SCA lures in fans of gore and horror with new exhibit

The USC Visions and Voices exhibition “10 Years of Blumhouse: From Paranormal Activity to Get Out and Beyond,” opened Monday in the School of Cinematic Arts’ Hugh Hefner Exhibition Hall to celebrate the independent horror film production company. The exhibit, which will run through Dec. 8, will also be accompanied by a series of weekly double feature screenings of Blumhouse Productions. The first event, featuring “Paranormal Activity” and “The Purge,” takes place 6 p.m. Friday at the Albert and Dana Broccoli Theatre. 

Placed just inside the SCA Complex’s George Lucas Lobby, the exhibit can easily grab visitors by surprise. Masks from “The Purge,” a detailed blue teacup from “Get Out” and eerie music from Blumhouse movies fill the gallery, inviting passersby to look closer. 

Hefner Hall has hosted similar exhibits, like “50 Years of Planet of the Apes,” in past years. 

“Once a semester, we put together a particular focus on something film-related, and it occurred to me that it had been 10 years since the release of ‘Paranormal Activity,’” said Alex Ago, SCA’s Director of Programming and Special Projects. “A lot of the events that I’ve done over the last year have been anniversary-oriented, so last year we did 40 years of ‘Alien,’ and here we’re doing 10 years of Blumhouse.”

Ago said he chose Blumhouse because of the company’s ability to grab people’s attention and his personal preference for horror.

“I happen to be a fan of horror films, and I love the movies that they make,” Ago said. “Like ‘Aliens’ and ‘Planet of the Apes,’ [the exhibit] is very visual, very eye-popping. You pass it, you want to look at it.”

Part of what makes Blumhouse so special, according to Ago, is that the studio provides a space for directors who don’t want to compromise their artistic vision. 

“In this era of hyper-inflated budgets, a lot of studios have cut the number of feature films that they make and dramatically inflate the budgets on the ones they do make,” Ago said.  “What Blumhouse is doing is the exact reverse. [They keep] these films down to between one and five million dollars, and they’re incredibly profitable … ‘Paranormal Activity’ was one of the most profitable films in history.”

In exchange for strict budgets, Blumhouse Productions allows its writers “unusual” freedom to write new stories, Ago said. This leads to some risk-taking creativity, and keeps theaters full with fresh plotlines. 

“There are always exceptions, but I would say their success rate both critically and commercially is unique in Hollywood right now,” Ago said.

Ago also put thought into which films he wanted to show as part of the screening series.

“One, I chose the core brand identity films, the films that spawn sequels,” Ago said, “I also wanted to show their prestige films. They now have three films that have been nominated for [the Academy Awards’] Best Picture, including ‘Get Out,’ ‘Whiplash’ and ‘BlacKkKlansman’ — those are absolutely essential.” 

Ago also wanted to feature films that couldn’t be seen on the big screen elsewhere. 

“There are four that came from the Hulu ‘Into the Dark’ series,” Ago said. “I think that they are a fantastic thing for people to experience together on the big screen, especially in a film school. The enthusiasm that I see in screenings here is so much better than when I go to see a film in a regular movie theater or a film that I see at home by myself. I wouldn’t say that that is specific to horror, but I think that horror in particular gains a lot from the communal experience, like a good comedy does.”

In conjunction with the exhibit and film screenings, Ago plans to organize a November panel starring Blumhouse Productions’ founder Jason Blum and led by School of Cinematic Arts professor Rebekah McKendry, a former Blumhouse employee who teaches horror at SCA. Ago and McKendry are currently organizing an on-campus live taping of “Shock Waves,” a Blumhouse podcast about horror films that McKendry hosts,  as part of the 10th anniversary Blumhouse event.

“Don’t just come to the ones that you’ve heard of,” Ago said. “Chances are in the past 10 years you’ve stumbled upon ‘Paranormal Activity’ or a ‘Purge’ movie, but you may have never even heard of ‘The Bay’ or these ‘Into the Dark’ movies. They’re all chosen for a reason.  I just want people to trust that someone really cared in the selection process and that you should take a chance on something you haven’t heard of before.”