“I’m always looking for ghosts”: Blumhouse’s Jason Blum thinks the best horror stories are based on true stories
Few producers are as prolific or as well-known by fans as Blumhouse Productions’ founder and CEO, Jason Blum. TMS‘ Rachel Leishman had the chance to speak with the man himself at Blumfest 2024, where Blum talked about his legacy, what inspires him, and what he thinks makes for quality horror.
Several Blumhouse films, like Amityville: The Awakening, or The Conjuring franchise (theirs through their merger with James Wan’s Atomic Monster) are inspired by real-life events. This isn’t an accident. Leishman asked Blum if there are any other true stories that have inspired any upcoming projects.
“We look to make horror movies out of real-life events all the time,” Blum says. “The best horror movies are almost always based on a true story. Almost always. So, I’m always looking. I’m always looking for ghosts.”
Blum is thrilled by the fan response to Blumhouse’s extensive horror repertoire, which becomes all the more apparent at fan events like Blumfest. “What makes me feel great, and what makes me feel great being here today at Blumfest,” he explains. “Is having the amount of movies that we have next year that have to be good. It’s easy to make 10 movies, it’s hard to make 10 good movies, right? So the movies have to be good. I believe they will be good.”
But it isn’t just the fan response to the work that fills Blum with pride. It’s the fact that such talented artists in the horror space keep coming back to work with the company. Blum says, “What really makes me feel good is that we have now, like, a reparatory company. We work with Chris Landon, and Mike Flanagan, and Scott Derrickson, and Allison Williams, and all these people over and over again. It makes it really fun and very satisfying, and it makes me very proud.”
Blumhouse’s latest offering comes from Blumhouse Television, a new Prime Video series called The Sticky, starring Margo Martindale as the head of a trio of thieves responsible for a real-life…maple syrup heist? The six-episode comedy series arrives on the streamer December 6.
To watch the full interview with Jason Blum, or to check out any of our other convos, head on over to the TMS YouTube Channel!
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