'Paranormal' made Spielberg 'cut down door'

Steven Spielberg cut through a door in his own home after it locked from the inside following a viewing of Paranormal Activity.

Spielberg, who previously claimed that his house became haunted after he watched Oren Peli's low-budget horror, quickly returned the DVD after being spooked by the film.

"He tried to get back to his bedroom and somehow it was locked from the inside," Peli explained to DS. "There was no other way to get in and a locksmith couldn't open it. He cut through the door with a saw and sent the movie back - he didn't want the DVD in his house."

Discussing Spielberg's endorsement of the movie, Peli added: "The real version [of the Spielberg story] is that after we did the test screening for DreamWorks... originally they wanted to remake the movie. We did a screening and immediately they said, 'Forget about the remake, let's release the original movie'.

"They gave the DVD to Spielberg to give his authorisation because he owns the studio and the next day I heard that he started watching the movie and got so unnerved by it, he turned it off halfway and finished watching it during daylight."

Paranormal Activity opens in UK cinemas today.

> Click here to read our full interview with Oren Peli