The production company behind Paranormal Activity, The Purge, and Get Out, Blumhouse near enough owns the horror genre by now (don't tell A24). Founded in 2000 by Jason Blum — a name any horror fan will recognise — Blumhouse is known for producing low-budget horror movies that allow their director's creative freedom. These almost always turn out to be huge successes, with several of their movies winning major awards and many spawning their own franchises.
With such a legacy, audiences know they're in for a treat when a movie begins with Blumhouse's iconic floating chair logo (recently updated to pay tribute to their most iconic productions). Fans also know to expect strong female characters from Blumhouse, who have given us many female-led movies over the years. From Happy Death Day to Freaky, here are their best.
Happy Death Day (2017)
Directed by Christopher Landon, horror-comedy Happy Death Day follows college student Tree Gelbman (Jessica Rothe), who finds herself in a cursed Groundhog Day-like scenario, reliving the day of her murder over and over again until she figures out who killed her. Fortunately, she is not alone, with fellow student Carter Davis (Israel Broussard) acting as her right-hand man.
With its sci-fi elements, Happy Death Day isn't your usual slasher movie; and Tree isn't your usual final girl: she's much better. Beginning the movie as a self-centered brat, Tree is afforded more character development than most and ends the movie as a well-rounded decent human being. But she doesn't become boring either; she is still witty, sassy, Tree, just not evil. Rothe does a brilliant job of capturing the character's multifacetedness and is the reason why many came back for Happy Death Day 2U.
Halloween (2018)
Released four decades after the original John Carpenter movie, Halloween, directed by David Gordon Green, sees Jamie Lee Curtis reprise her role as iconic final girl Laurie Strode and take Michael Myers on once again. Older now, Laurie is a shell of her former self, living alone and not daring to leave her heavily fortified house lest Michael returns. Of course, when he does, she is well-prepared, but despite her tricks and family's aid, things don't go so smoothly.
Scream Queen Jamie Lee Curtis can do no wrong. She is the beating heart of the Halloween franchise, and the reason people keep returning: Will Laurie do it this time? Is Laurie okay!? As her character becomes more badass with each movie, Curtis' acting skills become more impressive, and it's a joy to watch her (literally) grow on screen. Expect a performance of a lifetime in Halloween Ends, scheduled to be released in October.
Us (2019)
Directed by Jordan Peele, Us follows a woman named Adelaide Wilson (Lupita Nyong'o), whose childhood trauma comes back to haunt her while on vacation with her family. Revisiting the beachfront house she grew up in, Adelaide, her husband Gabriel (Winston Duke), and their children Zora (Shahadi Wright Joseph) and Jason (Evan Alex) come under attack by four intruders, who, to their horror, look exactly like them.
Lupita Nyong'o is nothing short of incredible in this movie. Playing two parts — Adelaide and her doppelganger Red — Nyong'o's range is so impressive viewers forget they're watching the same person. Her transformation into Red is especially thrilling; her eyes bulge, her voice becomes deep and hoarse, and her movements become erratic, but there's something beneath the surface, too. Red is not a horror villain anyone will forget soon — in fact, she might not even be a villain.
The Invisible Man (2020)
Based on the H. G. Wells novel of the same name, Leigh Whannell's The Invisible Man stars Elizabeth Moss as Cecilia Kass, the ex-girlfriend of crazed scientist Adrian Griffin (Oliver Jackson-Cohen). After faking his own death, Adrian creates an invisibility suit to stalk and terrorize Cecilia, who, suspecting she is being followed, reports her concerns to the police. When they don't believe her, she has no choice but to take matters into her own hand.
The Invisible Man is quite clearly a feminist movie; it tackles big subjects like domestic abuse and harassment, offering much food for thought. As always, Elizabeth Moss gives it her all with this emotionally-taxing role. Viewers feel sympathy for Cecilia and then immense pride as she takes down Adrian and the cops — symbols of the patriarchy — and finds her voice. Cecilia must fight for her freedom, and that is a horror many women know too well.
Freaky (2020)
The second Christopher Landon movie on this list, horror-comedy Freaky follows high schooler Millie Kessler (Kathryn Newton) who swaps bodies with a middle-aged serial killer, The Blissfield Butcher (Vince Vaughn), after he stabs her with an ancient dagger. With only 24 hours to kill the Butcher (now posing as her) and reclaim her body, Millie enlists her best friends Josh (Misha Osherovich) and Nyla (Celeste O'Connor) to help her with her quest.
Like Happy Death Day, Freaky is the perfect popcorn horror. Witty and satirical, it pokes fun at Gen Z in a way that is refreshingly unpatronizing and its concept is pure campy fun. Kathryn Newton is as charming as ever as Millie and hilarious as the Butcher trapped in Millie's body. Likewise, Vince Vaughn is brilliant at pretending to be a teenage girl, especially when he is flirting with Millie's love interest, Booker (Uriah Shelton). Ending on a cliffhanger, viewers are hopeful for a sequel and clinging on to the hope of a Happy Death Day/Freaky crossover. Jessica Rothe and Kathryn Newton in the same movie? Yes, please!