Could Buried Be 2010’s Paranormal Activity?

Posted by About.com Horror & Suspense on February 3, 2010

Buried, the thriller in which Ryan Reynolds basically spends the entire movie trapped inside a coffin with just a cell phone and a lighter, sparked a bidding war at the Sundance Film Festival last week, eventually ending up in the hands of Lionsgate for a reported $3.2 million.

The film’s simple hook, small scale, bankable star and positive buzz have made it a prime candidate to become a surprise hit, as studios all around are searching for the next Paranormal Activity, the micro-budget chiller that went on to earn over $100 million in the US alone. It doesn’t hurt that Lionsgate is the studio behind the similarly minimalist surprise hit Open Water, which likewise made a splash at Sundance in 2004.

No release date has been set for Buried, but check out the teaser trailer to get a sense of the sort of unique film-going experience it might generate.