As the end of the annual horror season draws near, allow us to dive into the intricacies of horror production. There are different types of productions and creators — these minds can be divided up into the Love for Fright creators or Care for Profit. As mentioned in a previous article, horror movies are considered a safe investment and money return. Plenty of horror creators who truly love the craft and others who prioritize profits. Thus, we creak into a few production histories and find out who puts in the care in scare!

Love for Fright

There is a plethora of people in the horror industry who love every aspect of its production. From writers, artists/designers, practical/digital effects, and more who put so much work into their crafts. These horror icons include Neil Marshall, David Cronenberg, and the late Wes Craven, all of whom created several horror franchises. These horror icons along with many others have made films, shows, and books that built their fan base and inspired future horror fans.

Something to note is when you look at behind-the-scenes footage and see the crew having fun, it sparks a distinctively eerie feeling. There are several films where the cast had a great time during the filming. One example that comes to mind is during the filming of the 2017 hit movie It, the children of the cast were having a blast, despite it being their first film and the subject nature of the movie.

Care for Profit

Many movie productions have an end goal of making money at the box office, however some productions prioritize profits. Not exclusive to horror productions but given the safe investment of low-budget horror films it makes sense. Not to mention that horror franchises are known for having multiple sequels and spin-offs regardless of critics. This practice is very common in film companies like the former Full Moon Features, which was well-loved for producing B-movies. Although they mostly produced low-budget films, many are cult classics among horror fans even after they shut down. 

Conclusion

It’s normal for film producers to want to focus on making a profit, but as time goes on things get more expensive. As the industry progresses, the more it becomes less focused on entertainment and just becomes a business. This is unfortunate when it comes to horror, a media that needs that dive into our most primal emotions. The main goal of horror is to get a strong emotion from the audience, and this is incredibly prevalent when drawing back the curtains. There is no shortage of emotion behind the scenes.

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Works Cited

Garrett, Preston. “The Top 13 MASTERS OF HORROR: Writer/Directors.” The Script Lab, https://thescriptlab.com/features/the-lists/713-top-13-masters-of-horror/. Accessed 7 October 2024.

Ray, Karli. “Behind The Scenes Saturday: IT (2017).” Karli Ray’s Blog, 18 June 2022, https://karliray.blog/2022/06/18/behind-the-scenes-saturday-it-2017/. Accessed 11 October 2024.