Why Streaming Services Struggle So Much in the Horror Genre

By Lisa Laman | Think Pieces | October 1, 2024 |

By Lisa Laman | Think Pieces | October 1, 2024 |

Streaming movies have struggled to catch on like streaming television. The ability to binge-watch favorite shows offers clear advantages for TV viewers. Movies sent directly to homes, on the other hand, don’t offer as many benefits. This has often led to films like Mudbound and Hit Man failing to get the attention or marketing push they needed to stand out. Still, streaming services have found success with certain genres. Romantic comedies are popular on Netflix, Amazon, and others, and globe-trotting spy action films are common on these platforms.

One genre, however, has been particularly challenging for streamers: horror. With Netflix’s It’s What’s Inside preparing to debut on the service, it’s time to reckon with a very firm reality. Horror movies don’t do well on streaming. But why is that?

Unless your horror film features a star like Sandra Bullock in Bird Box, it quickly fades with a streaming debut. Major streamers have tried to create the next It, Get Out, or Hereditary, but titles like Bad Hair, Velvet Buzzsaw, and Run Sweetheart Run have all flown under the radar. Unlike modern big-screen horror titles such as Longlegs, characters from these movies don’t show up at Halloween, and online buzz is minimal. Even critically acclaimed films like His House and Nanny received little attention despite solid reviews. They just disappear among the vast selection of streaming content.

This issue reflects the broader struggle for any streaming movie, regardless of genre, to break through and become a pop culture phenomenon. Consider that Netflix quietly released a fourth Beverly Hills Cop movie this year, leaving about as much impact as a match in a blizzard. Even high-budget streaming blockbusters like The Gray Man and The Tomorrow War didn’t capture public attention. Say “Court Gentry” to a Ryan Gosling fan, and you’ll likely get a blank look.

If expensive $200 million tentpoles can’t break through on streaming platforms, what chance do smaller horror films have? When people open Amazon or Peacock, they’re usually drawn to familiar comfort shows like Friends or Suits, not lesser-known horror films with minimal promotion. Streaming isn’t a great home for original cinema, especially horror, which often requires a darker, more immersive atmosphere. This explains why The Traitors succeeded on Peacock, while horror films like Sick didn’t.

Horror films on streaming also face stiff competition from theatrical releases. Theatrical studios have largely abandoned big-screen comedies, allowing streamers to fill that void. If Adam Sandler couldn’t get new theatrical releases, Netflix was eager to feature his work. Romantic comedies like 2018’s Set It Up similarly filled a market gap left by theaters, though they never became cultural touchstones. However, they still scratched an itch that theater audiences couldn’t fulfill in the late 2010s and early 2020s.

Horror, on the other hand, continues to dominate theaters. In 2024, new horror films have hit theaters nearly every week, from Late Night with the Devil to A Quiet Place: Day One to Longlegs. Horror remains one of the few genres studios can count on for box office success. Even horror-centric streamer Shudder often releases its films in theaters first, recognizing the value of the big screen for this genre. With so many theatrical horror options, streamers struggle to carve out space for their original titles.

Horror also thrives in communal viewing experiences, something that streaming can’t easily replicate. Watching a horror film at home is usually a solitary activity, but horror’s appeal is often magnified when shared with others. Marketing for horror films like Longlegs and Paranormal Activity relies heavily on audience reactions in theaters. Iconic stories of watching Get Out in packed theaters highlight the communal thrill of horror. In contrast, streaming offers too much control; viewers can pause when things get scary. In a theater, though, films like Hereditary keep moving forward, intensifying the fear.

Behind the scenes, streaming budgets clash with the typical low-budget nature of horror. Streaming services like Netflix and Apple TV+ routinely spend $100 million or more on star-driven films. However, legendary horror films like Get Out and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre were made for a fraction of that. Recent box office hits like Longlegs outgrossed expensive streaming blockbusters like Madame Web, demonstrating horror’s success within tight budgets. The scrappy nature of horror fosters creativity, something lost in the world of bloated streaming budgets.

Theatrical releases also generate urgency. If a new horror film is stuck behind an Apple TV+ or Amazon paywall, what’s the rush to watch it? By contrast, Longlegs generated mystique with its theatrical exclusivity. Fans had to go to the theater to see it, adding to the film’s allure. Streaming films, meanwhile, linger indefinitely on home screens, diminishing any sense of urgency.

The biggest blow to streaming horror came with last year’s Five Nights at Freddy’s, which was available to Peacock subscribers the same day it hit theaters. Despite the convenience of streaming, the film grossed $84 million in North America over its opening weekend, proving that audiences—particularly younger ones—still prefer the theater experience for horror. This demographic, which has been critical to theaters’ post-pandemic recovery, chose the big screen over watching at home, a clear win for theatrical horror.

Perhaps, as so many Hollywood truisms collapsed in the blink of an eye, this status quo will change with just one big streaming horror movie hit. Perhaps It’s What Inside will dominate pop culture so profoundly that all horror movies will forever go only to streaming. More likely, though, It’s What’s Inside will follow in the footsteps of The Deliverance, Eli, and In the Tall Grass: strong viewership for two days before vanishing into the streaming algorithm ether.

Lisa Laman is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic and freelance writer living both on the autism spectrum and in Texas.