Horror is big business

Horror is big business

The genre has become a tentpole across gaming, film, and television.

by

Andrew Webster

Oct 11, 2026, 12:00 PM UTC

Image: Sony Pictures

Horror is big business

The genre has become a tentpole across gaming, film, and television.

by

Andrew Webster

Oct 11, 2026, 12:00 PM UTC

Andrew Webster

is an entertainment editor covering streaming, virtual worlds, and every single Pokémon video game. Andrew joined The Verge in 2012, writing over 4,000 stories.

This isThe Stepback, a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more on how pervasive horror has become,follow Andrew Webster.The Stepback,arrives in our subscribers’ inboxes on Sunday at 8AM ET. Opt in forThe Stepbackhere.

How it started

Resident Evilhas been around for 30 years, but the survival horror series is more popular than ever. The most recent game,Resident Evil Requiem, has sold 8 million copies since it launched in February, already making itthe 14th best-selling game that Capcom has ever made. At the same time,a reboot of theResident Evilfilm series fromWeaponsdirector Zach Creggeris on pace to becomethe top-grossing movie in franchise history. This has had the effect of renewing interest inResident Evilat large;according to a report fromGame File, six different titles in the game series have sold at least 3 million copies so far this year. Inan earnings report, Capcom called it “a virtuous cycle in which sales of both new and past titles grow together.”

Resident Evilisn’t alone. Rather, it’s indicative of an ongoing trend. Horror was once seen as largely a niche genre, but now, thanks to a combination of factors — including the rise of YouTube and widespread influence of indie games and viral memes — it has steadily grown into a dominant force. Horror tends to be cheaper to produce than other genres, but now it also has sales numbers that compete with the biggest blockbusters. It’s not that there haven’t been major horror success stories before. 2017’sItremains the top-grossing horror flick of all time, andtheResident Evil 2remakefrom 2019 has sold almost 20 million copies. But in 2026 the concentration of horror hits, particularly across multiple mediums, has reached a new level, making it clearer than ever that scaring audiences is a big business.

How it’s going

The most obvious example of this in 2026 is in movies.ObsessionandBackrooms—two films helmed by young directors who came up through YouTube— have raked in nearly $1 billion combined at the box office. They out-grossed established franchises likeStar Warsand even legendary directors likeSteven Spielberg. This despite costing a fraction of what a blockbuster film usually costs;Backroomswas made for an estimated $10 million, whileObsessioncost less than $1 million. Before that,Iron Lung,another YouTube-centric horror flick, managed to rake in more than $50 million without the backing of a major studio. Horror movies have always been comparatively cheap to make, but now they’re frequently able to make a huge return on that investment.

Meanwhile, in the world of streaming, October has become something of a battleground. This year basically every major service has a tentpole series meant to lure subscribers during spooky season. Amazonjust released a remake of Stephen King’sCarrieon Prime Video,helmed by Mike Flanagan, who made his name with a quintet of limited horror series on Netflix between 2018 and 2023, starting withThe Haunting of Hill House. With Flanagan now at Amazon, Netflix’s big release this year isBelow, a six-episode sea monster thriller starring Josh Hartnett andStranger Things’ Charlie Heaton. Elsewhere, Peacock has aFriday the 13thprequel calledCrystal Lakestarring Linda Cardellini as Jason Voorhees’ mom, and AMC Plus is putting out a spooky detective series calledYaga, which features Carrie-Anne Moss andHeated Rivalry’s Hudson Williams. Not to be excluded, Disney Plus is currently airing the 13th season ofAmerican Horror Story.

The one name missing from this list is Apple TV, but that’s because the service got a jump on thingsby releasing the horror / comedy hybridWidow’s Bayback in April. The show then proceeded towin a record number of Emmys, and it remains a fixture on Apple TV’s most-watched list. While streaming viewership data is much harder to come by than box office data, the sheer fact that every major streaming service is investing in horror-related series, with the backing of some major star power, is an indication of just how important it is.

And then there are games. WhileResident Evilis the biggest name, there are plenty of other titles and franchises that have been buoyed by the current horror renaissance.Silent Hillhas been on a steady run,highlighted by the Scottish spinoffTownfallthis year, and the iconicHellraiserjust gotits first proper video game adaptation. But it’s not just blockbuster releases. Indie horror games have not only been consistent bestsellers on platforms like Steam, they’ve also been the source material for a number of more moderate theatrical hits, including bothIron LungandExit 8. And a lot of that success begins with people watching horror games on Twitch and YouTube;Twitch says thatviewers watched 287 million hours of horror content between January and September this year, and that the dedicated “horror” tag saw a 6 percent increase in viewership compared to last year.

What happens next

With the potential to make a lot of money with very little investment, movie studios are naturally jumping all over the trend. Kane Parsons has reportedlysigned up for aBackroomssequel,Obsessiondirector Curry Barkeralready has a new film due out next year, and Cregger’s next filmhas some major star power behind it. Meanwhile, studios are searching for the nextBackroomsorFive Nights at Freddy’sanywhere they can. BothA24 and Neon are working on competing moviesset in the SCP Foundation universe, a sort of terrifying and expansive fan-made project about a mysterious organization that keeps supernatural and paranormal entities secret, whileWarner Bros. has scooped up the rights to internet phenomenon Siren Head. Elsewhere, bothSilent HillandResident Evilhave settled on a near-annual release schedule that shows no signs of slowing down — Capcom says that the ongoing success ofResident Evilled toa new quarterly sales record— nor does the horror fixation of major streaming services.Amazon went so far as to poach Flanagan from Netflix with an exclusive deal, and a struggling Xbox has invested in bringingHideo Kojima’s horror gameODto consoles.

Obviously not all of these projects will be major hits. Not every spooky meme will become aBackrooms-level success. But studios, streamers, and game publishers are taking the genre more seriously now because that potential exists, and they seem more willing to take risks because the upfront costs aren’t as high. This means that, unlike other genres, the possibility remains that even as it explodes in popularity, horror will continue to remain weird and unexpected. After all, the best way to scare folks is to show them something new.

By the way

• Success in one medium doesn’t necessarily translate. WhileSilent Hillhas become a force in games again, the most recent filmhas been largely forgotten.
• The SCP Foundation has garnered plenty of interest from major film studios,but not without some controversy due to its Creative Commons roots.
• Box office success aside, 2026 has also just been a really great year for horror movies with the likes ofSend Help,Hokum, and28 Years Later: The Bone Temple.
• Another potential venue for horror: interactive shows. Netflix is exploring the space withUnhingedand an upcomingConjuringspinoff.

Read this

• The new iteration ofCarriemakes some major changes, and inan interview withColliderFlanagan explains what went into updating the story.
• The New Yorkerhas a great rundownon just how YouTube became the place where new horror auteurs are discovered.
• 2026 has made it clear just how closely horror and comedy are related, and few people know that more than Jordan Peele, who discussed it inan old interview withThe Guardian.

from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.

• Andrew Webster

Most Popular

Most Popular

1. ‘Pure insanity’: Mathematicians will need years to make sense of OpenAI’s latest drop
2. Decade-old RAM is making a comeback
3. GTA VI leaks continue with a lengthy (and very nude) gameplay video
4. Satya Nadella says we should assume all AI models are ‘compromised’
5. The Telo MT1 is a big truck trapped in a tiny truck’s body

More inColumn

Victoria Song

Oct 7

Victoria Song

Oct 6

Terrence O'Brien

Oct 4

Terrence O'Brien

Oct 4

Sean Hollister

Oct 3

Sean Hollister

Oct 1

Top Stories

Oct 10

Oct 10

Oct 10

Oct 10

Oct 9