In Hollywood horror seems to be a very popular genre in which hundreds of films are produced. Why it is so? Any body knows? Why other genres are not so popular?
Screenwriting : Genre by Vivek Vijay Natu
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Easy. Usually cheap to produce, with the ability to maximize profits. And there is definitely an audience for the genre. Fear is universal, so it sells. Personally I prefer a good sci-fi or action flick.
People are attached to being scared...it's a fetish :)...Horror might be one of the earliest film genres (first film originates sometime in late 19th century) and there's still hunger for it both from main-streamer procurers and indie ones. That says a lot.
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There's a perception that they are more profitable and (the main reason) it's relatively easy to make an effective horror movie with poor filmmaking skills.
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Horror has a very loyal audience. And "B" horror is a genre unto itself with a rabid following. This allows newer filmmakers to produce low budget films with pretty much a guaranteed audience. That's why many filmmakers get their start in horror.
I have always enjoyed Steven King's and Sam Raimi's horror films. Cerebral in content and well done visually for the most part. Silence Of The Lambs is also a great example of a well done horror film.
Vivek, my answer to your question is in my opinion there are way to many films that have political messages that literally throw up on the audience. My rule of thumb so to speak," Take the audience away from their everyday life with the screenplays content" , not what people experience everyday in their daily lives.
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I'll let you in on a little secret: Hollywood buys and sells genres, especially mixed genres! As pointed out in other comments: horror sells, it's cheap, and people love it. More women than men will see a horror movie (according to the research I saw at the studios). Universal Studios has Jason Blum to make horror films, and WB has New Line to make horror films. Popular genres: action, horror, comedy, sci-fi. Other popular: bio pics. Not as popular: dramas, romantic comedies. Look at what the studios and mini-majors distribute and you'll see the genres.
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Horror has a ready made audience,it is cheap to make so is relatively low risk with potential high returns.Family Christmas stories with a dog in them and low budget female character in peril thrillers are also popular for the same reason.
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While real estate is all about location, location, location, filming is all about budget, budget, budget. (Although the locations manager might disagree lol) Check out some of these charts on Stephen's site to put it into perspective. Horror generally has a higher return on your investment and can often be made in one location or even using only one room like in "Saw", "The Cube", "Room 1408" the list goes on. Bottom line, this brings down the budget and a low budget allows for either more to be spent on effects or marketing and potentially allowing for a higher return. https://stephenfollows.com/how-much-does-the-average-movie-cost-to-make/
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another good article on horror from one of the main studios, Blumhouse:
https://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/jason-blum-rules-on-lean-filmmaking/
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I look at it this way. Kids love film. Hanging out with friends. My kids always had friends over and it always involves watching movies.
I would say 50% horror. So the other half was reserved for all other genre (I say comedy was second).
Plus horror is plot heavy which is easier to write (in my opinion), so there is more of it in the market.