Paranormal Activity

PARK CITY, Utah -- As a young teen, Oren Peli was so frightened by "The Exorcist" that for years he couldn't watch any movie involving ghosts -- even "Ghostbusters." The 37-year-old Peli eventually outgrew his phantom phobia, and now the San Diego videogame designer has crafted his own film about things that go bump in the night.

It's the pause between the three-hour rock concert and the acoustic encore. Summer's mindless pyrotechnics are finally finished, and the year-end's somber cinema is still weeks away. The fall movies bridge the gap between those disparate seasons, meaning there's as much time for frivolity as for gravity. Between now and Oct. 29, some 70 movies are set to premiere — a slate that includes David Fincher's "The Social Network," the sequel to "Paranormal Activity" and Ryan Reynolds' thriller "Buried.

"The Devil Inside" was a surprise hit at the box office this weekend - a micro-budget horror film with no stars and plenty of bad reviews, the film came out of nowhere to gross $33.7 million and become the third-highest January opening in Hollywood history. But far from a novelty, "Devil Inside" is the first in a new wave of films that use the conceit of "found footage" - movies that blend fantastical plot lines with supposedly real video - due for release in the coming year.

A roundup of Friday morning's arts and entertainment headlines: Casey Affleck admits "I'm Still Here" was all in good fun. ( Los Angeles Times ) Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert announce rival events: "Rally to Restore Sanity" vs. "March to Keep Fear Alive. " ( Huffington Post ) "40 Year-0ld Virgin" actor Shelley Malil is found guilty of attempted murder. ( Los Angeles Times ) Comic book creators are nervous about California's video game law. ( Los Angeles Times )

People are fairly evenly split into three camps on whether they would purchase a haunted house, according to a Realtor.com survey. Respondents who would not consider buying a spirit-occupied place (35%) just slightly edged out those who would (32%) or might (33%) consider it. Nearly one-third said they would need a price discount of up to 20% to take the leap, however, while 2% said they'd actually pay extra for the privilege. As for what paranormal activity they'd be willing to live with, nearly two-thirds said they would not be deterred by warm or cold spots, and almost half said they'd tolerate ghostly footsteps and slamming doors.

After seven films in seven years and nearly $750 million in worldwide box office, "Saw" is ending with neither a whimper nor a bang. "Saw 3D," advertised as the final installment in the pioneering horror-torture series, opened to $24.2 million this weekend, according to an estimate from distributor Lionsgate. That's significantly better than the $14.1-million arrival of last year's box-office disappointment "Saw VI. " However, it's also well below the $30 million to $34 million collected by "Saw" two through five on their first weekends, even though those movies did not enjoy the benefit of 3-D ticket price surcharges.

Estimated sales in the U.S. and Canada: Movie (studio) 3-day gross (millions) Percentage change from last weekend Total (millions) Days in release 1 2012 (Sony) $65 NA $65 3 2 A Christmas Carol (Disney) $22.3 -26% $63.3 10 3 The Men Who Stare at Goats (Overture/BBC/ Winchester Capital)

Continuing to try to be even more independent-minded than the concurrent Sundance Film Festival, organizers of the Slamdance Film Festival announced a lineup of low-budget films Monday for Slamdance's 15th annual gathering. Sundance, now in its 35th year, has spawned any number of "dance"-suffixed knockoffs, but Slamdance has enjoyed the greatest success of any. The festival launched the acclaimed documentary "Mad Hot Ballroom," which Paramount Classics acquired, and DreamWorks bought the creepy "Paranormal Activity" after a successful Slamdance screening.

A roundup of Friday morning's arts and entertainment headlines: Late-night TV ratings are in the toilet. ( Hollywood Reporter ) Disney, Time Warner Cable strike a new deal. ( Los Angeles Times ) Jerry Lewis is 84 and still going. ( Los Angeles Times ) Telluride Film Festival unveils its lineup. ( Los Angeles Times ) The Black Crowes' Chris Robinson says Taylor Swift is "horrible. " ( Los Angeles Times ) The band War is suing PepsiCo for using it song "Why Can't We Be Friends.

One day a year, Franklin Leonard transforms from midlevel studio executive mired in development meetings, script readings and note-taking into Hollywood's most important soothsayer. FOR THE RECORD An article in the Dec. 13 Calendar section about Franklin Leonard's Black List of the best unproduced screenplays said his hometown was Columbus, Ohio. It's Columbus, Ga. The 32-year-old native of Columbus, Ohio, is the mastermind and compiler of the Black List, a compendium of the year's best unproduced screenplays.