Friday, October 30, 2015
Scary Movies Are The Best Investment In Hollywood
FiveThirtyEight: It’s spooky movie season again! Halloween is days away, and “Goosebumps,” “Crimson Peak” and the sixth film in the indefatigable “Paranormal Activity” franchise are in theaters now. Horror movies get nowhere near as much draw at the box office as the big-time summer blockbusters or action/adventure movies — the horror genre accounts for only 3.7 percent of the total box-office haul this year — but there’s a huge incentive for studios to continue pushing them out.
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This summer I watched a lot of movies on Netflix to fill up my free hours since I had no homework to do. In watching all those movies, I realized that I finally had decided on a career path: artistic direction for horror films and haunted houses. Although they are easily done with minimal budgets and no experience, they are the most fun to work on in my personal opinion. Not to be crass, but they also make a butt ton of money. I would love to work on one of those low budget movies that becomes a block buster hit and pays the rest of my college loans off in five years or less. The real trick to horror is a good sound designer, because in essence all horror stories have the same design. The lights are low; costumes dirty; and lots of blood. The sound is what makes each piece unique whether it be recognizable fear inducing sounds, or things that are completely made up.
I hate horror movies. They truly keep me up for days. That being said, I’ve still ended up in the seats of a very very slim amount with a group of people, and every time I go to one of these near sold out films I wonder why people are paying to be terrified like I just don’t get it! I think half of the reason so many people pay so much to see these films is because of the trailers leaving such an unsettling feeling in people’s minds. They hear the screams and subconsciously they want to know how to avoid it, they want to know what that person did to wrong. And also by nature of what a horror film is I feel like horror films with low quality seem the realest, the most probable, so it pulls in the most viewers. When something seems so true to real life, so similar to what the everyday human thinks they can do, the disconnect is gone. That is why horror films are so successful, they have removed this disconnect between actor and viewer.
Halloween boggles my mind. The infatuation that people have with being scared and frightened is astonishing. I recently saw an article that explained the science behind why people enjoyed being scared so much and it is actually quite simple. This explains why scary movies do so well in Hollywood partly. I think an interesting thing to take away from this is the idea of low budget and high return. It translates pretty well into nearly all aspects of business, that if you costs of production are low and you have high demand, there will be high profits. It also reaffirms the idea that the simplest and least complicated idea is often the best idea. What's interesting is that as I was writing this I kept thinking of how I don't enjoy horror movies and attractions, yet there is always such an adrenaline rush after horror-based experiences. What's also interesting, is that I was trying to think of successful big, lavish horror films recently and I couldn't think of any.
I have always been fascinated with the level of creativity the horror genre requires. For me, the greatest part of this genre is the ability to create a very strong emotional response from your audience with a small budget. One of my favorite examples of this is Mama (2013). The "creature" herself is astounding. At its base level, the antagonist is a human. The actor playing Mama, Javier Botet, is then attached to strings which are jerks as he moves to create a very unnatural movement which is the heart of his character (the motion test for this effect is on youtube, if you're interested). (Unfortunately, the image of the character was further altered and was made to be more fantastical. Long story short, this particular effect is one of the best things about this film. As Jasmine points out, horror movies need to retain a sense of realism and Mama just didn't do it for me)(Continuing down another parenthetical tangent, horror movies translate incredibly well accross cultures. Botet and the director of Mama are both spanish, the film is an adaption of one screened in Argentina, the film was produced in Canada, and it made money in the United States. Another example of a similar film is "Let the right one in") . Another example of creativity in horror is your classic Zombie movie. "Night of the Living Dead", directed by George Romero (A CMU alumnus) created a new subgenre and an industry that demands innovative make-up effects. The "Blair Witch Project" similarly started a new subgenre/ filming method that has birthed spinoffs such as "Paranormal Activity" and "Troll Hunter"(Don't watch it). It's just interesting to me to see new solutions and adaptions arising out of such a small genre that is known for working with small budgets.
I have never been able to sit through a horror movie. I have tried, multiple times, to just be strong and get through. I've come to the conclusion that it doesn't matter who I'm with, or what movie it is, I don't like being scared. Frankly, it reminds me of being 10 and having nightmares for months about the green goblin in the new spider man movie. I think the scary movie appeal comes from the adrenaline rush that fear brings, like when you're right at the top of a roller coaster. Only you're at the top of a rollercoaster for 15 seconds, and scary movies lasts forever. Personal opinion aside, people love scary movies, and from a business standpoint there is no reason that that shouldn't be taken advantage of. Although I don't really think that we should celebrate people who make horror movies for their financial prowess. A lot of horror movies make a lot of movie because a low production value can be played off as something that adds to the scare factor. When really it just looks bad. But stick some erie music behind some black and white video of a woman in a night gown walking toward a baby and, boom, millions. While I don't see the appeal to horror movies, and I can't imagine ever working on one (the green goblin still haunts me), the unsteady has found a niche, a very wealthy one, so more power to them.
I think a clutch aspect that scary movies have going for them is that even when a horror flick's plot is trite, and full of overused cliches, even the worst among them can still produce some kind of thrill. A slamming door is still shocking as a moment, regardless of whether the plot and impetus for the slamming door is good. A bad horror movie can still (roughly) accomplish what any horror movie sets out to do, perhaps with a little less cerebral involvement.
This is where romantic comedies and other major genres lose ground. Instead of being able to rely on a series of well placed shocks and instances of fear, other broad movie categories must evoke an audience reaction through a genuinely well constructed plot and salvageable acting. Looking at a horror series like the SAW franchise - which has seven films and a short to its name - one can see longevity that is scarcely seen in any other genre.
It makes a lot of sense why horror movies do well financially - so many people are horror junkies. Even a mediocre horror film can do alright if it has a few good scares in it. I read once that the adrenaline that comes from a jump scare or the antsy anticipation from knowing the monster's right behind the main character releases chemicals of excitement and endorphins in peoples brains, sometimes literally to the point where they get addicted to the scare. I for one love classic jump scare, cabin in the woods type horror and completely think I have that addicted feeling. It doesn't make logical sense for why we enjoy watching things that scare us, but when your heart is pumping and you feel that release when someone dies/falls/gets caught/etc etc etc, you just want to go in for more.
This article brings up some great points about why the horror film industry is able to make such great returns on their initial investments. Although I new the horror movie industry was smaller than that of action or romantic comedy films, but I had no idea that the whole genre only accounted for 3.7% of the total box office income this year, which is minuscule in relation. Even with such a little percentage its absurd how large a killing horror movies make in regards to how little they cost to shoot. With just about all horror movies making back their initial investment and some much more on top of that, the low intellectual film genre of horror is actually an incredible business opportunity. Like the article states: not having to use big time stars with names, the ability to make the most of low budget effects like shaky camera work, and the potential for international marketing, all make horror movies one of the best investments for a filmmaker.
Horror movies bring in a ton of money because they're all the same but people will still see them. No matter how many times you see a bunch of teenagers deal with demons and ghosts, you'll still go see the newest movie with the exact same plot. Horror movies are great date movies, great hangout movies, and just great movies to watch in general. Seeing a horror movie in the theater is so much fun to do, because everyone is terrified together. Because of that, tons of people go see it at the movies, rather than home alone on Netflix.
Author seems to be leaving out something obvious. It is much easier to make your money many times over with a low budget. The important thing here is that 3% she mentions at the beginning. 3% of movie revenues were from horror movies. That largely because making back twice your budget on a $100,000,000 movie is way more money than making back 10 time your budget on a half million dollar movie. It is not about return on investment. It is about total money made. The Avengers made more opening week than Paranormal did with its 19,749% return. Yeah that number is real so what. That only 88 million dollars. The Avengers broke a billion in week. The comparison is ridiculous. Just because the ROI on horror movies is awesome does not change the fact that the profit from them is rounding error compared to the big movies.
It does show that horror movies may be the way to go for indie movie makers though.
This article brings up an interesting idea. That horror movies over most others make the most money. At first I thought it would be due to drawing in such a large audience, but thats not it. It has to due with the budget the movie is produced at. This is what I find very interesting. If horror movies are known to make 7 to 10 times the original budget their is so much profit to be made. Which is why Hollywood keeps pushing them. When thinking about a typical horror movie you have a main character who is going through some old building and encounters those scary creatures. So one starring act, a few supporting, a single set or location, and limited lighting, maybe heavy in post production editing, but not necessary. This is why I think horror movies can make a good movie out of a small budget, is that some of the most successful films keep it basic which means less money into it, and still tell a good story.
This article makes sense because we know that people will pay to escape their lives and feel that jolt of adrenaline. To sit at the end of their seats as they experience horror. But I don't like the point it makes that it is always a good idea to invest in a horror genre film. I stopped watching scary movies because frankly they bored me. I had not connection to the characters because they were so idiotic they were unrelatable . There was so much gore and violence that I tuned out of it when it happened. And the story was horrible and uninteresting. At the end I found myself asking why did I watch this? What do I take away from it? To run and not trip? That is why I love older scary movies because the producers and directors treated it as a film rather than a horror film. They have the story and tell it artistically. For example in The Shining the dad has a gradual decent into madness and the film has a lot of still moments to add tension, I did not feel like the soundtrack was trying to freak me out for two hours straight, it was helping tell the story. The fact that the ghosts and even the hotel had their own hidden stories made the overall story more rounded and interesting. This is why it is a good film, this is why people continue to watch it, that is why new generations are introduced to it. Therefore I would rather invest in story rather than horror. Story always has more return than any other type of entertainment. Story has a purpose. Story has a value.
Fear is one hundred percent intelligible in any language. Translation is easy and simple because its so visual and visceral. We can see a situation and totally understand why its scary, if we can see how death could be present, we could see how the situation could be frightening. Lots of times language has nothing to do with it, and when it does, its pretty obvious. We can be scared of the voice on the phone in the Scream series because, even though it sounds nice in the beginning, most humans can still sense that hidden intention. A non-English speaking person could just be scared of the tone, that makes sense. Maybe tone is more important than language in horror film, that’s why they are so universal. Now I really love how successful the low budget niche of horror films is. First of all, its incredibly effective when done right, like Blair Witch. Second, it makes it so easy for any filmmaker to produce their idea with plenty of opportunity for success. I’m excited to see where the horror industry leads in the future.
Horror movies are inherently popular because they are the most raw and intensely emotional movies, and do so with relative ease compared to other genres. For example, it might take an hour and a half of build-up for you to feel upset or confused when watching a drama or a thriller. But a horror movie incites those emotions much faster and in a far greater intensity just by the nature of its content. Watching these, then, provides a cathartic experience of the highest caliber. As demonstrated by the examples in the article, they also don't always require a huge budget. Some movies are inherently scary because of how low-budget and natural they seem, since it increases the emotional draw when we realize that the characters in the movie could be us. A dramatic movie doesn't make you sad because you think those same events could happen to you, it makes you sad because you care about the characters and want them to be happy. But a horror movie scares you because you think that if these things were real, it could happen to anyone-- including you. Therefore, more realistic low-budget versions of horror movies can be even scarier than their blockbuster counterparts if done well.
Scary movie is the types of movie that generates income into every film industry in I think almost every country in the world. We all know it. It. Horror movie links directly into playing with our emotions and fear which draws people to watch. And come on, everyone has been groomed up listening and telling horror stories and we all scare of ghosts under the bed and all those kind of things. So horror movies effects directly to us. It’s the same with romantic movies. Also, technology that has been used in making horror movies is also fascinating to see. Some of them is very fancy and cool and some of them is not so cool and maybe even make the whole thing look funny. I don’t know. In my country horror movies make the most from the box office too when it comes to gross income and when compare to other movies. So of course everyone want to invest in it.
As often as I don’t watch horror movies, which is quite rarely, you always know that there is another one coming up, or that a particular horror movie has made a name for itself and become an icon that turns into a cult popularity such as many slasher films with Jason and Freddy Krueger. I remember when Paranormal Activity first came out in select theatres, and then in a short amount of time, it was skyrocketed and being demanded at theatres all across the U.S. At that point in time, you could just tell that what was such a small budget to have worked with, made a killing in the box offices. It is also probably one of the fewer genres of movies that encourages the industry to not need big names. It is almost in the line of thinking that everyone is going to die anyways in the movie, so why not give the underdog a chance to make a redemption story and survive.
The article points to an interesting phenomenon in the nature of being human: we like the adrenaline rush and will pay for it. This is why most people like roller coasters, fright nights, and horror movies, and on top of that, they do not have to be good quality or even realistic looking. If they can provide the right scares at the right times, they succeed in their primary goal. Nowadays, horror movies do not have a particularly good through-line, and when they do, we call them Thrillers.
That being said, the article seems to graze over one fundamental fact about horror movies, they have such a high return on investment because they are low budget. They do not have to make a lot of money to get their money back; they do not have to have large audiences to get their money back. Horror films (especially of the modern variety) appeal to a smaller and smaller number of people at the box office, and it is why their budgets stay small.
Horror films often do so well because they suck in people who love being scared, people who love to mock cheesy jump scares, and people who are simply interested in what weird tactics directors will use in their horror films. Therefore, it makes sense that horror movies make sooo much money. When I was in middle school, my friends and I would go see extremely dumb and cheesy horror movies just to see if we could freak each other out. Horror films are unique in this aspect; they don't only provide an emotional experience during the film, the experience follows you after the film ends. On the other hand, many horror films now are getting so cheesy that audiences aren't really gaining anything after viewing the movie. Jump scares are fun, but I wouldn't be surprised if the horror industry eventually starts making as much money because audiences are tired of typical, jump scare horror.
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