10 Best Blumhouse Movies, Ranked

The American production company Blumhouse Productions has been responsible for some of the most exciting movies of the 21st century and has received numerous accolades and awards. Founded in the year 2000 and known for mainly producing horror movies, Blumhouse had a company model based on low-budget releases that provided filmmakers with significant creative freedom. While this philosophy may occasionally lead to box office bombs or critical failures, it was this type of risk-taking that led to some of the studio’s greatest releases and contributed to its unique and effective charm.

As the studio behind major horror franchises like Paranormal Activity, Insidious, and The Purge, Blumhouse Productions became well-known among horror enthusiasts and was associated with challenging and entertaining releases. Blumhouse has also stepped outside its horror movie niche to release successful drama films, such as BlacKkKlansman and Whiplash, both of which were nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. A vital production company that consistently promoted lesser-known voices, the best Blumhouse movies stood as some of the greatest releases in recent times.

10 Creep (2014)

Directed by Patrick Brice

The low-budget, small-scale nature of many Blumhouse productions was a perfect fit for Patrick Brice’s found-footage psychological horrorCreep, a quietly compelling movie that slowly built tension as its eccentric, odd, and nerve-wracking concept was explored. Creep starred Mark Duplass as a supposedly dying man who hired a videographer to record his last messages. Soon these intentions turned sour as his charisma fell away, and his psychotic nature burst to the forefront. A powerful portrayal of the horrific consequences of taking a job on Craigslist, the film had an equally eerie sequel called Creep 2.

9 Paranormal Activity (2007)

Directed by Oren Peli

A hugely successful example of Blumhouse’s business model in action, Paranormal Activity was initially produced on a minuscule budget of $15,000 and went on to gross $193,355,800 worldwide and act as the inception of a new major horror franchise. With a simple foot-footage concept about a haunted house, Paranormal Activity succeeded due to its relentless suspense, minimal modern setting, and effective jump scares. The unprecedented success of Paranormal Activity not only led to a litany of sequels, but also many copycat movies attempting to cash in on its low-risk success.

8 Insidious (2011)

Directed by James Wan

The first and best entry in the long-running horror series, Insidious was a massive success that earned $100 million on a budget of just $1.5 million. With horror director James Wan at the helm, this story of a family protecting their child from evil spirits provided audiences with plenty of scares mixed with a daunting and foreboding sense of dread. A major entry for Blumhouse Productions, Insidious took home the Best Horror Film award at the Fright Meter Awards and kickstarted a franchise that currently has a sixth movie called Threads: An Insidious Tale in pre-production.

7 The Purge: Election Year (2016)

Directed by James DeMonaco

Blumhouse Production found consistent success in the dystopian horror series The Purge, which released its best and most relevant entry in 2016 with The Purge: Election Year. A fascinating insight into the politics behind the annual lawless murder spree, The Purge: Election Year blended shocking scares, excessive violence, and timely themes in an effective film that acted as a sharp satirical mirror to political and social reality. A compelling exploration of a society divided, The Purge: Election Year was both clever and loaded with violence.

6 Happy Death Day (2017)

Directed by Christopher Landon

As a time-loop horror, Happy Death Day could be described as Groundhog Day meets Scream college student Tree Gelbman awoke each morning to a nightmarish existence that always ended with a terrifying killer murdering her. A clever mix of many different genre convictions, Happy Death Day subverted slasher clichés and was propped up by an exceptional performance from Jessica Rothe. With elements of comedy, horror, and romance, Happy Death Day proved that a successful horror movie could be funny and satirical while retaining a more sinister slant.

5 BlacKkKlansman (2018)

Directed by Spike Lee

The release of Spike Lee’s BlaKkKlansman was a rare non-horror release from Blumhouse Production that received widespread acclaim and showcased the company’s potential across genres. Based on a true story and with an acclaimed director at the helm, BlacKkKlasman received six nominations at the Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and was an insightful and relevant social satire that explored racial prejudices in the United States. A powerful and provocative film, BlacKkKlansman followed an African American detective infiltrating and exposing a local Ku Klux Klan chapter in a hard-hitting story that needed to be seen to be believed.

4 Us (2019)

Directed by Jordan Peele

Director Jordan Peele brought the same creativity and thematic depth from his directional debut Get Out to his follow-up feature Us, a dark psychological horror that explored a menacing group of doppelgängers. Bringing together timeless themes of the other, the American dream, and racial tension in the United States, Us was strange, surreal, and surprising, as Peele demonstrated himself as one of the most relevant voices in horror filmmaking today. A creepy and effective examination of class and marginalization, Us featured allusions to movie horrors of the past as it addressed American privilege and the ramifications of presumed superiority.

3 M3GAN (2023)

Directed by Gerard Johnstone

The outrageously over-the-top horror movie M3GAN was an unapologetically silly box office success that delivered laughs and scares in equal measure. An absurd satire dealing with themes of artificial intelligence, passing off the responsibility of children on technology, and unhealthy grieving habits, M3GAN was a campy exploration of a sentient robot’s obsessive connection to a young child. M3GAN was the type of movie that would either be a smashing success with viewers or a total failure and, in this case, Blumhouse Productions’ risky business model paid off as it grossed over $180 million at the box office.

2 Whiplash (2014)

Directed by Damien Chazelle

Blumhouse Productions proved they can stand with the best studios with the release of the universally acclaimed Damien Chazelle film Whiplash. With a career-defining Oscar-winning performance by J.K. Simmons as the ruthless jazz instructor Terrence Fletcher and Miles Teller in his breakout role as the ambitious young drummer Andrew Neiman, Whiplash was a truly thrilling piece of filmmaking that explored the psychological intensity of those striving for musical greatness. Whiplash delivered on all fronts as its sharp direction, exceptional performances, and vigorous musical bravado made it an unforgettable triumph.

1 Get Out (2017)

Directed by Jordan Peele

The massive success of Jordan Peele’s directional debut Get Out encapsulated everything great about Blumhouse Productions and stood as their very best film. Produced on a modest $4.5 million budget and earning an astonishing $255 million, Get Out was a testament to the studio’s business model of keeping costs low while providing filmmakers with unusually high levels of creativity freedom. While this philosophy can sometimes fail, in the case of Get Out it led to one of the most exciting horror movies in contemporary times and one of the best films of the 21st century.

Sources: Box Office figures from Box Office Mojo