I have often said that the roots of the horror genre touch bedrock in Hollywood. While the genre would not carve out a definitive niche for itself until 1931’s Dracula, with the codification of the genre, there were already a handful of early films that would fall under the label of horror by the time the first studio actually within Hollywood city limits opened in 1911*.

Ironically, the very film credited with setting the foundation and tone for the horror genre as a whole would also mark the beginning of the unique challenges that would continue to plague filmmakers when it came to marketing their scares to audiences.

Universal began their marketing push a mere two months before Dracula‘s release with an ad in Variety proclaiming it as “The story of the strangest passion the world has ever known!” Because studio executives worried that women would not be interested in blood-sucking vampires, Universal instead pushed it as a love story, even going so far as opening the film theatrically on Valentine’s Day.

Dracula (1931) – Trade ad
byu/bil_sabab inMoviePosterPorn

Though probably to the chagrin of those worrisome executives, the critics and filmgoers immediately began to refer to Dracula (1931) as a horror film, thus officially setting the stage for a new genre classification. Before this, many films were regarded for their “horror” elements in reviews but were marketed as a weird story, magical, mysterious, or weird and wonderful. In fact, many films that now fall under the horror genre label were considered part of the mystery genre before Dracula‘s release and subsequent success.

“With ‘Dracula’ making money at the box office for Universal, other studios are looking for horror tales — but very squeamishly. Producers are not certain whether nightmare pictures have a box office pull or whether ‘Dracula’ is just a freak.”

Variety (byline uncredited)

Definitely to the chagrin of the uncertain producers who thought Dracula‘s success might be a fluke, horror movies exploded in popularity and profit. Capitalizing on their first mover status, Universal leaned into horror, their name synonymous with the genre at large today under the label Universal Monsters.

By the 1950s and 60s, the genre had begun to intermingle with Sci-Fi, broadening its appeal even further. Then, in the 1970s, horror evolved once again, not only with exploitation/grindhouse films but drawing on influences from giallo films of the 60s with the rise of the iconic Slasher archetype. This subgenre practically stands by itself and recently saw the Terrifier franchise break records at the box office. Again.

As the genre has experienced many changes and trends over the years, so too has the struggle to produce and/or market these films. Sadly, several of the most profitable horror films of our time were actually turned away by the Hollywood system, mismarketed, or not marketed at all because they either “just didn’t get it” or wouldn’t take the risk on something new and unproven. In that regard, maybe things haven’t changed much since 1931.

Indeed, the horror genre is often looked down on as less than. Award committees ignore the genre as a whole. What’s more, horror films are often dressed up as “thrillers” or the recently coined “elevated horror,” both terms being often used by people (some fans use them with endearment) who otherwise dismiss the genre as trash to describe a horror movie they enjoyed without sullying themselves as lowly horror fans. Many people in the industry will advise young stars and filmmakers to avoid the genre or risk ruining their chances at a “real career.”

Yet horror films have kept the lights on for every major studio while simultaneously being treated as an embarrassment or something to hide by many. A few studios have even gone out of their way to distance themselves as much as possible from franchises that secured them millions of dollars in profit.

While some of the earliest challenges remain regarding marketing horror, we can not deny that we live in an ever-shifting landscape of streaming platforms, social media, podcasts, television, web advertising, and print media. They all come with unique hurdles and pitfalls heaped on top of an already stacked deck.

That’s where this site comes in. I hope that by drawing on my lifelong love of horror and decades of curating and advocating for the genre, I can empower filmmakers with the strategies, tools, and support they need to achieve the success they deserve.

I have over 20 years of experience in community building, web development, SEO, graphic design, e-commerce, film distribution, merchandising, and online publishing. During my career, I have been lucky enough to collaborate with nearly every major studio/streaming platform and have run promotions for some of the biggest horror films around.

I even operated a horror-themed subscription box, doing all the product sourcing, design, packing, shipping, and customer service for thousands of customers a month out of my home, ultimately scaling it up to an entire warehouse operation.

Here, you can expect to find everything I have learned over the decades distilled into one place. Not only will I offer my services for crafting deeply targeted rich media advertising campaigns and helping you buy media placements, but I will also offer interviews with industry leaders, free guides, resources, and online courses that will enable you to accomplish everything you can ask for when it comes to marketing your films and yourself.

Can’t afford to hire someone like me? That is no problem. I will show you how to do it yourself. From getting your trailer playing on national television, starting and growing your newsletter, or making sure you will never be at the mercy of any social media platform over the reach of your fanbase, and much more.

My goal is to arm you with the knowledge and expertise you need to take on absolutely any challenge related to marketing your film and growing your career as a filmmaker.

*The Nestor Film Company was founded in 1909 as a West Coast production outlet for the Centaur Film Company, which was based in New Jersey. Their first West Coast film studio opened on October 27th, 1911. Nestor would later merge with Leammle’s Independent Moving Pictures and ultimately be acquired by Universal. While Nestor was the first studio, director D.W. Griffith, an icon of the genre as well as the film industry as a whole, put the then little town on the map after filming In Old California (1910), a silent era western, there for Biograph leading nearly every East Coast production company to make their move to Hollywood.