When people think “micro-budget horror,” the big name that comes to mind is Blumhouse, and specifically, founder Jason Blum. The producer has made a name for himself as the mastermind behind a laundry list of hit horror films made for under $5 million. And last year was a standout year for Blum, with “Happy Death Day,” “Split,” and “Get Out” all becoming hits for his production company.
Of those three films, the one that still has people talking is “Get Out.” The Jordan Peele film was a massive hit for Blumhouse and went on to get multiple Oscar noms and one win. So, naturally, the question comes, when will we get a sequel? As you probably know, with franchises like “Insidious,” “Sinister,” and “The Purge” all spawning popular sequels, Blum is not averse to putting the number 2 at the end of a title.
As for “Get Out,” Blum doesn’t control the sequel because he knows that it has to come from Peele, first.
“If Jordan wants to do a sequel, I’ll do it in a second, but it has to come from Jordan Peele,” said Blum, in an interview with Variety. “I think he’s flirting with the idea.”
Even though Blum finds himself at the center of most micro-budget horror film successes, one of the biggest horror films of the year doesn’t have the Blumhouse name attached to it – “A Quiet Place.” And according to the producer, there’s a reason why and it’s simple. He just would have never been able to make the film.
“I could not have pulled it off,” said Blum. “I would have loved to produce the movie, but I don’t think we would have done it as well as they did it, because it’s a totally different space that we operate in. It’s a big movie.”
Now, “big movie” is a relative term. “A Quiet Place” carried a reported $15 million budget, which is peanuts for most major studios. However, for Blumhouse, that’s three films-worth of money and not something he would have made. But he’s happy it did so well, anyway.
And finally, the big topic of conversation for Blum is “The Purge” franchise. As July 4th comes around, there’s another ‘Purge’ film on the horizon – “The First Purge.” And in the film, fans will finally get to see what the situation was in the US when the first Purge occurred. According to Blum, this isn’t some fantasy world either. He thinks that there’s some reality seen in the horror franchise.
“If every time there’s a shooting in the United States, the government’s answer is put more guns in people’s hands then what ‘The Purge’ is showing doesn’t seem all that crazy,” he said. “Donald Trump keeps saying ‘give teachers guns.’ I could see him saying, ‘let people shoot whoever they want to for 12 hours a year.’”
Let’s hope Blum’s better at making horror films as he is predicting the future because judging by those films, it wouldn’t be a fun time, at all.
And if you think Blum just came up with this idea, take a look at the teaser poster for “The First Purge.” It’s clear the Trump symbolism is a big part of the film:
