Blumhouse Films Set To Diversify Horror Movies With Eight Titles Coming To Amazon
After the massive commercial success of the 2018 Halloween reboot, Jason Blum of Blumhouse Pictures is ready to get the ball rolling on a number of new horror movies. Not just two or three, but eight new movies, according to sources from The Verge.
The undertaking is being described as “elevated thrillers or stories with dark themes.”
Furthermore, Blum has committed to ensuring all eight films will be directed by filmmakers from diverse backgrounds, likely a response to previous accusations of Blum’s habit of not historically working with minorities, according to the report.
Blum has previously worked with writer and director Jordan Peele on the Oscar-winning horror film Get Out. Detractors still maintain his general output is problematic in regard to working with female filmmakers and other directors from diverse backgrounds.
The upcoming projects will be released through Amazon’s streaming platform.
Amazon’s Studio chief, Jennifer Salke, seemed excited about the project, giving Blum major kudos for his previous contributions to horror films, and to movies in general.
“[Jason Blum has] built an empire based on fear, shock and all things spine-tingling. [Blum] redefined the horror genre for fans who are hungry for high concept scares infused the genre with cultural relevance.”
Jason Blum and Blumhouse Pictures came to prominence with a string of conceptual horror films. Shot on smaller budgets and recouping massive numbers at the box office, Blumhouse made their fortune by investing in such films as Paranormal Activity, Insidious, and The Purge franchise, which was converted recently for a small screen treatment as a television series.
Movies like Happy Death Day, Creep, Sinister, Oculus, Unfriended, Split, The Visit, and Rob Zombie’s experimental arthouse horror film, The Lords of Salem, all helped cement Blumhouse as a force to be reckoned with in the world of horror.
Blumhouse is making eight thriller features for Amazon https://t.co/AZIzYw6rfZ pic.twitter.com/8FQjCV2Zy3
— The Verge (@verge) November 16, 2018
In more recent years, Blumhouse has expanded into more prestigious territory, distributing critically acclaimed dramas like Whiplash and BlacKkKlansman.
Blumhouse has also partnered with Universal Studios theme parks for their annual Halloween Horror Nights event, in which the theme park is transformed into a variety of haunted mazes based on popular Blumhouse movies.
On a reported budget of $15 million, Blumhouse’s newest movie, Halloween, grossed a worldwide total of more than $246 million, solidifying it as one of the most prominent names in horror today.
While no mention of a sequel to 2018’s Halloween has yet been announced, it is seeming more and more likely such a sequel is a no-brainer for the horror movie studio.
What really has fans buzzing is whether or not the success of Blumhouse and Halloween will lead to more slasher revivals, like Freddy Krueger or Jason Voorhees.
