I’m not a big fan of going to the cinema and much prefer watching films from the comfort of my own home. However, I’d be lying if I said that I’d never seen value in the experience with perhaps the most memorable being when I went to see Paranormal Activity. The audience’s reactions made for an oddly engrossing experience, one that’s hard to replicate at home unless you had a crowd of people over. Paranormal Activity ended up becoming a megahit and a considerable reason came from the assistance of a then little-known studio called Blumhouse Productions. Given their impact on the modern horror landscape, I thought it might be worth taking a quick look at Blumhouse Productions, its history and why they are particularly notable.
Originally founded by Jason Blum and Amy Israel as Blum Israel Productions in 2000, the company’s original purpose was the production of low-budget films where directors had creative freedom. However, this method didn’t start out too successfully with Jason Blum remarking that the films he made were ones “that nobody saw”. Alongside producing the film “Tooth Fairy” which ran counter to the company’s style, he also came across Paranormal Activity in 2007. After a couple of years and a few hundred thousand spent on post-production, amusingly many times more than the cost of actually making the film, it was finally released in 2009 and ended up becoming one of the most profitable films of all time with an estimated gross of over $190 million worldwide!
Paranormal Activity’s success signaled a change in Blumhouse Productions as they began to shift steadily towards the horror genre while retaining their low budget style. While they continued to produce and release Paranormal Activity sequels, they also began expanding their catalogue with other now notable franchises such as the Insidious films and The Purge franchise which have both grossed hundreds of millions across their numerous entries for a relatively low cost. Thankfully, their focus on franchises didn’t deter them from developing films that stood on their own.
When I began to get back into horror, several Blumhouse Productions films caught my attention. I’m sure everyone is sick and tired of hearing how good the film Get Out is but I do have to recognise it as being surprisingly enjoyable and thought-provoking. The Belko Experiment wasn’t as smart as Get Out but I still found it to be a fun film with some delightful twists and turns. I also found Happy Death Day to be a clever interpretation of the slasher genre and a standout in their filmography although I’ll recommend that people avoid its sequel.
That’s not to say that Blumhouse Productions doesn’t have flaws. In fact, I’d say that I’ve steadily grown a mild distaste for them as of recently. While their films always have attention grabbing premises, I feel like they’ve become increasingly more and more gimmicky within recent years with many of their trailers actively putting me off rather than intriguing me (I’m thinking mainly of M3GAN and Night Swim when I say that.) In a genre that has always been unafraid to push the limits of what the audience expects, the films of Blumhouse Productions can sometimes end up feeling a little safe in comparison.
Even with those issues, I do have to say that I still respect Blumhouse Productions for sticking to what they set out to do. Additionally, in an industry where budgets are continuing to spiral further and further out of control, I do admire companies that seek to be efficient with their resources. Let me know what your thoughts on this quick look at Blumhouse Productions, what some of their most notable films have been to you, what you think of their strategies and any additional information you might have on the topic.
Hopefully you have found this article interesting and informative and, if you wish to seek any of the works I mentioned, don’t hesitate to use amazon.co.uk or amazon.com for all of your needs!