Like many other genres, horror has many facets and encompasses many styles, stories, and approaches. But while the Hollywood pendulum is swinging in one direction in favor of franchise reboots and superhero mashups, swings and missteps are becoming more pronounced, and the horror community’s growl is getting louder. Like Marvel and his DC anxieties, horror is experiencing its own franchise fatigue. But how do you keep your big budget from burning out?
Of course, the big familiar stories always have a home. But if one trend has gotten worse over the past few years, it’s that big studios don’t keep in touch as often, and that smaller “unexpected” movies are more likely than high-budget so-called safe bets. is also gaining a lot of support. In fact, this is familiar territory. And just like decades ago, low-budget movies are ahead.
Recent horror franchise disappointments
Although some franchises have enjoyed continued success (i.e. scream series), the majority opinion is that certain mainstays have been overdrawn and watered down the once-original idea, failing to make a disappointing reboot. halloween endsEven divine source material from horror legends like this year’s fire starter I couldn’t do more than remake, boredom and disappointment.
But there’s also a cloud of fear in Hollywood, with financial stress increasingly dominating decision-making. They are becoming more hesitant to take outside risks. For better or worse, there’s an assumed security to rebooting and building on already-loved stories and characters. Despite the attention of the big studios, they have traditionally been very slow to pivot and react, fearing to bet on weirder, niche stories. It’s where low- and micro-budget horror films come in.
Why Low-Budget Horror Is The Answer—And A Historical Trendsetter
The age of social media has had an indelible impact on pop culture. With so many ideas at our disposal, the concept of one or two big things encompassing and defining generations and eras is disappearing. Instead, everything from fashion to music to movies became more niche. Now, the only way to guarantee failure is to try to please everyone. Going too broad to attract everyone at once won’t appeal to anyone in the end. It is not in a position to be narrowed, and it was not.
Low-budget, independent horror films have the freedom to be weird and make a statement. It also has the advantage of not defying bureaucracy and years of production processes. So their releases are more timely and more accurate when it comes to saying something up-to-date. And because it’s usually created by members of the horror fan or genre fan community, it really dials in what the audience wants to see.
2022 Phobias 2 To date, it’s made millions on a budget of $250,000 and has seen a renewed resurgence of interest in hardcore gore. After years of “ghosts are trauma” renditions, it’s tapping into baseline surface-level fun horror again. 1968’s zombie night With a budget of $114,000, it ushered in an era of zombie mayhem, Blair Witch For $60,000 in 1999, he single-handedly invented the found footage genre. texas chainsaw massacre for $140,000.
Low-budget horror releases to look forward to
With a number of franchise flagships due to arrive in 2023, the genre is at an interesting crossroads. While studios have retreated to the old-fashioned way of pushing out familiar faces, indie and low-budget filmmakers are coming up with some tantalizing ideas.Kyle Edward Ball skimmer linkwhich premiered in January 2023, is making uneasy waves on the film circuit for its return to unspeakable, slow-burning, Lynchian horror. For us, liminal and surreal horror is a given, but it’s not something that major studios pay attention to.
Larry Fessenden blackout could debut in 2023, ushering in a new Monsterverse with a good old werewolf flick. Even the most coveted franchise installments Evil Dead Riseis the sequel to the once low-budget, cult-favourite series. When fans turn to these low-budget darlings for trend predictions, they say pure, old-fashioned fun with less tropes than recent films, and chaotic, eerie, primitive, and atmospheric horror. Expect more movies to fall into one camp. And in his next decade, a massive box office success will likely follow.
To see this trend continue, Shudder-acquired Skinamarink premieres in theaters on January 13th.
