"Rants & Ravings About Horror" - Week 31: “The Horror of Jason Blum”

Week 31: “The Horror of Jason Blum”

Anyone who has been following horror in the last few years will know the name Jason Blum as he has been a force-of-one in regards to low-budget horror that gets wide (and even limited) theatrical release while also turning huge profits  against extremely low budgets.  He’s behind some of the most profitable franchises still going now from The Purge to Insidious to Sinister to Paranormal Activity and has just added Ouija to that list.  Whether you like the films he produces (or in some cases acquires for distribution) there is no denying the impact that he is having on the horror genre.  Having already released nine films this year and (at least) two more before the year is out he has one-handedly kept the horror genre alive in 2015.  I decided that it was a good idea to catch up with some of his films from this year.

In January Blum had his first release which was the Jennifer Lopez starring thriller The Boy Next Door.  This is a thriller very much in the tone of Fear (1996) or The Crush (1993) except from the perspective of a teacher and her younger student.  Despite being directed by Rob Cohen – The Fast & the Furious (2001) and XXX (2002), this is a very dry erotic thriller which doesn’t really break any new ground.  The entire cast does a good job and its interesting seeing Cohen do a smaller film after so many big budget event films.  The big did extremely well at the Box Office grossing over $50 million worldwide against a $4 million production budget.  Also, of note is the fact that Lopez is a producer on the film (who is better known for having produced a lot of television rather than films) something she has done since Feel the Noise (2007) and El Cantante (2006), neither of which are thrillers.

In February Blum’s The Lazarus Effect was released.  This is a film more in line with the expectations of his company Blumhouse Productions.  Scientists experimenting with life after death get more than they expected when they resurrect one of them after being recently killed.  Needless to say, the scientist doesn’t return from the dead normal but rather a non-stop killing machine.  This film has an excellent concept and setup but in the third act becomes a senseless slasher film with echoes of Lucy (2014).  This being sad it’s very entertaining and all the cast do an excellent job with the material.  Do to the enormous amount of visual FX on display you’ll be forgiven if you don’t realize that most of the film is in a single location (to keep production costs down I’m sure).  This film was also a modest success grossing over $36 million worldwide against a production of only $3.3 million.

Blum took a break in March with no films released but returned in force in April with the better than expected Unfriended (for which he was an Executive Producer).  This is a concept driven film as it is told completely from the perspective and style of a chat room and found footage.  It has a very relatable and convincing cast of young unknown actors which drives the film and is suspenseful and engaging in the same mood and tone as displayed in the Paranormal Activity films.  This film did phenomenally well at the Box Office pulling in $62 million worldwide against a production budget of only $1 million.  There is talk of a sequel which may or may not have Blum’s involvement.

In May Blum gave his pal Oren Peli’s (director of the original Paranormal Activity) latest film Area 51 a limited theatrical release at the same time as its VOD release.  I have yet to see this film but it grossed $7,556 domestically (as it was not released theatrically in foreign markets).  

June saw the release of the sequel to Blum’s most successful franchise outside the Paranormal Activity films which is Insidious: Chapter 3.  This has been an extremely successful and popular franchise with horror fans around the world and with the general public who have been craving something new from your typical haunted house story.  I’ve enjoyed all of the films in this franchise not only because of the suspenseful stories that keep you on the edge of your seat but also because of the cast of characters and the great acting as well.  These are high value horror films done on very small budgets.  This film follows the secondary characters of the paranormal investigators from the previous films in a prequel story that adds to the mythology crafted by writer Leigh Whannell who has been with the franchise since the beginning and who made this film his directorial debut. Despite grossing less than the previous film in the franchise this film was still a huge success grossing $109 million worldwide against a $10 million production budget.

July saw the release of The Gallows, a found footage film that takes place in the world of a haunted high school theater.  This film had a lot of good will coming off some success screenings at film festivals.  Unfortunately, found footage films have been ignored by mainstream audiences of late and this film only grossed $38.2 million worldwide but because the production budget was only $100,000 this is an enormous success for the film and Blum again.  This is a guilty pleasure film for me as I’ve worked in the theater industry for almost two decades so seeing a horror film that utilizes that allowed me to enjoy the film probably more than most people with no background in theater.  I found it very entertaining and suspenseful which is the hallmark of a successful low budget horror film.

August saw the release of my favorite of the 2015 Blumhouse Productions which is The Gift.  This is a film that gets it right on so many levels.  Despite playing as a thriller there is so much going on in this film that I don’t want to ruin it but needless to say that nothing is as it seems in this thriller about former school friends who confront each other in the present bringing up the past that one of them had thought forgotten and buried.   Written, directed and starring Joel Edgerton this is a tight thriller that’s also atmospheric and suspenseful in a subtle yet eerie way that makes your skin crawl.  Jason Bateman and Rebecca Hall (one of the most underrated and phenomenal actresses working today) are fantastic together.  This is not just my favorite of Blum’s films this year but one of my favorite horror films in general this year.  Great word of mouth pushed this film’s success to the tune of $46 million worldwide against a $5 million budget.

August also saw the release of Sinister 2.  Unfortunately, I was not a huge fan of the original film and missed this one at the Box Office.  I’m sure I’m not the only one in that camp as the film only grossed $27.5 million at the domestic Box Office (no foreign release) against a much bigger budget of $10 million, so this is not one of Blum’s more successful films and I doubt there will be an additional sequel anytime soon.

More recent is the release of Blum’s acquired film The Visit which comes from M. Night Shyamalan.  This film has gotten some of the best reviews of Shyamalan’s recent films with many claiming that he has returned to form after the abysmal The Last Air Bender (2010), The Happening (2008), and After Earth (2013).  I have yet to see this film but I am looking forward to it because I’ve heard good things about it.  Generally speaking, I’m still a fan of Shyamalan and enjoy the fact that with each new film he strives to tell stories different from everyone else in the same vein as watching a David Cronenberg or John Carpenter film.  This film is still in active release but has grossed over $67 million worldwide against a $5 million production budget.

Blum has two more films being released this year which are both this month which are Jem & the Holograms and the final film in the Paranormal Activity franchise Paranormal Activity: The ghost Dimension (which will be released in 3D).  Blum usually releases at least one non-horror film a year (last year’s film was the highly praised Whiplash) so there shouldn’t be much surprise in regards to Jem & the Holograms.  What will interest horror fans more is the final entry in the Paranormal Activity franchise which has been one of the biggest horror franchises in history.  This last film will be in 3D and finally explain everything that has come before in the five previous films (excluding Paranormal Activity: Tokyo Night).  Being a huge fan of the franchise I am very much looking forward to this film.

The one thing to remember about Jason Blum is that he may produce low budget films but they are films shepherded by the creative minds behind them instead of being dictated by the studio system.  This is the reason why he can command so many talented artist to work on these films for virtually nothing or backend percentage points.  Keeping the production costs of his films down have allowed him more financial success and less overall stress.  Audiences all over the world have been subjected to all types of new and innovative horror films for which I hope he is able to continue to do so.

As a final note I’d like to list a few of his upcoming films in order to give you an idea of what is next on his list for 2016 – Amityville: The Awakening, Ouija 2, The Purge 3, Delirium, 6 Miranda Drive, The Veil, Stephanie, In the Valley of Violence, Viral, and Hush, just to name a few. 

All box office information was obtained from Box Office Mojo (www.boxofficemojo.com).

 

“Top 15 Films of 2014…So Far…”

I watch a lot of films every year (as any good screenwriter and film maker should do) and a friend of mine asked me about what were some of the best films I’d seen lately.  That got me thinking about “what” are some of my favorite films of this year so I decided to put together a list.  The following is a list of my favorite films starting at the bottom of my list with number fifteen all the way to the top.  This list only includes films released theatrically in 2014 (or the list could have been longer).  Enjoy. 

15. GODZILLA - a highly entertaining and well executed film that has a strong opening but a weak follow through.  The humor story gets lost (and is sometimes nonexistent) in the latter half of the film.  The creature effects are amazing (especially in 3D and on the IMAX) but you miss the monsters every time they are off screen which is why the film doesn’t place further up on the list.

14. ROBOCOP (2014) – a remake that successfully takes (what is now considered campy) classic sci-fi & horror hybrid and makes it relevant to modern audiences while retaining the original plot but changing it enough to call itself its own.  The film is anchored by great supporting turns of Michael Keaton, Gary Oldman, Jackie Earl Haley and Samuel L. Jackson and some great special visual FX that won’t disappoint.  All this plus it takes the transformation of Alex Murphy and makes it more personal by also focusing on his family (something none of the previous trilogy did).  This was a stand out sci-fi film of the year despite carrying a Rated-PG 13 status.

13. X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST – seven films into the franchise and I was completely surprised by how good this film actually is.  It took the core characters of the First Class film and added there modern day counterparts and crafted a film worthy of being called an “X-Men” film.  Bringing director Bryan Singer back into the fold was a stroke of genius as he gave us a film and story in which we still care for the characters despite being the seventh film into the franchise.  It also helps that this film has the best cast of any of the other films and allows them all to give some powerful performances that resonate not just with each individual character but the franchise (and the future thereof) as a whole.

12. OCULUS – a modern day tale of the Boogeyman if trapped inside a mirror.  This is a very moody and atmospheric film about siblings trying to prove that they’re not crazy but in the process may be driven crazy in the process.   There is no masked man or zombie trying to get at these siblings.  By trying to prove that the mirror in the film is deadly they are forced to deal with past trauma and the only way to do that is to trust each other which may become deadly.  It’s a well done tense and suspenseful horror thriller.

11. EDGE OF TOMORROW – a surprisingly entertaining and well executed sci-fi film starring Tom Cruise of all people.  I’m not one of those people on the “Tom Cruise Hate Wagon,” I just don’t watch his films all that often.  I found this film entertaining and full of interesting ideas and the “ground hog day” theme was a brilliant stroke of cinematic magic.  This is a film that’s one of the sci-fi highlights of the year.

10. SNOWPIERCER – based on the classic French graphic novel from director Joon-ho Bong (director of the Korean films The Host and Mother) making his English language début with a post-apocalyptic nihilistic action film.  It takes the basic story of the graphic novel and vastly improves upon it with bigger ideas and themes and places them in a superb film that also happens to be an action film.  As with his other films, Bong has bigger ideas for his audience to think about and this ended up being the perfect vehicle for them.

9. BAD WORDS – Jason Bateman’s directorial debut also happens to be extremely funny and poignant at the same time and one of the best comedies of the year.  The film goes from having Bateman being one of the most hated men to someone who both learns something and teaches something to his young protégé.  The film is better than expected because of the whip smart dialogue and the perfect execution from the very talented cast.    My pick for best comedy of the year.

8. NOAH – there are many grand ideas in Darren Aronofsky’s Biblical epic that is both controversial and inspiring at the same time.  In less capable hands the story of Noah and his Ark could’ve been a preachy mess or an artistic statement.  Aronofsky balances the themes of the story while also presenting his own ideas in a unique and creative way that will have you thinking about what you’ve seen long after the End Credits roll.  The film is also anchored by some powerful performances from Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, and Ray Winstone.

7. THE ROVER – hands down actor Robert Pattinson’s best performance to date because it’s so far removed from everything thing else he’s ever done.  Guy Pearce also gives and equally compelling performance (which is expected) but his character’s transformation is one of the most poignant since he goes through so many changes in the film.  By the time you get to the end of the film and you realize why his character is so desperate to get his car back from common thieves you will be left in tears.  This is a desolate and uncompromising post apocalyptic film that great from beginning to end.

6. THE RAILWAY MAN – one name – Colin Firth.  I’ll say it again COLIN “F*^king” FIRTH.  He’s amazing in this film as a man who finds solace in his knowledge of trains that keeps him sheltered from a past of torture from the war.  When he falls in love with Nicole Kidman’s character he also discovers that the man responsible for his torture in the war is still alive and it leads him down a dark road that he may not be able to come back from.  Firth ignites the screen in this film (as he always does) and it also helps that he brings Kidman and Stellan Skarsgard along for the ride.

5. ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE – my choice for best most unusual film of the year.  Written & directed by Jim Jarmusch this modern day vampire “fable” is anchored by some of the best performances of any film this year from Tom Hiddleston, Mia Wasikowska and the phenomenal Tilda Swinton (one of the greatest actresses alive who can do no wrong – also see her performance in Snowpiercer).   This film that mixes the past with the present about a vampire on the verge of suicide (Hiddleston) and his forever lover (Swinton) trapped in a world of excess of “zombies” (as the humans are referred to) also has some remarkable comic performances from Anton Yelchin and Jeffrey Wright.  Jarmusch has a talent for mixing the weird with the sublime.

4. LOCKE – another film anchored by a phenomenal performance by Tom Hardy.  This is a far different role than what Hardy did in The Dark Knight Rises, Inception, This Means War, and any of his other films.  It’s about a man (Hardy) who has everything until he discovers that everything is crumbling down around him and he’s just trying to do the best that he can.  Hardy carries the entire film which is in a single location (a moving car) but he is given an equally magnificent screenplay by Steven Knight (who also directs).

3. MALEFICENT – the “true” story of fairy queen Maleficent could have turned out so very wrong but in the hands of Angelina Jolie it becomes one of the finest films that re-imagines a fairytale.  Not only that but the screenplay by Linda Woolverton is spot on perfect as it parallel’s Maleficent’s journey of finding love, losing love, and then finding it again with that of Aurora herself making the whole film resonate with audiences.   It’s hard to take what has always been a villain and make her journey seem personal and resonate and seem poignant to an audience and they achieve that with this film.

2. CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER – considering that I just thought the first film was an adequate “by the numbers” film my expectations for this film were very low.  What truly saves this film is the great screenplay by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely (and the concept & story by Ed Brubaker).  This film takes a different approach by presenting our hero as a man lost in time just trying to find his place in a world which has lost its values.  It’s also a film about a man trying to discover who his real friends are and who he can really trust amidst a conspiracy of corruption and terrorism.  An espionage film within a comic book superhero film that actually works and is better than expected with some terrific action sequences and CGI effects that don’t overcome the story of film (like the Thor and Iron Man films which have all been uneven at best).

1. THE RAID 2 – an action film is my choice for best film of the year (so far).  The first film was good but this film (armed with a bigger budget and a wider canvas to explore) blows the previous film out of the water.  It’s not just a gangster film and not just a martial arts action film.  This is the film about a man trapped in a world he can’t find his way out of just trying to get back to his family without getting killed.  The icing on the cake is the fact that it also contains some of the best choreographed action sequences committed to film in the last decade as well as so little (to no) CGI effects that the whole film has a freshness to it not seen in years.  It’s a comfort to see a film not reliant on CGI effects which makes all the fight sequences all the more impressive.  The film also excels in presenting action sequences that propel the story forward and develop character at the same time (a rarity in most action films).  This is an amazing film from beginning to end that will amaze because you’ll leave the theater not believing what you just saw.

Now that you have my list of great films, the following is a list of films released this year that I have yet to see but wanted to (which is why they didn’t make the cut).

*The Signal (2014)

*The Immigrant

*Ida

*Under the Skin

*Draft Day

*The Lego Movie

*The Sacrament

*Chinese Puzzle

*Cold in July

*Dom Hemingway

*Jodorowsky’s Dune

*Nymphomaniac Part I & II

*Begin Again

*The Wind Rises

*Belle

*The Grand Budapest Hotel

*22 Jump Street

*The Fault in Our Stars

*Divergent

*The Monuments Men

*Jersey Boys

*Million Dollar Arm

*Chef

*Winter’s Tale