Keeping a budget low is a ‘mindset’

“It was a very natural conversation to transition from Universal to Blumhouse,” he said. “For me, the idea of ​​being in a place as entrepreneurial as Blumhouse was an exciting change, and the fact that it was still in the family with Universal made it a no-brainer.”

Blumhouse was founded on using low budgets to deliver quality films and killer box offices, and Prakash agrees that keeping costs down is one of the company’s key principles: “There is a skill set and a discipline that we believe in. Employ: Our production team, casting team, physical production, post, creative, business matters, everyone. They’ve evolved over time, but they’re still dramatically less than anyone else.”

how do they do it? There is no “special formula”, he said: “It’s philosophical, more than anything else. It’s a mindset and approach: If we can adopt a low budget, it allows us creative freedom. Here’s the door.” But everyone who walks gets that.”

Following the success of his own horror IPs, including “The Conjuring,” “Insidious” and “The Purge” franchises, the iconic third-party horror franchises “Halloween” and “The Exorcist” came to him, Prakash said.

He has also forged lasting relationships with filmmakers including James Wan, Scott Derrickson and Leigh Whannell. “We have chosen to have greater talent ties and people we consider to be part of the family,” Prakash explained.

“It really feels like there are endless possibilities here. We are excited about where we can take the company Blumhouse and the brand Blumhouse. We know we have a great connect with consumers. What we do best, there is a lot of potential with that, which is storytelling in the horror/thriller space,” said Prakash.

Blumhouse’s final “Halloween” film, “Halloween Ends,” will premiere in 2023, as will “Insidious 5,” “The Nun 2” and Wan’s latest, “Megan.”

Prakash spoke with TheWrap about his vision for the company and its approach to films, TV, and moving more into the nonfiction space with documentaries like “Our Father.”

This interview has been edited for style and length.

What is your vision for the company?
Of course, it all starts with Jason, but it extends to the whole team. That Darshan was present before I came here. What has changed, and what I am focusing on, is growing. I am a promoter, that is what I would say. Everything I do here helps maintain and grow what is already working so well. It’s less about philosophical change and more about growth and development, where we can do more about our production and development and working with bigger IPs and moving into new areas on TV . I help make things happen for creative partners, filmmakers, writers, directors we work with, and buyers on the other end, whether it’s the studio on the film side or TV buyers and streamers on the other end.

What would you say is the secret to the success of the Blumhouse brand?
A lot has evolved since the company was founded, but three things have been consistent during that time. First, a love and passion for storytelling of the genre. If you take a tour of our offices here, [you’d see] How much do we accept it? Secondly, low budget. And the third is the embrace of those two things, which puts us in the position of an outsider in Hollywood. It’s rare to tell people, “I want low Money in front ,

What’s the trick to keeping the budget low?
I wouldn’t underestimate it, we are good at it. If you voted for our physical production and post production, and cast people, they can give you options on how to spend less and still have real production value on screen. We have a lot of experience and have created a lot of movies and content employing that philosophy, and we are good at it.

It comes down to who you’re casting, how much they’re getting paid, and what locations you’re choosing. Maybe there are some creative options out there too, but it really starts with a mindset more than a particular formula we’ve got under lock and key in a drawer.

Looks like you’re in a good position for a recession.
I don’t know if any are in good standing, but relatively speaking, if you’re an advocate of low-budget content with commercial appeal, this is a great place to start when the strings of people’s purses get tight. I’m not expecting some economic disaster, but we’re preparing ourselves, because there’s a lot of uncertainty about how bad things could get.

But you’re probably in a better position than some other companies.
It’s an open question, more broadly speaking, because moviegoing has always been heralded as a recession-proof form of entertainment, simply because it’s relatively cheap compared to other things like travel or concerts. But, knock on wood, we didn’t have to feel serious [recession] in a long time.

And now, in the streaming age where there is so much content available, it is a question mark how consumers want to spend their time. We are in a bit of unknown territory as we have never experienced anything like this in the age of so many entertainment options available.

Horror definitely drives people to the theater because it’s always better when you watch with a group of people.
Absolutely. The pandemic proved it. You have an environment where it’s actually dangerous to leave your house and then when it got a little less dangerous, but there was still some danger, people came out to watch horror movies. It’s a great testament to how strong our style is when it comes to theatrical experience and how well it plays out there.

And we’ve also seen it work great at home too. “Halloween Kills” was a real watershed moment where you can see how movies like this, which were real cultural events, can work in both a theatrical environment as well as a home environment. “Halloween Ends” and “Megan” are two real cinematic experiences, but you’ll also be able to watch “Halloween Ends” right at home on Peacock.

Coming to you is “The Exorcist,” another big franchise. What have you learned from making three “Halloween” movies that apply to “The Exorcist” trilogy?
First of all, it’s a privilege to be working on such an iconic horror IP. When you walk down the hall here, people just giggle that we’re working on an “exorcist” movie with so much incredible talent. It is wonderful to have David Gordon Green at the top of these. And then the creative talent we have, Ellen Burstyn, as well as Leslie Odom, Jr., that we’ve brought in.

It’s so much a vote of confidence that Burstyn is returning to the franchise for the first time.
It’s incredible to have Ellen Burstyn back in this franchise. It is a matter of pride to work in a film like this. What we re-invented with “Halloween” with our creative partners has real potential that we hope we can do justice to “The Exorcist” in the same way. It’s like, “Oh my god, where else can we go from this moment?”

You’ve also done several TV shows that aren’t always strict, like “The Thing About Palm” and “Sharp Objects.”
Our guiding principle when it comes to TV is a little different from film. I know Jason talks about it, what we do in the theatrical film space is 80% horror and not 20% horror, and for TV, it’s the opposite.

Even though it is not strictly defined as a horror/thriller, there is that element of darkness. “Sharp Objects” comes in the same, as do “The Jinx,” “Our Father,” and “The Thing About Palm.” I think the brand has elasticity. It can accommodate stories like “The Thing About Palm” that tap into these deeper themes, but still solidify the brand with consumers.

You have also entered the realm of reality.
I didn’t even fully realize how much reality we had until I got here. That’s a pretty impressive array of ingredients. We do scripted and unscripted. We have documentaries like “The Anarchists” on HBO and HBO Max right now and “Worst Roommate Ever” on Netflix. And we have documentaries like “Our Father”. We cover the range and we are trying to grow in that area as well.

Would you ever want to bring the Blumhouse approach to other styles?
We get that question all the time, like, “Why don’t you do an action genre or a drama ‘Blumhouse’?” We are very happy to be in the space we are in.