Watch Out Blumhouse, A New Horror Movie Powerhouse Is Emerging In 2024

While the Blumhouse production company has been the first name in horror movies for the past few years, a company behind the release of multiple experimental horror movies has burst onto the scene in 2024. Blumhouse has gotten off to a rocky start in 2024, with two disappointments on its ledger for 2024 in Night Swim and Imaginary. While both movies were profitable at the box office, neither landed well with critics or audiences, nor did they live up to the lofty standards that the Blumhouse name conjures.

Blumhouse has been the top dog in American horror movies for more than a decade. The production company of creator Jason Blum has established an incredible portfolio that is equally weighted with box office-friendly franchises like The Purge, Insidious, and Halloween and stand-alone critical darlings like Cam, Hush, and Nanny. While other production companies, like A24 and Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw, have made their mark on the horror movie industry, a new contender for the horror crown may have emerged in the first half of 2024.

IFC Films Is Behind Two Of 2024’s Best Horror Movies

In A Violent Nature & Late Night With The Devil

IFC Films has quickly become a major player in the horror space thanks to its strong start to 2024 with In a Violent Nature and Late Night with the Devil. In a Violent Nature found a new path in the well-worn terrain of slasher movies, as the movie chronicles the ultra-gory murder spree of an undead killer from the first-person point of view. The tight, focused instant classic from director Chris Nash is Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with an 83%, and In a Violent Nature‘s most brutal kills are a major talking point in the horror industry.

IFC Films was also behind Late Night with the Devil, a similarly unique supernatural horror movie set in front of a live studio audience in the 1970s. The supernatural found-footage movie, which stars David Dastmalchian, explores demonic possession, cults, Satanic rituals, and even manages to “hypnotize” the audience at one point before coming to a fiery and explosive ending. While those aren’t the only two horror movies that IFC Films has been attached to recently, they are two of the most high-profile and widely acclaimed.

In A Violent Nature & Late Night With The Devil Have Both Had Box Office Success

The low-budget films were both highly profitable

While IFC Films, which falls under the AMC Networks umbrella, typically deals with independent movies, it has had quite a few box office successes in the horror space. In a Violent Nature and Late Night with the Devil both qualify as such, as both have more than recouped their budgets by a fair margin. Per Box Office Mojo, Late Night with the Devil crossed the $12 million mark at the global box office, which makes it extremely profitable given that the movie reportedly spent only $150,000 on visual effects.

In a Violent Nature‘s budget hasn’t been released, but it was certainly far less than the $3 million it has already made at the box office. Shot mostly in the woods with simple sets and props, an unknown cast, and limited visual effects, its total budget likely did not cross $500,000. Although neither film will ever be considered a blockbuster, Late Night with the Devil and In a Violent Nature boast the highest and second-highest opening weekend box office returns for IFC Films, emphasizing how impactful the horror hits have been for the production company.

IFC Films Should Focus More On Horror Movies Now

They have churned out horror hits in the last two years

While Late Night with the Devil and In a Violent Nature are their two highest-earning and highest-profile horror hits, IFC Films has actually been attached to quite a few quality horror movies in the last two years. It’s pretty clear that they’re bringing in the right independent films, and while there is no chance that they’ll suddenly turn into a box office heavyweight thanks to independent horror movies, there is clearly money to be made in the space for IFC Films. The success of 2024 should be enough to encourage IFC Films to focus more on horror movies now.

IFC Films has quietly churned out a string of incredibly well-regarded horror movies of late. There is a span of years between where IFC Films is right now and where Blumhouse is as far as status in the horror industry is concerned, but the only major distinguishing factor at the moment is Blumhouse’s stable of franchises. Late Night with the Devil may not carry franchise potential, but it’s possible In a Violent Nature gains cult classic status and invites another chapter for IFC Films to explore.

Source: Rotten Tomatoes, Box Office Mojo