Despite becoming the first new number one title in 21 days, however, MIB3 is not looking like an automatic blockbuster. After a less-than enthusiastic midnight debut, projections for the film went from $90 million over the four-day Memorial Day frame down to a more modest $74 million.  That’s about what the much-maligned Men in Black II made in its first four days (not adjusted for inflation) back in 2002. On a more positive note, Sony is expecting big numbers from MIB3’s international markets. As for The Avengers, Disney projects another $45 million for its superheroes through Memorial Day. Finally, Chernobyl Diaries – the latest from producer Oren Peli – earned an estimated $3.5 million on Friday from 2,433 locations towards what should be a $12 million four-day total. Ouch.

With the horror-franchise Paranormal Activity going strong (the three movies released so far have brought in an excess of half-a-billion dollars) and recent religious horror films doing well in the box office (The Devil Inside), the Paranormal Activity folks are turning their attention to a film that explores Catholic-based paranormal mythology. The twist on this offshoot is that they’re targeting the Latino community, an increasingly important market for movie studios. While the horror flick will feature a Latino cast, the film will not be in Spanish. Paranormal Activity producers Jason Blum and Oren Peli will reunite with writer Christopher Landon, who will write and direct the project for Paramount.  Hit the jump for more info.

With a release date merely seven months away, producers felt it might be beneficial to have someone write the script for Paranormal Activity 4. Heat Vision reports that Zack Estrin has closed a deal to write the fourth installment of the lucrative found footage franchise. Estrin seems an obvious choice, as he currently serves as a writer-executive producer on the ABC series The River, which is also executive produced by Paranormal Activity producer Jason Blum and the franchise creator Oren Peli. Estrin also worked on Fox’s Prison Break and ABC’s No Ordinary Family. Paranormal Activity 3 directors Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman are expected to return for the fourth installment, but plot details are being kept under wraps (though I assume it’ll be “scary”).

Paranormal Activity 3 was written by Disturbia scribe Christopher Landon, who also worked on the second film (the first film was written by Peli). Though Estrin has no experience with the franchise, The River is a found footage television series so he has experience writing camera movements and jump scares.