In a year where the domestic box gross fell nearly 11% from the year before, horror films have not only managed to survive, but thrive. The genre has raked in over a billion dollars in 2017, and propelled by films like ‘It’, ‘Get Out’ and ‘Split’, has accounted for nearly 12% of all box office returns this year. To find out how horror became Hollywood’s most popular (and bankable) genre, Geoff sits down with two great appreciators of the art form, ‘Faculty of Horror’ podcast co-host, Alexandra West, and TIFF Midnight Madness Programmer, Peter Kuplowsky.
The three talk about why horror broke through to the mainstream in 2017 (4:10), why some Stephen King adaptations ruled (‘It’) while others bombed (‘The Dark Tower’) (7:40), and why audiences were starved for a film like ‘Get Out’ (10:45).
They also talk about why horror films don’t need A-list stars to succeed (18:00), what major studios could be learning from production companies like ‘Blumhouse’ (22:55), and why horror lovers are still packing theaters in the age of Netflix (28:05)
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