Some Of Blumhouse's Best Horror Movies Are Returning To Theaters, And The Tickets Are Cheap
The WGA strike of 2023 has created a fortunate side effect. While writers demanded better pay from studios — as well as a guarantee that they would not be replaced by clunky automated writing machines — many films and TV shows halted production. Without writers, the Hollywood system ground slowly to a halt. When the strike was resolved, production began again, but it left a 148-day gap in most studios' production schedules. To fill the gaps, some studios have adopted an ingenious approach: merely re-release some of their biggest hits from years past, allowing audiences to see some of their favorite movies on the big screen again.
In the case of Pixar, films like "Soul," "Luca," and "Turning Red" are being re-released to make up for losses incurred during the pandemic. Those films were all released directly onto Disney+ in the U.S. and only played in select theaters internationally, making for paltry box office receipts and massive losses; "Turning Red" is technically one of the biggest money-losers of all time, having grossed less than $20 million at the box office on a $175 million budget. A re-release is a "make good" tactic, as well as a way to beef up a calendar wiped clean by the strike.
Now, Blumhouse is also getting in on the re-release game.
Blumhouse has taken a notably profitable approach to filmmaking by, namely, making 'em cheap. Founder Jason Blum has famously mandated that Blumhouse keep its budgets low and concepts high, all but assuring a profit. It's now teaming up with AMC Theaters for Halfway to Halloween, a film festival wherein the studio's best-known movies will return to theaters on a limited basis. Tickets are only $8 and audiences will have access to "Insidious," "Ouija: Origin of Evil," "The Invisible Man," "Split," and "The Purge."
Halfway to Halloween
The Halfway to Halloween festival is a five-night affair stretching from Friday, March 29 through Tuesday, April 2. A different Blumhouse film will play every night at 7 p.m. The lineup is as follows:
- March 29: "Split"
- March 30: "The Purge"
- March 31: "Ouija: Origin of Evil"
- April 1: "Insidious"
- April 2: "The Invisible Man" (2020)
The festival will be held at AMC theaters in 40 cities. According to the Blumhouse press release, the screenings will be full-bore events featuring ancillary material and sweepstakes. Audiences will "have the chance to win giveaways, get sneak peeks, and see exclusive recorded messages from directors and talent from the films," all included in the very cheap $8 ticket price.
"Split" is a thriller by M. Night Shyamalan wherein a man with dissociative identity disorder (James McAvoy) kidnaps a trio of teen girls. It boasts one of McAvoy's best performances. James DeMonaco's "The Purge" is a dystopian sci-fi film starring Ethan Hawke and is set in a world where, for one night out of the year, all crimes are made legal, including murder and home invasion. Mike Flanagan's "Ouija: Origin of Evil" expands on the mythos of the first "Oujia" movie, making it into something genuinely chilling. James Wan's "Insidious" is about a comatose boy who unwittingly lures evil ghosts into his home and the ghostbusters (including Lin Shaye) who have to stop them. Leigh Whannell's "The Invisible Man," about a woman (Elizabeth Moss) stalked by her potentially invisible ex-boyfriend, is one of the best films of its year.
Blum commented: "We wanted to celebrate local communities of horror fans throughout the country with a fun, affordable, and slightly evil night at the movies. We're grateful to our partners at AMC for helping us bring this idea to life."
The locations
The Halfway to Halloween Fest will be shown in the following 40 cities:
- Atlanta, Georgia
- Baltimore, Maryland
- Charlotte, North Carolina
- Chattanooga, Tennessee
- Chicago, Illinois
- Rockford, Illinois
- Cincinnati, Ohio
- Columbus, Ohio
- Dallas, Texas
- Harlingen, Texas
- Houston, Texas
- Denver, Colorado
- Detroit, Michigan
- Hartford, Connecticut
- New Haven, Connecticut
- Indianapolis, Indiana
- Jacksonville, Florida
- Miami, Florida
- Orlando, Florida
- Tallahassee, Florida
- Tampa, Florida
- Kansas City, Missouri
- Las Vegas, Nevada
- Los Angeles, California
- San Diego, California
- San Francisco, California
- Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Mobile, Alabama
- New Orleans, Louisiana
- New York City, New York
- Norfolk, Virginia
- Phoenix, Arizona
- Tucson, Arizona
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Seattle, Washington
- Spokane, Washington
- Tulsa, Oklahoma
- Wichita, Kansas
- Washington, D.C.
Blumhouse has also set up a Halfway to Halloween mailing list, which offers behind-the-scenes videos, screening invites, trailers, and other "goodies."
In an era when many pooh-pooh the theater-going experience, Blumhouse is here to liven things up a little bit. Few things are more fun than going to see a horror movie in a theater, surrounded by jumpy gorehounds and raucous youngsters eager to scream. What's more, few studios have bolstered the in-person horror movie experience more than Blumhouse, assuring that fright fests and jumpscares persist into a new generation. While we all patiently await for new cinematic trends to emerge in the wake of superherodom's gradual demise, we can look back to the monster/ghost movies that kept us heartily entertained throughout the last decade.
AMC's Chief Content Officer, Elizabeth Frank, gave the following statement: "Blumhouse films terrify and delight horror fans. We are excited to bring these favorites back to the big screen."