As the buzz around Sinister 2 continues, we’ve decided to bring you yet another “top” list to celebrate the film, and more specifically the production company behind it. Here are our Top 9 Blumhouse Productions Films.
Helmed by Jason Blum, Blumhouse Productions exploded into the mainstream horror scene in 2009 with Paranormal Activity and never looked back. The prolific production company has been behind nearly all of the major horror franchises that are currently active today as well as a couple other gems as well. Blumhouse has an incredible knack for taking low/micro-budget films and turning them into money-making machines.
A few notable films in addition to those on the Top 9 list below are The Bay, Oculus, The Town that Dreaded Sundown remake, and (here’s a curveball for you) Tooth Fairy. Anyone who could get Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson to dress up as any kind of magical fairy deserves big credit in our book!
And now, the Top 9 Blumhouse Productions Films.
Paranormal Activity (2009)
The movie that rocketed Blumhouse Productions onto the scene, Paranormal Activity was an insane financial success. Made for $15,000, Paranormal Activity ended up grossing nearly $200 million at the box office and spun off a slew of sequels that are still being released (Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension drops later this year). The simplicity of the original Paranormal Activity was one of the great strengths of the movie. Audiences were legitimately scared in theaters, and that’s something that doesn’t happen very often. Paramount/Dreamworks acquired the U.S. rights for $350,000, and it would go on to be the most profitable movie of all time based on return on investment (which is probably why Universal Pictures currently has a 10-year first look deal with Blumhouse). And the best part of it… it’s really scary! A great way to burst on the scene!
Paranormal Activity 2 (2010)
What better way to follow up the insane success of Paranormal Activity than with a quality sequel or prequel or whatever it was. In actuality, the timeline of Paranormal Activity 2 was one of the coolest things about the movie. Starting as a prequel to the hit original film, Paranormal Activity 2 built its own frightening ghost story as we watched the lives of Katie and Micah unfold in the background. It wasn’t until the culmination of the movie that PA2 actually overtook the original on the timeline and then began to move the entire story forward with an entirely new twist on the tale. Although PA2 did feel similar to Paranormal Activity, the film certainly did a great job in not only fleshing out the original tale but also advancing it. And it had its own share of pretty scary scenes as well.
Insidious (2011)
Once the world of Paranormal Activity was established, Blumhouse moved on to a new series entitled Insidious and teamed up with neo-horror legend, director James Wan. They paired up to create Insidious. Wan and his oft-time partner, Leigh Whannell, joined their efforts to create this new, modern vision of horror. Featuring Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, and Barbara Hershey, Insidious killed it at the box office, earning nearly $100 million on a budget of $1.5 mil. Supported by an incredible marketing campaign and a fantastic story that would continue to develop throughout the sequels, Insidious hit the audiences in all the right places. Sufficiently creepy, with some insane jump scares backed by an unforgettable back story, Insidious simply scared the pants off of all of us.
Sinister (2012)
With Sinister, Blumhouse Productions was able to put a name on one of its antagonists. Bughuul, the demon that terrorized the inhabitants of Sinister, was a fantastically vicious specter that had loads of fun toying with silly mortals. With Sinister Blumhouse Productions teamed with The Exorcism of Emily Rose co-writer and director Scott Derrickson. He co-wrote and directed Sinister, and the results were fantastic. Audiences were drawn to the movie, and the results were obvious with Sinister earning $88 million on just a $3 million budget. See the pattern here? See how Blumhouse has been so successful? Great horror movie concept plus great marketing campaign usually equals great take at the box office. Great job done by all!
The Purge (2013)
As with many of the Blumhouse Productions films, The Purge was first introduced to audiences via an effective large-scale marketing campaign. And again, as with many of the Blumhouse Productions films, it was a smash hit at the box office, bringing in nearly $90 million on a paltry $3 million budget, and also spawned a sequel (we’ll talk about that in a bit) and a prequel that will released next year and explain the origin of The Purge. The story was unique and interesting as well as a cool conversation starter. “What would you do if all the rules were put on hold for one night?” The Purge was as much an action-packed thriller as it was a horror film, and the performances by Ethan Hawke and the incomparable Lena Headey made it that much better. With hordes of zombie films dominating the landscape at the time, The Purge was a nice, original change of pace.
Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013)
Talk about knocking it out of the park… James Wan and Leigh Whannell returned to the world of Insidious and penned the second installment of the story. Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, and Lin Shaye all reprised their roles from the first movie; and the result was a goldmine. Produced for just $1.5 million, Insidious: Chapter 2 would go on to earn nearly $100 million at the box office by the time it had finished its run. The fact that it was continuing a story audiences were getting behind and contained really intriguing characters helped make the film a success. But perhaps nothing was more responsible for the success of the flick than those images of the black bride we saw in the trailers and commercials for the movie. That character simply looked so scary and so evil, we just had to see the movie to find out more. An excellent addition to the Insidious series.
The Purge: Anarchy (2014)
Another box office monster, The Purge: Anarchy went over $100 million at the box office and carried a price tag of just $9 million to create. That’s not a bad return on your money. And the movie was very interesting as fans who enjoyed the first film got a bigger look at just what exactly happens across a large city during The Purge. The original movie was a study on one household and what happened to them during the one night of the year when all laws are suspended. In The Purge: Anarchy, we get a look at how it affects an entire city. And, yes, The Purge does have some severe consequences. It’s always great when a sequel can add some quality to a series, and this one indeed did that. Frank Grillo was great and will return for The Purge: Origins next year. Hide yo’ kids, hide yo’ wife… it’s Purge Night.
13 Sins (2014)
13 Sins didn’t carry the same box office clout as some of Blumhouse Productions’ other big-name films, but it was indeed a memorable effort. Directed by Daniel Stamm (he of The Last Exorcism), this movie is a remake of the Thai film 13 Beloved and contains an impressive performance by Mark Webber and powerful supporting work by Devon Graye who killed it as our protagonist’s mentally-challenged brother. A cool thriller that gets progressively more tense as it goes on and ends in an explosive climax with an unexpected twist of an ending, 13 Sins snatches viewers up and pulls them along for a bumpy, exciting ride.
Whiplash (2014)
Okay, so at first glance this seems like anything but a horror movie, but not only is Whiplash one of Blumhouse Productions’ greatest films, it contains certain elements that you traditionally find in horror/thriller movies. It’s got a great antagonist in Terence Fletcher (for which J.K. Simmons won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor) and deals with themes like obsession, revenge and double-cross. And did we mention it is one helluva film?!? Trust me, Dreadies, as horror fans you’ll definitely find aspects of Whiplash that you’ll absolutely love. And we can guarantee that you’ll find yourself loving to hate Simmons as Fletcher. He is awesome in this critically-acclaimed gem for Blumhouse, who really spread their wings with this one. A fantastic film on every level.
This story is sponsored by Sinister 2, in theaters on August 21, 2015.
Ciaran Foy (Citadel) directed Sinister 2. Scott Derrickson, director of Sinister, penned the screenplay with C. Robert Cargill, with whom he also wrote the original film.
For even more sinister goodies visit SinisterSundays.com, spread the fear with the Sinister 2 video app, and finally see if there’s anything evil playing by you as part of SinisterScreenings.com!
Synopsis:
In the aftermath of the shocking events in Sinister, a protective mother (Shannyn Sossamon of “Wayward Pines”) and her 9-year-old twin sons (real-life twins Robert and Dartanian Sloan) find themselves in a rural house marked for death as the evil spirit of Buhguul continues to spread with frightening intensity. James Ransone co-stars.