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!
