I Just Learned Why Horror Movies Make So Much Money And I Had No Clue

I’m not someone who enjoys, or even knows how to enjoy, horror.

So to think that some titles can creep close to a billion dollars in box office sales is pretty wild to me ― but they can, and do. 

In a recent episode of insider showbiz podcast The Rest Is Entertainment, co-host Marina Hyde said it’s Hollywood’s “most successful genre bar none,” adding that a third of the 50 most profitable (not highest-grossing, but best return on investment) movies in Hollywood history are horror.

Even I can accept that some people like the spooky scenes I so loathe ― but why is horror such a money-maker when people love action, comedy, and romance too?

Part of it has to do with production costs 

Marina mentioned The Blair Witch Project, which mainly used “found footage” (video shot from one of the actors’ camcorders), and Paranormal Activity, which made use of CCTV clips. 

Blumhouse, a big-name horror production company, are “ruthless” with their budget and don’t want to really go over $20 million, the journalist said. 

“Horror is thriving, really thriving,” Marina added, suggesting that fans of the genre will drop a bit more dosh than, say, a rom-com lover.

“Audiences go to cinemas for horror… Horror fans want to see stuff in theatres, she said, later adding: “People want to be scared together.” 

Then, there are the casts to consider ― you’re simply less likely to see a high-budget A-lister in a horror, meaning you can save on actors’ salaries. 

Blumhouse movies “don’t have big stars,” for instance, Marina’s co-host Richard Osman said. “You don’t need to be spending $25 million on actors.” 

After all, what truly makes a movie scary ― mystery, suspense, scary noises, and dim screens ― aren’t exactly budget-busters. 

Anything else?

The American Film Market crunched the numbers on horror movies and said that while “on average, documentaries stay in theatres for almost 5 weeks… horror movies are gone in half that time.”

They add that “What this means in practice is that horror films are much more reliant on their opening weekend to make money than other genres, and therefore much more reliant on good marketing, and a measure of luck.” 

Still, they say, horror seems to be the most profitable ― bad news for me personally, but great news for studio execs.