It is Halloween time! And as usual, for movie watchers, it means the release of the latest instalment in the Saw series. While Paranormal Activity 2 had a strong showing last weekend earning $41 million at the US box-office, it is likely to be replaced at the top by the seventh and final movie in the Saw series. Horror movies rarely come in as a solitary package. When the original does well, it usually attains a loyal following that prompts the studios to keep the story running till the series finally dies a slow death. Generally devoid of any big stars, the budgets are kept tight and the return on investments remain healthy. The earliest horror movie series that come to mind are the classics of the 1970s, Exorcist and Omen series.
The Exorcist released in 1973 (and re-released in 2000) is one of the most successful horror movies till date earning $205 million at the US box-office and more than $400 million worldwide on a reported production budget of $12 million. The movie that dealt with the tale of Father Merrin's attempt to free a 12 year old from the clutches of a demon that had possessed her, won 2 Oscars and was nominated in 8 other categories. The film prompted four other sequels/prequels, though none of them have even come close to matching the success of the original. In 1976, Satan emerged again in the form of a child of an American Ambassador (played by Gregory Peck) in another classic, The Omen. The film was a critical and commercial success too and grossed about $50 million in US on a budget of only $2.8 million setting the stage for two more sequels that followed the path of Damien's emergence from childhood to youth and then to adulthood. The original movie that helped the notorious number 666 garner more attention, was remade and released in 2006. To be exact, on 06/06/06.The 70's also saw the emergence of another low-budget popular franchise aptly titled Halloween. What started off in 1978 on a budget as low as one third of a million, the series subsequently saw the release of ten movies. The film series, started by John Carpenter, follows the tale of Michael Myers as he stalks and kills teenage babysitters on... yes, Halloween night! The original movie had seven sequels with Halloween: Resurrection released in 2002, and finally the series was rebooted and the original was remade and released in 2007. A sequel to the same followed in 2009. The franchise has collected almost $366 million in worldwide earnings on a total budget of $70 million. Quite a way to celebrate Halloween!
The list of long horror movie series does not just end there. A Nightmare on
Elm Street, released first in 1984 (and had Johnny Depp in his first theatrical appearance), has seen seven sequels to the original and subsequently a remake of the original in 2010, thus bringing the total to nine movies for the franchise. The remake remains the highest grosser of the series earning $117 million worldwide, though it had a much higher budget of $35 million, almost 20 times that of the original. Then there is the masked slasher Jason Voorhees, of the Friday the 13th franchise, who quite conveniently kills those that encroach the Camp Crystal Lake. First released in 1980, this franchise has nothing less than twelve movies in its repertoire, with production budgets not being more than $5 million for the first nine and each one providing steady returns. The franchise also saw a restart of the film series in 2009, that earned $92 million worldwide. Other famous spine-tingling series that come to mind are Texas Chain Saw Massacre series with six movies as part of its franchise, and Child's Play that made dolls look bad, with five movies.
While there might be a few more famous horror movies that make Halloween special indeed (not to forget the solitary greats like The Shining and Rosemary's Baby), the Saw series has managed to make its mark emphatically in this segment. Released each year close to Halloween time, Saw started off in 2004 on a production budget of a mere $1.2 million. The tale began with the famous opening scene of two men waking up at the opposite ends of a bathroom, chained to the pipes. Then followed the start of a labyrinth of games and tests, being outlined by the creepy Jigsaw, which kicked off a commercially successful franchise. The first movie grossed $103 million worldwide, its sequel released an year later did better with $153 million. The third movie remains the highest grosser of the franchise at $164 million. The films of the series have been made at low production budgets, not exceeding $11 million, and apart from the sixth movie, the previous five have earned more than $100 million in worldwide revenues. With a combined worldwide gross of $729 million from its six movies, the Saw franchise is easily one of the most successful in its genre! The final movie titled Saw 3D, the first one shot in 3D technology, will mark the end of the franchise and the legacy of Jigsaw. But come next Halloween, it could be the beginning of maybe another horror movie franchise... one never knows... till then... boo! Happy Halloween!
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