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10 Insanely Profitable Low Budget Films

Putting a very small amount of money into a project and then milking it for far more than you ever dreamed imaginable, if that isn't the American dream, then I don't know what is. For as much as Hollywood executives are bashed for being money grubbing sleazeballs, many of them really want to make quality movies. The problem is, if the movie is quality, but no one goes to see it, you won't be in a position to make movies for too long.

The Blair Witch Project

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Budget – 600,000

Worldwide Gross – $248,300,000

Return – 20,592%

The film that made found footage a viable option for horror directors, The Blair Witch Project is simply a couple of film students wandering through the woods while losing their map and getting attacked by twigs.

Okay the movie does have more to it than that, but the suspense is built without ever showing a monster, there’s no appearance by the witch, no blood, no guts, etc… Basically nothing at all that costs a significant amount of money. Don’t have the money for a high quality cinematographer and equipment? Embrace it and make it part of the film’s aesthetic. Don’t have the money to hire a ton of actors? Only have three for the majority of the film.

Blair Witch serves as a lesson in low budget horror film making, and for better or for worse, we have it to thank for the insane amounts of found footage movies that have permeated the industry since.