Blumhouse Productions

* The anthology features a section on Blumhouse's key franchises. While these have been discussed elsewhere in academic literature, Blumhouse Productions gives each franchise a separate analysis. Other research has lumped Paranormal Activity, Insidious, and The Conjuring in analyses, rarely separating the franchises which are very different. * Many of the chapters highlight Blumhouse's unusual production model of thinly capitalizing films in exchange for creative freedom, a model that has led to highly discussed films like Get Out (2017) and overtly political films such as The Purge. Blumhouse Productions is unique insofar as many of the chapters link the profitability of the company to its business practices. By contrast, other scholarship has often mentioned the Blumhouse model in passing. * In addition to containing chapters on Blumhouse's most notable and successful horror films, the book also considers lesser discussed films such as Dark Skies (2013), an alien abduction film that deploys recessionary imagery associated with haunted house films, films that failed financially as in Black Christmas, a film that self-consciously reflects the concerns brought to the fore by the MeToo movement, and nonhorror films like BlackKklansman, a film that lampoons white nationalism. This coverage gives a well-rounded view of the Blumhouse.

Blumhouse Productions is the first academic book to examine one of the film industry’s most successful producers of horror cinema. Individual chapters offer readers a deeper appreciation of how Blumhouse makes its films with an unusual, but successful, business model.Blumhouse Productions is the first book that systematically examines the corpus of Blumhouse’s cinematic output. Individual chapters written by emerging and established scholars consider thematic trends across Blumhouse films, such as the use of found footage, haunted bodies/haunted houses, and toxic masculinity. Blumhouse’s business strategies and funding model are considered – including the company’s high-profile franchises Paranormal Activity, Insidious, The Purge, Happy Death Day, and Halloween – alongside such key standalone films as Get Out and Black Christmas, and nonhorror films like BlackKklansman. Taken together, the chapters provide a thorough primer for one of the most significant drivers behind the contemporary resurgence of horror cinema.