Blumhouse Films Ebook

Buy Paranormal Activity

Hi all. As I have mentioned on occasion, I have a number of ebook collections of essays and criticism available through the evil vendor. On of those is a collection of reviews of Blumhouse films (and some other horror.) It’s a fun book, including my argument for why the first Paranormal Activity is a work of timeless genius.

You can buy the book direct from Amazon, or throw me $3.99 on papayl and I’ll send you a pdf.

Here’s a short excerpt which is also a kind of statement of purpose.

As the reboot of Halloween shows, Blumhouse has made some legacy films. But the reason the studio is so hard to pin down is that it’s mostly focused on new fare, which sells (or doesn’t) on the basis of whether the (often trashy) idea can hook you in. Blumhouse films aren’t all smart or gripping. But they all feel like they started with some person trying to come up with an interesting idea, which means that they at least have the potential to be individual, smart, and gripping.

When you go into an MCU or James Bond film, or really any Hollywood action movie, you know exactly what you’re going to get. With Blumhouse, though, you’re never sure whether the movie you’re watching will be slick or gritty, arty or trash, upbeat or ugly. The studio is still embedded in some hoary Hollywood traditions, unfortunately—they don’t use many women directors for their horror movies. But in other respects, the studio’s hallmark isn’t any one style, but consistent inconsistency. In a media landscape increasingly obsessed with branding, Blumhouse has succeeded by taking care that there is no typical Blumhouse film.

I hope some of you will check out the book!