Hollywood Should Make More Horror Films

The Scary Truth Of 'The Purge': Hollywood Should Make More Horror Films- Forbes

It is a fact that If you want to talk about the most profitable films by percentage of earnings relative to production budget, most of the winners would be horror film. The purge, which seems to have gotten it's theme from an old Twilight Zone episode, but updated with more gore, earned back it's production budget during the midnight showings the first night.

The reality is that there are actually an incredible number of horror films made every year. Yet another smashing success will only create more of them.

Sometimes it has been done with a none horror movie. Here are 5 examples.
Super Size Me (Budget: $65,000; Revenue: $29.5 million):
Mad Max (Budget: $200,000; Revenue $99.7 million)
Napoleon Dynamite (Budget: $400,000; Revenue: $46 million)
American Graffiti: (Budget: $777,000; Revenue: $140 million)
Rocky (Budget: $1 million; Revenue: $225 million)

I think this last movie iwhile a horror movie, barely qualifies since there is no gore. It qualifies as a truly brilliant psychological movie
Paranormal Activity (Budget: $15,000; Revenue: $193 million)

There were those stupid Japanese movies that all made money... I don't know what really makes a movie a hit. Better Gore, more subtle plots? What?

So many movies have turned out to be block busters and so many large budget productions have tanked that its hard to say what really makes a movie profitable.

Even Casablanca didn't really do well until it was declared to be a cult film with a following.

Quote: Fleastiff

There were those stupid Japanese movies that all made money....

2 come to mind-

The Grudge

The Ring

Quote: Fleastiff

There were those stupid Japanese movies that all made money... I don't know what really makes a movie a hit. Better Gore, more subtle plots? What?
So many movies have turned out to be block busters and so many large budget productions have tanked that its hard to say what really makes a movie profitable.

Most of the biggest films of recent years were PG-13 movies with large production budgets that appealed to teenagers and young adults. They are also the biggest source of bombs.

Three biggest failures of 2013
Beautiful Creatures (2013)-(PG-13) Budget: $60 million: Domestic $19.4 million + Foreign:$40 million
After Earth-(PG-13) Budget:$130 million: Domestic $46 million + Foreign:$48.6 million only in release 2 weeks
Jack the Giant Slayer-(PG-13) Budget: $195 million: Domestic $65 million + Foreign:$132.5 million

"A Good Day to Die Hard" was pretty much a failure in the USA, but it made a fortune overseas.

Part of the reason horror films seems to make good business sense, is that most of them are made very cheaply. A lot of them are profitable, but some of them become super profitable.

One now-major actor got cast in a major movie, I think it was LA Confidential solely because he played a particular scene in a low budget horror movie very well. The horror movie was no good and made no money but it launched a career for a then unknown actor.

Quote: Fleastiff

One now-major actor got cast in a major movie, I think it was LA Confidential solely because he played a particular scene in a low budget horror movie very well. The horror movie was no good and made no money but it launched a career for a then unknown actor.

Johnny Depp, Jennifer Aniston, Demi Moore, Renee Zellweger, and Kevin Bacon all made horror films when they were getting started. William Shakespeare wrote a blood and guts horror play very early in his career.

Quote: Pacomartin

A lot of them are profitable, but some of them become super profitable.

And neither the backers nor the writers seem to know why.

Quote: Pacomartin

The Scary Truth Of 'The Purge': Hollywood Should Make More Horror Films- Forbes

I saw The Purge today at the Palms.

Seems you can't watch a half hour of TV without commercials for World War Z or Now You See Me, but I've never seen a trailer on TV for The Purge, but saw in USA Today it cleaned up at the box office last weekend, and the review was positive, so I gave it a shot. Fascinating premise, but they could've done more with it. Makes sense now that it was low-budget. I wouldn't call it horror at all though, more suspense-thriller. Same director as Assault on Precinct 13 the new one, if you liked that style.

No spoilers, but the plot takes place in 2022 America where we have a New Government which has implemented a policy 'years ago' of a 12-hour period one day a year, where no crime is punished, even murder. From 7pm - 7am on that one day, you can get away with anything ("Release your Beast"), but there will be no emergency services should you need any. The result is near 0% crime rate all the rest of the year, and only 1% unemployment. The whole population is okay with this and looks forward to watching the footage on TV during the time. Our Hero, Ethan Hawke, has made a fortune selling extreme security systems to his wealthy neighbors, and tries to keep his family safe during this 12-hour period.

If there is a Purge II, hope it's bigger budget, because sky's the limit with this idea. The idea being that society as a whole would be happier if we let the low-life riff-raff kill each other off in a government-sanctioned event. Also, be nice to your neighbors and employees, just...in...case.

Quote: zippyboy

The idea being that society as a whole would be happier if we let the low-life riff-raff kill each other off in a government-sanctioned event. Also, be nice to your neighbors and employees, just...in...case.

The idea of a "crazy time" to release pent-up emotions in an otherwise lawful society has been explored in several contexts including an old Star Trek episode.

In The Handmaid's Tale written by a Canadian author in 1985, a future war rages across the fictional Republic of Gilead and pollution has rendered 99% of the population sterile. Women become "Handmaids", who become concubine for one of the privileged but barren couples who rule the country's religious fundamentalist regime. The position is humiliating and demeaning. Margaret Atwood gets to take a lot of pot shots, especially at the religious right.

They drag a disheveled man who smells of excrement and is drugged. They tell the women that he has been convicted of rape and the Handmaids take part in what is called a “Particicution.” To build up anger they tell the woman that one of the victims was pregnant and lost the baby in the attack. The Handmaids close in on the man, kicking and beating him to a bloody pulp. In reality the supposed rapist was part of the underground rebellion. So the ruling establishment gets to kill two birds with one stone. They savagely execute a traitor to their cause, and at the same time the women get an emotional release for the humiliation they suffer.

It makes a little more sense than the description of the purge. While there are many sociopaths out there, most people don't just want to go all violent on their friends and neighbors. The anger may be real, but most people need a cause.

Quote: Pacomartin

The idea of a "crazy time" to release pent-up emotions in an otherwise lawful society has been explored in several contexts including an old Star Trek episode.

"Come for the Festival, arrrrre ya?"

Quote: Pacomartin

It makes a little more sense than the description of the purge. While there are many sociopaths out there, most people don't just want to go all violent on their friends and neighbors. The anger may be real, but most people need a cause.

Yeah, agreed. I was thinking though the movie that I couldn't just go steal my neighbor's Ferrari; he'd want it back tomorrow after the 12 hours are up. Can't rape his daughter either. I'd have to kill her, and the whole family, or there'd be vengeance. Can't kill my boss, or the whole company could die within a week, and I'd be out of a job. Can't have an love affair or cheat someone in business during the year, or I'd have a target on my back when that one day out of the year comes around next. Kinda keeps everyone honest, except the lower class who have less to lose. But that's the whole point of this Purge in the first place. Let 'em kill each other off.

Interesting idea. Maybe they'll do more with it for Purge II. Make it political and worldwide next time.