Hit Makers: Why Things Become Popular

by Derek Thompson

Bruzzese’s first significant breakthrough was in the suspense genre. Bruzzese saw that audiences respond to scary movies with a predictability that would please Hari Seldon. “Horror might be the easiest genre to break down,” he told me. “Horror movies are either a haunting or a killer. A haunting movie has either a ghost or demon. The demon is either randomly targeting the lead actors or summoned by the leads.” These subtle distinctions can have a big effect on audience reactions. “One of the main factors with a horror film is that the audience wants to put themselves in the situation, to internalize the characters’ fears,” he said. “But if the lead actors summon a demon, many audiences say they weren’t so scared, because they personally would never summon a demon.” These distinctions also have predictable box office implications. Random ambient terror befits a horror film. But when the killer has a known motive, it tends to be seen as a thriller, which is less of a lure for teenagers. Relatability is key to horror, but it’s not the only element. Another is power. “In a movie where a demon is targeting people, like Jason in Friday the 13th or Freddy Krueger in A Nightmare on Elm Street, the story is built around a simple question: Can anybody stop him?” Bruzzese said. “That’s why the trailers for these films often include a triumphant shot of the killer. Whether people realize it or not, the killer is the hero.” Another genre that yields to simple classification is the apo...