Blum in the Night: Interview with Dark Skies Producer Jason Blum
Aliens, demons, ghosts – he’s faced them all!

The new film Dark
Skies is a terrifying glimpse into one family’s continued torment by
extraterrestrials. Stars Keri Russell and Josh Hamilton play parents who
attempt to protect their family and end the nightmare, even as they are losing
control themselves. The film was produced by Jason Blum, whose company, Blumhouse Productions, has made a name
for itself by making micro-budget films with wide release, and appeal, dating
back to the first Paranormal Activity
in 2007. We spoke to Blum about Dark
Skies and about the challenges and benefits to making “high-concept,
low-budget” chillers. (Read the full interview here)
NERDIST NEWS: If you could please, tell us a
little about Dark Skies and how you
became involved in the project.
JASON BLUM: It started as an idea by Scott Charles Stewart [who wrote and directed] that he told me
about. It was really 100% his story and he took six weeks to write the
script and I loved it and the movie that comes out in two weeks is very close
to the original script that he wrote, actually.
NN: His first two features as director (Legion and Priest) are very effects-heavy and that’s not really what you guys
are about; was that something you discussed beforehand, to try to minimize the
amount of CGI that would need to be done?
JB: Yeah, really, I think effects in expensive movies are so good, and our
movies are less expensive, so I don’t really like to compete on that level. I
really emphasize in our movies story and characters and the actors and the
performances, and Scott really agreed with that. He was really on board. We do
have a few effects which he oversaw and made really cool, but, you’re right,
the emphasis in this is not on effects.
For more of our interview with Jason Blum, including his thoughts on how his movies stack up to big-budget fare, head on over to Nerdist.com.