Why Are Streaming Services Struggling So Much in the Horror Genre?

Streaming movies have struggled to keep up, as has streaming television. The ability to binge-watch favorite shows offers clear benefits for TV viewers. Movies sent directly to homes do not offer many advantages. This has often led to films such as: Muddy And Strike Man Not getting the attention or marketing effort they need to stand out. Still, streaming services have found success in certain genres. Romantic comedies are popular on Netflix, Amazon and others, and globe-trotting spy action movies are common on those platforms.

But there’s one genre that’s particularly challenging for publishers: horror. with Netflixs This is What’s Inside As we prepare to enter service, it is time to face a very stark reality. Horror movies don’t do well in streaming. But why is this?

Unless your horror movie has a star like Sandra Bullock Bird BoxIt quickly disappears with the start of the broadcast. Major publishers tried to create the next IT, To leaveor HereditaryBut titles like Bad Hair, Velvet SawAnd Run My Love, Run they all flew under the radar. Unlike modern big screen horror movies Leggycharacters from these films do not appear on Halloween, and online interest is minimal. Even critically acclaimed movies His House And Nanny Despite solid reviews, it received little attention. They get lost in the wide variety of streaming content.

This issue reflects the broader struggle of any streaming film, regardless of genre, to succeed and become a pop culture phenomenon. Imagine if Netflix quietly released a fourth Beverly Hills Police This year’s movie leaves as much impact as a game in a blizzard. Even big budget blockbusters Gray Man And Tomorrow’s War did not attract public attention. Call a Ryan Gosling fan “Court Gentry” and you’ll probably get a blank stare.

If expensive $200 million tentpoles can’t break through on streaming platforms, what chance do smaller horror movies have? When people open Amazon or Peacock, they’re often drawn to familiar comforting shows like: Friends or Suitnot lesser known horror movies with minimal promotion. Streaming isn’t a great medium for original cinema, especially for horror, which often requires a darker, more immersive atmosphere. This explains why traitors It was successful on Peacock, while horror movies Sick He didn’t.

Released horror films also face stiff competition in theatrical releases. Theater studios have largely abandoned big-screen comedies, allowing broadcasters to fill the gap. If Adam Sandler couldn’t get new feature films, Netflix was eager to feature his work. Romantic comedies like in 2018 Set they similarly filled the market gap left by theaters, but they never became cultural touchstones. But they still scratched an itch that theatergoers in the late 2010s and early 2020s had failed to satisfy.

Horror continues its dominance in cinemas. New horror movies are being released almost every week in 2024. Late Night with the Devil with A Quiet Place: Day One with Leggy. Horror remains one of the few genres that studios can rely on for box office success. Even horror-centric streamer Shudder often releases its films in theaters first, recognizing the value of the big screen for the genre. With so many theatrical horror options, publishers are struggling to make room for their original titles.

Fear also thrives in collective viewing experiences; This is something that broadcast cannot easily replicate. Watching horror movies at home is often a solitary activity, but the appeal of fear is often enhanced when shared with others. Marketing for horror movies Leggy And Paranormal Activity It is largely based on audience reactions in theaters. Iconic viewing stories To leave Packed movie theaters emphasize the excitement of social fear. In contrast, streaming offers a lot of control; viewers may pause when things get scary. But in a theater movies like this Hereditary Keep moving forward, intensify the fear.

Behind the scenes, broadcast budgets clash with the typically low-budget nature of horror. Streaming services like Netflix and Apple TV+ routinely spend $100 million or more on movies featuring stars. But legendary horror movies To leave And Texas Chainsaw Massacre It was done for a very small fraction of that. Latest blockbuster movies Leggy grossed more than expensive blockbusters such as Madame WebIt shows the success of the horror film within tight budgets. The piecemeal nature of horror encourages creativity, something that’s lost in a world of bloated broadcast budgets.

Theatrical screenings also create urgency. What’s the rush to watch a new horror movie if it’s stuck behind an Apple TV+ or Amazon paywall? Against this, Leggy It created mystery with its theatrical privilege. The fact that fans had to go to the theater to watch the movie increased its appeal. Meanwhile, streaming movies linger indefinitely on home screens, diminishing any sense of urgency.

The biggest blow to horror broadcasts came last year Five Nights at Freddy’sIt was available to Peacock subscribers the same day it hit theaters. Despite its ease of release, the film grossed $84 million in North America in its opening weekend; This proved that audiences, especially young people, still prefer the theatrical experience over horror. This demographic, which is critical to movie theaters’ post-pandemic recovery, has opted for the big screen rather than watching at home; it’s a clear victory for theatrical horror.

Maybe that status quo will change with just one major horror movie movie, as many of Hollywood’s realities collapse in the blink of an eye. Maybe This is What’s Inside It will dominate pop culture so deeply that all horror movies will forever be streaming only. But more likely This is What’s Inside will follow in your footsteps Liberation, EliAnd In the Tall Grass: strong viewership for two days before disappearing into the streaming algorithm ether.

Lisa Laman is a Rotten Tomatoes-certified film critic and freelance writer who is on the autism spectrum and lives in Texas.