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Oren Peli
Born (1970-01-21) January 21, 1970 (age 54)
Ramat Gan, Israel
Occupation Film director, producer, screenwriter
Years active 2007–present
Known for Paranormal Activity

Oren Peli (Hebrew: אורן פלאי / אורן פלי; born January 21, 1970) is an Israeli filmmaker, best known for writing and directing the 2007 horror film Paranormal Activity. He acted as producer on subsequent films in the franchise, as well as on the first five films in the Insidious franchise.

Early life

Peli was born in Ramat Gan, Israel, to a Jewish family. At the age of 19, he moved to the United States.

Career

Peli began as a computer software programmer, and was one of the developers behind Photon Paint, a bitmap graphics program for the Amiga. He is also credited for developing the networking code for the home console versions of Mortal Kombat 3, during his work at Sculptured Software.

His first film Paranormal Activity was inspired by Peli moving into his first house alone and without family nearby. Peli heard creaks and knocks in the night, which laid the groundwork for a film about a family running around with cameras trying to catch what was going on in the house.

After the success of Paranormal Activity, Peli worked with James Wan and Leigh Whannell to develop Insidious. Peli also produced and wrote the 2012 horror film Chernobyl Diaries, based on the Chernobyl disaster and on his story The Diary of Lawson Oxford. The film followed "a group of friends who, while vacationing in Europe, find themselves stranded in the abandoned city of Prypiat, Ukraine only to discover that they are not alone."

Television

In 2012, The River premiered on ABC, a paranormal/action/horror television series about a group of people on a mission to find a missing TV explorer in the Amazon. Peli co-created the show with Michael R. Perry, who co-wrote Paranormal Activity 2.

Films

Peli is writer and director of Area 51, a story about three friends who want to discover the secrets of the fabled Area 51. Peli is also the producer of all films in the Paranormal Activity & Insidious franchises and The Lords of Salem.

Filmography

Year Film Director Producer Writer Notes
2007 Paranormal Activity Yes Yes Yes Also cinematographer and editor
2010 Paranormal Activity 2 No Yes No
2011 Insidious No Yes No
Paranormal Activity 3 No Yes No
2012 Paranormal Activity 4 No Yes No
The Bay No Yes No
The River No Executive Story Creator and executive producer (8 episodes) Story for episode: "Magus"
Chernobyl Diaries No Yes Yes
2013 The Lords of Salem No Yes No
Insidious: Chapter 2 No Yes No
2014 Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones No Yes No
2015 Area 51 Yes Executive Yes Also cinematographer
Insidious: Chapter 3 No Yes No
Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension No Yes No
2018 Insidious: The Last Key No Yes No
2021 Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin No Yes No
2023 Insidious: The Red Door No Yes No

Actor

  • Unknown Dimension: The Story of Paranormal Activity (2021) (Documentary film, himself)

Video games

  • 1998: NFL Xtreme (programmer)
  • 2019: Night Terrors: Bloody Mary (executive producer)

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Oren Peli para niños

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