As the fictional father of two young girls haunted by a violent ghost in “Paranormal Activity 3,” actor Chris Smith spent a lot of his time on the movie set in scenes with very little light. It wasn’t the only time Smith was kept in the dark.

“When I auditioned for the movie I didn’t know what I was auditioning for,” Smith told EXTRA during a phone interview to promote the DVD/Blue-ray release of the sequel on Jan. 24. “I was just asked to show up and not prepare anything. After a few auditions they started telling me more about the movie. When I found out it was ‘Paranormal’ it was very exciting.”

EXTRA: How did it feel coming into this franchise knowing how popular the first two movies were?

Chris Smith: It was really exciting. It sort of took the pressure off knowing that the franchise was already such a big success. I knew I was in good hands especially after I met everyone involved.

How did you feel playing the role of a father? Did it come naturally?

Well, I have a lot of younger cousins, so I’m really like the fun older cousin. That’s one of my roles in the family I take a lot of pride in, so hanging out with the girls in “Paranormal” was really fun for me.

What do you think it is about the “Paranormal Activity” franchise that keeps audiences wanting more?

It’s this notion that something bad can happens at night in this big house. The filmmakers have been really clever about it, especially with a lower budget than most films. They’ve really been able to find new subtle ways of scaring people.

Since finishing this movie, has your sleeping pattern been affected in ...