A Bloody Good Time: The 10 Best Blumhouse Films

Opening Logo courtesy of Benjamin J. Colón (Soul Exodus)

Last week, I got into the history of Blumhouse Productions by looking at their worst films. Blumhouse is a studio that when they get it wrong, it’s usually due to what appears to be laziness, only going for a cheap buck from moviegoers that don’t know any better. How else do you explain the fact that Ouija got a sequel?

But Blumhouse does get it right, and quite often. They just have their ups and downs like any other studio. When they’re getting it right, it’s because they’re giving platforms to up-and-coming talent with a particular voice or style that manages to engage the audience and deliver the scares and entertainment horror fans look for.

So this week, to cap off this two-parter, I’m going to be looking at the ten best films in Blumhouse history. I should note that this is a horror-only list, so that’s why you won’t see Whiplash.

#10: The Lords of Salem (2012)

Rob Zombie still remains a polarizing figure in the horror community, although the outright hate for him seems to have died off now that he’s no longer in charge of the Halloween series. Which is probably why his movies like this and 31 were released under the radar. This was his take on witches and in my opinion, it’s his best from a directing perspective. While The Devil’s Rejects is a classic in its own right, The Lords of Salem is Zombie’s most ambitious and artistic.

While it does have story issues at times, visually it looks great. Zombie seemed to take his cues from Italian horror films like Suspiria in the style and color. It also has a nonsensical ending like some of Fulci’s movies, so it fits right in. Sherri Moon Zombie also gives a great performance in the lead. The tone and visuals also lead to some unnerving moments here and there. It’s a good effort from Zombie, who sadly went back to his usual stuff with 31 and presumably 3 From Hell.

#9: Sinister (2012)

I think time and the bad sequel have lessened this movie’s impact, but I remember really enjoying this the first time I saw it. It does rely a little much on jump scares but when it delivers in that department, it delivers. The “yard work” scene was one of the most effective forms of a jump scare in modern horror. The ending is also plenty disturbing and dark, as it involves kids being abducted to a nightmare world where they are eaten alive. After the kids murder their own family.

That’s why I initially loved it, because it was willing to get dark in a way that Hollywood horror films simply weren’t at the time. Now things are less sterile and we’re getting more R-rated horror in theaters than we used to. So Sinister may not have the impact it once did, but it’s still effective with what it does.

#8: Oculus (2013)

This was the first film that introduced me to director Mike Flanagan. While it’s not my favorite, it’s still a great head-trip of a movie that really tries to play with audience expecations. At first glance, a movie about a haunted mirror may evoke some of the worse Amityville sequels. It doesn’t take long to suspend one’s disbelief due to Flanagan’s direction and the performances of Karen Gillan and Brenton Thwaites.

The movie also likes to rely on mood and atmosphere over blood and jump scares (although it certainly has those). It was smarter than a lot of people were expecting and thankfully gave Flanagan a lot more work in the genre, so he could give horror fans several more great movies. He’s even doing Stephen King adaptations now! Oculus is a fun movie and one that probably is overdue for a rewatch on my part.

#7: The Gift (2015)

Maybe it’s just me, but this movie was one of the biggest surprises of the year it came out. It was quietly released and ended up doing very well commercially and critically. It’s more of a psychological thriller than outright horror, but it’s incredibly chilling and creepy just how far the crazy guy is willing to go to prove his point. The twist at the end and the uncertainty over it is unsettling. It’s one that really knocks you on your butt when you first see it.

Jason Bateman is great at playing the straight man, and it turns out that the line between horror and comedy isn’t that large. It’s just Bateman reacting to the crazy things another character does, only this time it’s not played for laughs. Joel Edgerton is also amazing in his role, really blurring the lines at times to make him seem like a victim (when he ends up being quite sinister). If you haven’t seen this one, definitely give it a shot.

#6: Hush (2016)

Mike Flanagan’s back, with the second film on this list and the second of three films he did for Blumhouse. This one is my favorite, and made my list of the top 2016 horror films when it was released on Netflix. This is a very suspenseful movie that features a deaf heroine, allowing us to see the killer in plain sight making noise, but still worry because she has no idea what’s going on. It plays a lot with what the viewer sees and it’s a long cat-and-mouse game that keeps the viewer on the edge of their seat.

The movie’s just loaded start to finish with suspense and it plays with the audience’s expectations the entire time. Kate Siegel is a great lead, and she carries the thing. There’s large portions with no dialogue and she manages to rely on her physical acting and facial expressions to get her through and she’s great at it. You wouldn’t know she’s not actually deaf. This is a great movie and if you have Netflix, give it a watch.

#5: Insidious (2010)

I still can’t believe this became a franchise starring a minor character in this film, but hey, anything can be come a franchise in Hollywood. At any rate, Insidious is the James Wan movie that should have given us a hint as to how good The Conjuring would be. In this case, he delivers a smart and creepy haunted house movie with great performances, a fantastic score and some very interesting visuals. It also introduced the concept of the further, before it got watered down later on.

This has two really great moments that to me, sum up how this movie is good. First, is that early in the film, Rose Byrne wants to move because of the ghosts. Patrick Wilson doesn’t believe her, but they move anyway. It doesn’t work but it’s so nice that the movie didn’t rely on the tired trope of the husband not believing for very long. Second, there’s just a really good scare once the paranormal investigators arrive that happens so quickly you aren’t even sure you saw it. I don’t mean the big jump, I mean the creepy smile that happens after. I love this movie.

#4: Paranormal Activity (2009)

This was the movie that started it all for Blumhouse and like Sinister and Insidious, it may be easy to forget how good this one was thanks to the watered down sequels. After all, it’s been nearly a decade since it came out and some of the sequels were really bad. Nevermind the fact that the wave of found footage that followed in its wake also made people sick of the entire concept. But when you revisit this movie, it still holds up. It’s still suspenseful and has a lot of good “gotcha” moments.

Of course you have to be more of a fun of slow-burn suspense, which this movie does a lot of. That means the camera lingers on shots and we see subtle things at first to let you know the spirit is there. Things then gradually build until Katie is completely possessed and watching Micah sleep with evil intentions, which is still disturbing. Like, thinking of it gives me the chills. Sure it has its jump scares too, but it builds to them first, which is the big distinction between movies like this and movies like we saw last week. It’s a shame the series went downhill so fast, because this is still one of my favorite modern horror films.

#3 & #2: Creep (2015) & Creep 2 (2017)

The reason I’m combining these two into one entry is very simple. They could easily be edited into one film and that’s how I plan to watch them from now on. The story from Creep flows neatly into Creep 2 and Mark Duplass is able to effortlessly continue his quirky and off-putting performance as a psychotic killer who pretends to be amiable. I love the Creep films and I’ll mention then any chance I get in order to get more people to watch them. They’re small, independent and found footage, but they make up for any budgetary issues by focusing on the camera shots and performances.

And by the way, the performances are stellar. Duplass is terrific as Joseph/Aaron. Sometimes he’s funny, sometimes he’s disturbing, and sometimes he’s both. Sometimes he can switch back and forth in the same scene. He absolutely commands the screen when he’s on it. It’s truly a terrific watch. When combined with the story and the way it plays with what the viewer thinks is going to happen, the Creep films remain some of the more underrated horror films in recent memory. If I had to choose I’d say the sequel is better, but you’re really better off just watching them back-to-back. They’re only 78 minutes each.

#1: Get Out (2017)

I’m glad that a lot of the backlash for this has died down, because there was a time there when people were constantly saying it was overrated. I mean, you’re entitled to your opinion, but it seems time and the hype going away has allowed people to appreciate this more. The fact that it won Best Screenplay at the Oscars and gave horror a much needed boost during award season is also great. I feel like I have to talk about its success because I just spoke about this earlier this year when I named it my second-favorite horror film of 2017.

Get Out is what Blumhouse should be striving for all the time. It has terrific performances, a terrifying concept and some good twists. The concept of people’s bodies being stolen is scary but it’s the Sunken Place that’s really disturbing. Can you imagine just being forced to watch someone else pilot your body for the rest of your life? Meanwhile, mentally, you’re trapped in total darkness as your brain has almost entirely been removed. It’s unnerving. Peele crafted a very smart horror film with this and while it does have a lot of social commentary too, here at ABGT we’re interested in the horror aspect first and foremost. Of course, there’s some horror in its social commentary too, depending on your viewpoint. Either way, Get Out was great and is hands down the best film Blumhouse has produced so far.

Ending Notes:

That’s it for me. Leave some comments here, on my Twitter or my Facebook.

Closing Logo courtesy of Kyle Morton (get your own custom artwork and commissions at his Etsy account)

A Bloody Good Time: The Store is now officially open! Like this design? You can now find it on most of my merchandise! Click here to find shirts, posters and more!

For those interested in more of my movie reviews, I’ve created a new blog! Check out the brand new Not-So-Bloody Good Time!

See you next week!