Since Blumhouse Productions is known for making horror movies, from Sinister (2012) to Get Out (2017), it's easy to forget that the company has released some films of other genres. The company was founded in 2000 and when Paranormal Activity was released in 2007, Blumhouse became known for its scary films.
From a romantic drama that is a real tearjearker to a romantic comedy, a drama about a musical prodigy and his tough teacher, and a 2018 film based on a true story, there are several Blumhouse releases that aren't part of the horror genre.
Griffin & Phoenix (2006)
A romantic drama about two people who have cancer and who fall in love doesn't sound like the kind of story that Blumhouse Productions puts out. But this is the plot of the 2006 Blumhouse film Griffin & Phoenix, which is a remake of the 1976 movie, which featured Jill Clayburgh and Peter Falk.
Some Blumhouse movies are disappointing, but Griffin & Phoenix is a sweet movie and hard not to fall for. Henry Griffin (Dermot Mulroney) has terminal cancer and about a year left, and Sarah Phoenix (Amanda Peet) is also sick. Just like the popular 1970 film Love Story captivated audiences with the tale of Oliver (Ryan O'Neal) falling for Jenny (Ali McGraw) or the 2014 movie adaptation of John Green's YA novel The Fault in Our Stars were huge tearjearkers, it will be difficult to watch this movie without tearing up.
The Accidental Husband (2008)
Blumhouse isn't known for making comedies, particularly romantic comedies, and one of their early movies is 2008's The Accidental Husband. When Patrick Sullivan's (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) fiance Sophia talks to Dr. Emma Lloyd (Uma Thurman), who hosts a radio show about love and relationships, Emma says that it would be a good idea not to get married. Patrick wants to get revenge and play a prank on Emma: he creates a forged marriage license so it looks like he and Emma are husband and wife, which is a problem since she's engaged to Richard (Colin Firth).
Although the movie has some romantic comedy cliches, it's perfect for fans of quirky love stories with happy endings. The conclusion might be totally predictable, but the all-star cast is strong and makes the story worth watching.
The Normal Heart (2014)
Based on Larry Kramer's play of the same name, the 2014 HBO film The Normal Heart is a devastating, sad, and moving story about the HIV/AIDs crisis. It's also a Blumhouse movie.
Alexander "Ned" Weeks (Mark Ruffalo) is a gay writer who spends time in Fire Island in 1981. Ned's good friend Craig Donner (Jonathan Groff) starts coughing and seems to be sick, and when Ned finds a New York Times story called "Rare Cancer Diagnosed in 41 Homosexuals," he meets with Julia Roberts's character, Dr. Emma Brookner who starts putting the pieces together. The movie is tough to watch but important and Ned's relationship with Felix Turner (Matt Bomer) is sweet.
Whiplash (2014)
J.K. Simmons is beloved in the Spider-Man movies and his best films include 2014's Whiplash where he gave a stunning, shocking and dark performance as Terence Fletcher, a teacher at the Shaffer Conservatory. When Andrew Neiman (Miles Teller), a jazz drummer, comes to the school, Fletcher makes it his life goal to make him the best. Unfortunately for Andrew, Fletcher is scary, abusive, and controlling. Before too long, the two characters are playing a kind of cat and mouse game with each other.
While some good movies have awful endings, Whiplash satisfied audiences with a smart, surprising, and creative ending that no one can see coming. While this might not be a horror movie, it has Blumhouse's typical good acting and surprising twists.
BlacKkKlansman (2018)
Based on Ron Stallworth's book Black Klansman, BlacKkKlansman was released in 2018 and tells the story of Ron Stallworth (played by John David Washington), the first African-American Colorado Springs detective who looks into the Klu Klux Klan that is nearby. Adam Driver plays Detective Philip "Flip" Zimmeran in the film.
This is one of Adam Driver's best movies and features excellent performances from the entire cast. The subject matter is heavy and important and Spike Lee co-wrote and directed the movie. Jason Blum hoped that Lee would win an Oscar and told Deadline.com, “Spike doesn’t really talk about this, but it would be important to me to see this movie lead to the kind of recognition he is so deserving of. He is one of the great filmmakers of his generation, and the fact that this project has led to his first DGA nomination is something that I’m very proud of. But, really, it should be his fifth.” Spike Lee did win the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay in 2019.