We could be seeing a lot more horror properties carrying the rather apt “Made by Spooky” label in the future. As Image Nation Studios, Made by Us, and Spooky Pictures unite to launch what they are calling the first “creator-first” horror label, Brandon Blake, entertainment lawyer at Blake & Wang P.A., takes a look.
Made by Spooky
Made by Spooky will be targeting what it is calling “digital native” horror talent, focusing primarily on original short-form content as well as long-form IPs and vertical serialized content. The so-called “creator economy” has come for Hollywood in a big way, and horror titles have been notable among them, especially as both Obsession and Backrooms broke out from that side of the internet. It and the projects it covers will be part of the existing co-production agreement between Image Nation Studios and Spooky Pictures.
As part of the initiative, they are hoping to find new voices and talent, and are hoping to introduce some fresh novelty to the genre, which has had an enduring part of viewers’ hearts since the pandemic.
Impressive Footprint
Spooky Pictures and Image Nation have been working in partnership since about the same time, first coming together in 2020 with the release of Watcher. They have also worked together on Neon’s Hokum, The Plague, and the critically acclaimed Late Night with the Devil, so they have plenty of experience in backing winning horror IPs.
Made by Us also represents some of the novelest voices in horror at the moment. They recently entered a multi-year partnership with Dentsu Entertainment, also targeting original creator-led content, and have been active in TikTok co-productions for the vertical format.
It will be interesting to see if there is another Backrooms lurking among the projects Made by Spooky will be backing, of course, but it is always encouraging to see new initiatives targeting smaller creators and independent IPs.
