#Low Budget Horror Movies That Made Millions

There are few movies that can boast the type of success that “Paranormal Activity” had, which was a true lightning-in-a-bottle moment for the horror genre. The only thing that even comes close is “The Blair Witch Project.” In any event, director Oren Peli’s 2007 movie, which was released theatrically in 2009, will go down in history as perhaps the best investment by a studio ever.

The film originally screened at festivals and, using a lean found-footage format, cost a mere $15,000 to make. In acquiring the film, the plan was to remake it with a larger budget. But producer Jason Blum, founder of Blumhouse Productions, opted to hold a test screening of the original before pressing forward and that changed everything. People were so terrified they left the theater. So, instead, $200,000 was invested to film a new ending. 

With that, horror history was made. “Paranormal Activity” became a pop culture phenomenon, taking in an astounding $194 million worldwide, all from a $215,000 investment. 

It went viral in the truest sense of the word. People talked about it with their friends, the marketing leaned heavily into just how terrifyingly realistic the movie was, and the intrigue was enough to get people out to theaters in droves. And it just kept happening, week after week.

While the math gets tricky, it is widely considered to be the most profitable movie ever made when looking at return on investment. To date, seven movies have been produced within the franchise (six of which were released theatrically) earning a grand total of $890 million worldwide. When considering the combined budgets hardly eclipse $30 million, this is a downright cash cow of legendary proportions. (Ryan Scott)