Blumhouse has become a dominant force in Hollywood with films like Get Out, The Black Phone, BlacKkKlansman, Happy Death Day, Glass, Insidious, Halloween, and more. From Oscar-winning films to niche horror movies, Jason Blum talked to Variety about the company and its participation in pushing the genre into the mainstream.
While the company has done non-horror movies, such as the formerly mentioned Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman, it has had massive success with horror movies that Jason Blum has produced. When growing up watching movies like Friday the 13th, he saw it as something that “fell outside of the mainstream.” Now after the studio has grossed approximately $5 billion worldwide, the genre has found itself at a new height unlike any other moment in the history of cinema.
“I think horror and genre films are far more in the mainstream than they used to be and I’d like to think that we contributed to this, or at least helped kick open the door so that more companies could produce horror films and make the fan base bigger.”
Jason Blum on the rise of horror movies into the mainstream
The last few years have seen major explosive films catch large audiences in waves. In 2017, we got the first It, which grossed over $700 million to put it at the top of the mountain of the genre. It is not always about pushing the $1 billion mark as the genre has had a history of being low to mid-budget, which means making a profit is easier than a $200 million blockbuster. This year, we saw Smile start with a $17 million budget and gross over $200 million.
Jason Blum is keeping busy with upcoming horror movies. The company’s next big venture is not far away, with M3gan hitting theaters on January 6, 2023. It is yet another collaboration between him and James Wan, with the film directed by Gerard Johnstone (The New Legends of Monkey) and written by Akela Cooper (Malignant). The sci-fi horror film stars Allison Williams (Get Out) and Violet McGraw (The Haunting of Hill House).