Horror films stream in the profits

Low-budget, high-profit horror films have made a killing in the movie industry, even though they have been considered low-brow entertainment.

But the genre is in a critical and profitable renaissance thanks, in part, to streaming services.

Higher quality horror movies have powered major box office successes, gaining a wider audience.

In 2011, James Wan’s Insidious became the most profitable movie of the year, and some studios jumped at the chance to replicate that success. Films such as Green Room, The Witch, Creep, and It Comes at Night all garnered critical acclaim, and in 2017 Jordan Peele’s Get Out was nominated for four Academy Awards, the first such nominations since The Silence of the Lambs in 1992.

These successes showed that the horror genre didn’t have to rely on chain saws to please an audience.

For every mainstream hit, there are many more that have been relegated to a video-on-demand or DVD release to avoid the costs of a theatrical run. Now, streaming services like the horror-centric Shudder provide access to old-favorite horror films as well as up-and-comers that are more art than gimmicks on a low budget, according to Syfy.

Netflix, meanwhile, has entered the genre with its highly-regarded films, The Ritual and I am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House. The service has also given independent releases like The Babadook a second chance, exponentially increasing their exposure.