Overview of The Town: Jason Blum on Film School vs. YouTube, Curry’s Next Movie, and the Fallout From Admitting Failure
In this episode of The Town, Matt Belloni sits down with producer Jason Blum for a candid, wide-ranging conversation about Blumhouse’s rebound, how horror audiences have changed, and why Blum thinks the future of filmmaking may belong more to YouTube-style creators than traditional film-school graduates. Blum reflects on the public fallout from admitting the failure of Megan 2.0, explains the strategic pivot that helped Blumhouse bounce back, and shares his long-term vision for Blumhouse Atomic as a horror-focused entertainment empire.
Key Topics Discussed
The aftermath of admitting failure
- Blum revisits last year’s episode, when he openly discussed the flop of Megan 2.0.
- He says the honesty resonated deeply with artists and creative professionals.
- He also admits the business paid a price:
- For about 12 months, things were roughly “20% harder” commercially after he spoke so publicly about failure.
- Despite that, he says he’s glad he did it and understands why most people avoid that kind of transparency.
Blumhouse’s rebound and recent hits
- Blum says he’s in a much better mood now thanks to a strong run of recent successes.
- He highlights major recent projects and the company’s momentum:
- Obsession
- Backrooms
- Other Mommy
- Insidious 6
- He says the company’s new merger with Atomic Monster has strengthened its position and broadened its slate.
The pivot after Megan 2.0
- Blum explains that the company had drifted away from its original low-budget roots.
- After the Megan 2.0 disappointment, he recognized that he had not fully adapted to how the horror marketplace had evolved.
- The pivot involved:
- Returning to more agile, lower-budget horror filmmaking
- Hiring executives deeply embedded in indie horror, like Sam Zimmerman
- Building more direct partnerships with younger producers and creatives
- He says the company’s success now depends on pairing quality with volume while keeping budgets disciplined.
How horror audiences have changed
- Blum argues that horror is the only theatrical genre whose admissions have meaningfully grown since before COVID.
- He says horror has expanded beyond slasher and gruesome material into more experimental, emotionally resonant, and offbeat territory.
- His view: modern horror can be more extreme in many ways, because audiences today are desensitized by constant exposure online.
YouTube directors vs. film-school directors
- One of the episode’s biggest ideas is Blum’s argument that today’s most exciting directors may be coming from YouTube rather than film school.
- He contrasts:
- Film school: more tradition-bound, artist-first, less comfortable with audience feedback
- YouTube: iterative, audience-responsive, data-aware, and built around constant adjustment
- Blum believes younger horror fans connect to movies like Obsession and Backrooms because they feel like the creator is speaking directly to them, the way online creators do.
Why Obsession worked
- Blum says Obsession succeeded because it tapped into a powerful, universal feeling—being obsessed with someone or being the object of obsession.
- He thinks younger audiences especially felt that the film understood them emotionally in a way that felt fresh and direct.
- He credits both the movie’s creative sensibility and the audience connection for its huge breakout success.
Working with younger talent
- Blum embraces the idea that older executives can lose touch with what’s culturally current.
- He believes the best way to stay relevant is to hire younger people who are closer to the audience.
- He compares this to a tech-company model, saying the younger creators are like the people building the next breakout platforms.
Business Strategy and Endgame
Blumhouse Atomic’s future
- Blum says the company’s near-term focus is simple:
- Keep producing about 10 movies a year
- Maintain quality while scaling carefully
- Continue expanding into IP ownership, live events, TV, games, and merchandising
- He says Blumhouse now owns more of its own IP, including the Saw franchise.
Possible capital needs and future deals
- Blum says he may eventually need outside capital to grow the company further.
- He frames the current moment as one where bankers and investors should be paying attention.
- He does not rule out being part of a larger corporate structure someday, but says that is not the immediate plan.
Relationship with Universal
- Blum says Universal remains his most important business partner.
- He also discusses the upcoming Comcast/Universal separation and suggests it may create even more reasons for Universal to want strategic assets like Blumhouse Atomic.
- He emphasizes that his relationship with Donna Langley and Jimmy Horowitz has been essential to the company’s success.
Other Notable Takeaways
Blum’s management style
- He describes himself as “assertive,” not passive.
- He says he pushes hard when he believes he’s right and will keep pressing until he either wins or is convinced otherwise.
- That directness, he says, is part of how he operates as a producer and business leader.
What excites him now
- Blum still finds the job fun because every project is different and unpredictable.
- He enjoys the challenge of assembling the slate and discovering new voices.
- He says the most energizing part of his role is staying closely connected to horror’s creative ecosystem.
TV is still a work in progress
- Blum remains bullish on television as a growth area, though it has not matched the success of the film business.
- He thinks horror TV has potential, but notes that jump scares and theatrical-style horror are harder to execute at home than in theaters.
- He wants Blumhouse to eventually become “the Disney of horror,” with TV, merch, events, and other businesses scaled to match the film arm.
Lightning Round Highlights
- First thing he’d do if he ran Netflix: Give every movie a 45-day theatrical window.
- Best trailer: The first Megan trailer.
- Bathtub meetings: True.
- Most gruesome movie image: The hanging family in Sinister.
- Director he wants to work with most: Zach Cregger.
- Most money made by one actor from a Blumhouse movie: Patrick Wilson, via The Conjuring franchise.
- If horror slows down, what replaces it? Blum hopes theatrical comedy comes back.
Bottom Line
This episode is both a business case study and a creative philosophy session. Jason Blum argues that horror is thriving because it has adapted to a new generation of viewers raised on constant content, instant feedback, and creator-audience intimacy. His core thesis: the future belongs to filmmakers who understand the audience as well as the art.