--- title: Should streamers get spoooooky? - The Hustle description: Horror movies are cheap and people like them, making them great streaming fodder. image: https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/679288117-HS-News-Brief_2022-08-11T024001.623Z.webp --- # Should streamers get spoooooky? ![Juliet Bennett Rylah](https://53.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/53/assets/hubspot.com/web-team/WBZ/HubSpot%20Media/Blog%202021/Images/Nav/Optimized/TheHustle_Icon_Dark.svg) [Juliet Bennett Rylah](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/author/juliet-bennett-rylah) [Juliet Bennett Rylah Twitter profile ](https://twitter.com/JBRylah) Published: August 11, 2022 Updated: October 11, 2023 *Prey* — a *Predator *reboot in which a Comanche woman battles the alien hunter — became Hulu’s [most-viewed](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/prey-hulu-record-movie-tv-show-premieres-1235195063/#recipient_hashed=3eff1ced2ae37a5acfce18e49ce6a32484c52a62605cb85b88622bcab9b09b1a) premiere this weekend. (According to many critics, it also *ruled*.) ![Should streamers get spoooooky?](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hs-fs/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/679288117-HS-News-Brief_2022-08-11T024001.623Z.webp?width=595&height=400&name=679288117-HS-News-Brief_2022-08-11T024001.623Z.webp) Peter Csathy, founder of advisory firm Creative Media, [told](https://www.cnbc.com/2022/08/07/netflix-may-be-missing-an-opportunity-in-horror-movies.html) *CNBC* he thinks that Netflix should further embrace horror. For one, Netflix’s target demo likes it. Many of its hits are horror or horror-adjacent — “Stranger Things,” “The Witcher,” “Midnight Mass,” “Squid Game,” *Fear Street.* #### **But most importantly, horror is cheap** Scary movies can crush with even a small budget, a strategy horror studio Blumhouse Productions has [capitalized on](https://www.npr.org/2016/08/30/491984305/with-a-little-magic-small-budget-horror-films-pack-a-big-punch) for years. - **Fun fact:** [Per](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/what-is-profitable-movie-ever-1269879/) *The Hollywood Reporter*, the two most profitable films, when comparing box office to budget, are both found-footage horror films: *Paranormal Activity *and *The Blair Witch Project*. Csathy’s pitch for Netflix is that small budgets allow for mistakes, whereas with big budget flicks “if you screw up, you’re screwed.” #### **Streamers don’t have***** *****box office numbers** Their profits come via subscriber growth and, if they get a “Stranger Things” hit, merchandise. But looking at viewing hours, action flick *Red Notice* is Netflix’s most popular film, while horror film *Bird Box* ranks [third](https://top10.netflix.com/). - *Red Notice* cost **$200m**, while *Bird Box*’s budget was **$19.8m**, meaning *Bird Box* got **77%** of the viewership for less than **10%** of the cost. And *Bird Box*, thanks to [myriad memes](https://www.vox.com/2019/1/4/18165825/bird-box-memes-netflix-popular-explained), was talked about for days. Horror movies are also ripe for franchising, spawning sequels and reboots that often bring old fans (and subscribers?) back for more. That is, if they’re done well. This year’s positively reviewed *Scream* grossed $140m. Let’s, uh… Let’s just not talk about that *Firestarter* remake, okay? Topics: [Netflix](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/tag/netflix) [Streaming Media](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/tag/streaming-media) ## Follow us on social media prev next - ![Netflix is turning up the volume on its merch business](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1790918714-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-NetflixMerch_20231003214652.webp) ### Netflix is turning up the volume on its merch business - ![On Bob Iger’s to-do list: Fix ESPN, TV, Pixar, and more](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/290907383-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-espn_subs_20230807230900.webp) ### On Bob Iger’s to-do list: Fix ESPN, TV, Pixar, and more - ![So, can we stop calling it ‘the streaming wars’ now?](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1189252561-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-Streaming-Wars_20230724220432.webp) ### So, can we stop calling it ‘the streaming wars’ now? - ![The world’s subtitle use is speaking volumes](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/945883034-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-roku_subs_20230612225638.webp) ### The world’s subtitle use is speaking volumes - ![Netflix doubles down on Korean content](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/191767761-19-News-Brief_2023-04-26T010638.298Z.webp) ### Netflix doubles down on Korean content - ![Christopher Nolan is leaving Warner Bros. — the latest domino to fall in AT&T’s streaming misadventures](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/857604052-News-Brief_2021-09-17T011335.439Z.webp) ### Christopher Nolan is leaving Warner Bros. — the latest domino to fall in AT&T’s streaming misadventures - ![Teletubbyland is a world of love and laughter — it’s also pretty lucrative](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/133917396-httpsthe-hustle.hubspot.comhubfsDaily20Newsletter20ImagesMarch2031202023Teletubbies.webp) ### Teletubbyland is a world of love and laughter — it’s also pretty lucrative - ![Netflix pushes deeper into the $170B gaming industry](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/2018044403-19-News-Brief_2023-03-21T004019.068Z.webp) ### Netflix pushes deeper into the $170B gaming industry - ![Price increase? Disney fans are nonplussed](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/797151777-HS-News-Brief_2023-03-19T235355.687Z.webp) ### Price increase? Disney fans are nonplussed - ![Can Netflix be a lifestyle brand?](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/181502968-HS-News-Brief_2023-02-07T042108.421Z.webp) ### Can Netflix be a lifestyle brand? Pop up for Subscribe to The Hustle Daily Newsletter Subscribe to The Hustle Daily Newsletter Get the 5-minute news brief keeping 2.5M+ innovators in the loop. Always free. 100% fresh. No bullsh*t. JOIN FREE ### 100% Free CRM Nurture and grow your business with customer relationship management software. 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