We're in a golden era for horror movies

The genre is bigger, more diverse, and more global than ever before.

For the past year, I have been immersed in a world of horror.

Don’t worry, my personal life is fine, I mean that I have been crunching every imaginable data point related to the production and consumption of horror movies.

The end result is the Horror Movie Report - an epic study of all 27,000+ horror films ever made through the lens of data, covering the whole journey from concept through to profitability.

All this work has led me to one overriding conclusion…

We are truly in a golden era for horror filmmaking.

The number of horror films being made is at an all-time high, and more importantly, their market share is growing as well. What makes this moment particularly exciting is the combination of profitability, flexibility, and a dedicated, passionate audience.

Horror movies are not only a creative playground for filmmakers but can make a compelling business case and play to an eager, supportive audience.

If you want the detailed picture, then head over to HorrorMovieReport.com, but I’ll also summarise the key case for this ‘Golden Era’ below.

1. More Horror Films Are Being Made Than Ever Before

The horror genre has exploded in recent years, with more films being produced than ever.

In the past few years, production levels have exceeded 1,500 horror movies annually — five times the figure of just twenty years prior.

This growth is not just limited to Hollywood. Horror filmmaking has become a global phenomenon, with new voices and styles emerging from every corner of the world.

2. Horror Is Growing as a Share of All Movies Made

This surge isn’t just about raw numbers; horror’s share of overall movie production has also ballooned. No other genre has seen this speed of growth over the same period.

Only 1.1% of the movies made in the 1930s were horrors. By the 1960s, that had tripled to 3.0%, and the 1980s saw another massive growth in market share to 6.5% of movies made.

By 2003, horror movies accounted for about 7% of global movie production and by 2013, the figure was 13.2%, meaning that today, roughly one in every eight movies produced is a horror movie.

Back-of-the-napkin calculations suggest that all movies will be horror movies by 2104¹.

The horror genre has always had a loyal fan base, but its recent growth is a testament to how well it resonates with modern audiences. Horror is no longer a niche category— it’s a powerful, mainstream force that is contributing significantly to the global film industry.

3. Horror Films Are the Most Profitable

One of the biggest advantages of horror films is their profitability. Horror has the highest chance of returning its initial investment AND the best chance of a breakout to an impressive payday.

While other genres may require huge stars and special effects, horror often thrives with minimal resources.

I do want to add massive notes of caution here that we’re talking about relative success (i.e. compared to other genres), that we’re looking at one route for films (i.e. theatrically distributed) and that these are estimates based on models which are being affected by the change in the distribution landscape.

So we shouldn’t say “Horror is a good investment”, but we can say “Horror is relatively the best investment if the genre is the only data you have to work from”.

The “Film Pro” edition of the Horror Movie Report comes with a bonus book called “Building The Investment Case for Horror Movie Investment”, which contains graphs, arguments and press quotes to support filmmakers who are writing a business plan.

4. Horror’s Audience Is Passionate and Engaged

Horror fans are some of the most dedicated in the world. They’re not just passive viewers; they actively engage with the content, attending festivals, listening to podcasts, and participating in online communities.

This level of engagement means that horror films can thrive even with smaller marketing budgets, as word-of-mouth and fan-driven promotion play a huge role in their success.

When I studied 125,444 podcasts aimed at film and TV (together producing 5,434,984 episodes!) I found that horror was the popular genre.

Horror movie podcasts are also the most likely to feature explicit language, which figures.

Horror’s ability to build loyal, repeat audiences is a key factor in its consistent success. Fans aren’t just watching horror—they’re living it, discussing it, and sharing it with others, which amplifies the genre’s reach far beyond traditional marketing channels.

5. Horror Films Are Evolving to Be More Global

The earliest horror movies were made by filmmaking pioneers in Europe but by the late 1920s, the horror genre was finding its footing in the United States.

Once America had established its dominance over global horror movie production, it didn’t let go. The US has been the top-producing nation of horror movies in every decade since the 1930s, creating 73.1% of all horror movies ever made.

However…

More recently, we’ve seen other nations fully embrace the horror path.

25.8% of Indonesian movies produced this century have been horror-based, making Indonesia the country most committed to horror movie production. This is quite an increase as the figure for the 20th century is just 10.2%.

The genre’s global appeal has never been stronger, and filmmakers from around the world are contributing new styles, narratives, and cultural perspectives to horror.

6. The Diversity of Horror Is Expanding

Horror has always been a genre of subgenres, but the past few decades have seen an even greater diversification of styles.

The modern horror landscape has something for everyone, whether that be elevated horror (e.g. Hereditary, The Witch, Midsommar), social commentary (Get Out, Us, The Babadook), female-focussed horror (Teeth, Prevenge, Raw), romantic horror (Warm Bodies, Nina Forever, Only Lovers Left Alive)… the list goes on.

And despite what some detractors may think, horror is one of the more original genres.

This diversity is part of what makes horror so exciting for filmmakers—it allows for experimentation, creativity, and innovation. Horror filmmakers can play with form, narrative, and tone in ways that other genres may not allow, resulting in a constant stream of fresh ideas and approaches.

If you want to learn more, check out HorrorMovieReport.com

Get the data

Below is a link for paid subscribers of this newsletter to download the data from today’s charts.