Unless your name is Mike Flanagan, then Netflix don’t seem to be all that willing to hand over funds for filmmakers to deliver high profile horror content. After directing Stephen King adaptation Gerald’s Game, Flanagan created The Haunting of Hill House and sequel series Bly Manor, before moving on to Midnight Mass, which has already wrapped as he begins prep on The Midnight Club.
Apart from the prolific 42 year-old making the most of his exclusive development deal, horror has never typically ranked among Netflix’s top priorities, which is strange when they’re happy to shell out upwards of $150 million for blockbusters like 6 Underground, Red Notice and The Gray Man, while scaring people witless remains as popular as ever and comes at a fraction of the price.
The majority of the platform’s most-watched horror titles incorporate at least some elements of comedy as we’ve seen in The Babysitter films and Vampires vs. the Bronx, but the straightforward terrors of His House drew in big viewership numbers and universal critical acclaim, with the low budget chiller scoring a perfect 100% on Rotten Tomatoes with over 100 reviews in the bag.
However, we’ve now heard from our sources – the same ones that told us the company was developing a Witcher prequel series before it was officially confirmed – that Netflix reportedly have at least ten new original horror movies in the works, although the respective premises and talent behind them remain unclear for now.
Still, it’s a smart move based on the constant low risk and high rewards that come with creating horror content, and it’s definitely a genre that the world’s most popular streaming service has been sleeping on for far too long in their efforts to establish themselves as a genuine rival and alternative to the old studio system.
