It’s hard to imagine modern horror without Blumhouse. With films like Oren Peli’s 2007 surprise blockbuster “Paranormal Activity” and Jordan Peele’s 2017 Oscar winner “Get Out,” the production company proves that big concepts can stem from small budgets.
Led by founder Jason Blum, Blumhouse consistently delivers scares that both terrify and impress—and its reign over the genre is far from over. As the company celebrates 15 years of producing horror film and TV, it has even more chilling projects on the horizon, including Scott Derrickson’s “Black Phone 2” (Oct. 17), Emma Tammi’s “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2” (Dec. 5), and Lee Cronin’s “The Mummy” film, set for 2026.
To honor its groundbreaking horror (and get into spooky season!), we’re spotlighting Terri Taylor, Blumhouse’s go-to casting director. Since 2010’s “Paranormal Activity 2,” Taylor has been behind some of the most iconic casting choices in the genre. Here, she looks back at the decisions that gave us Daniel Kaluuya in “Get Out,” and the memorable McGraw sisters who star in “The Black Phone” and “M3GAN” franchises. The CD also reveals the audition scream that’s still ringing in her head.
How horror has evolved throughout the years
“From my perspective, what has changed is the appetite for horror, which is really thrilling to me,” says Taylor. “Audiences are showing now, more than when I first started, that what they’re interested in seeing in theaters [is horror], and the stories have gotten so much richer and original.
“We are really lucky at Blumhouse that we get to be on the front lines of providing a lot of those movies for the theaters [that] fans to go and see,” adds the CD. “And so for me, there are tons of opportunities to discover new actors and forge new relationships with established, iconic actors, like James McAvoy, Kevin Bacon, or Ethan Hawke…. The opportunities are just greater, [and] the stories are more complex.”
What it was like working with Peele on “Get Out” + “Us”
“It’s a highlight to this day to have worked with Jordan on both films,” says Taylor. She explains she was already a fan of the director because of his Comedy Central sketch show, “Key & Peele.”
“ ‘Get Out’ was his first time directing a feature, [and] it was the first time I had ever read a screenplay like that,” she says. “With Jordan, I was inspired from the beginning…. And the collaboration was really open and honest.”
She also shares that Peele was very “accessible,” which made her experience working with him even better. “His office was just a couple of doors down from mine, and we spent a lot of time together,” she recalls. “We utilized pictures on a corkboard a lot. We talked about the material a lot. We watched auditions together. We did auditions together. We read together. I would say that if every collaboration could be like that, I would be completely fulfilled.”
Courtesy Universal Pictures
Why Kaluuya’s audition for “Get Out” is still the CD’s most memorable
When asked which casting moment remains etched in her memory, Taylor doesn’t hesitate: Kaluuya’s audition for “Get Out” stands above the rest.
“It was how committed he was,” Taylor explains. “It was not like he was saving [anything]. He wasn’t reserving anything, in terms of, like, ‘Let me work up to that. Let me get to that.’ He sat in that chair, and we were ready to do that scene. He immediately put his foot on the gas pedal and went for it, from the very beginning.
“In my memory of [his audition], that performance was very close to what we captured [in the film],” she says. “He didn’t reserve anything for another take. And not that Jordan didn’t play around and [have him do different takes] multiple times, but out of the gate, [Kaluuya] was right.”
On casting M3GAN, the iconic AI killer doll
Finding a performer to play the now-viral AI killer doll M3GAN was a “really interesting process,” she says, because they needed talent who could both dance and embody a robotic character.
“We started with dancers. That was the important element for [director Gerard Johnstone]—somebody who could dance and move their body in a certain way,” she says. “Then the second part of the process was testing their ability to bring this character to life, to discover who M3GAN was, and then bring her to life through movement and limited dialogue, knowing that we would re-voice the character.”
On discovering the McGraw sisters for “The Black Phone” + “M3GAN”
Two of Blumhouse’s biggest hits, “The Black Phone” and “M3GAN” franchises, feature breakout child actors and sisters, Madeleine and Violet McGraw, respectively.
“To be so young and to have a really natural-born talent doesn’t only make them right for horror, but I think it makes them right for almost any genre,” says the CD. “[They are] incredibly natural, talented young actors that could process character study, scene development, and progression. They can take direction. They can be additive when navigating the scene with an idea, [which is why] the McGraw family became part of the Blumhouse family.
“[It] started with Violet in ‘M3GAN,’ and we knew Maddie was an actress as well. When we got her tape, it was so outstanding that Scott Derrickson really did wait for Maddie to become available, so that we could make [‘The Black Phone’] with her.”
Credit: Sabrina Lantos/Geoffrey Short/Universal Pictures
How Josh Hutcherson + Matthew Lillard got cast in “Five Nights at Freddy’s”
Casting the 2023 cult classic “Five Nights at Freddy’s” involved what Taylor calls a “lengthy audition process,” particularly for the lead role, Mike Schmidt, a security guard on night shift at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. The team was happy to land “Hunger Games” star Josh Hutcherson.
“We were fans of Josh’s for a long time,” says Taylor. “We had been wanting to work with him and were looking for the right opportunity. And I’m so glad that it is ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s,’ because I think he brings a lot of heart [to the film] and you feel [for him].”
As for “Scream” king Lillard, when casting him as the film’s villain (aka the Yellow Rabbit), Taylor says “timing was everything.”
“I was on the phone with his manager, Jason Shapiro, and I think he was pitching Matthew for something else. But I was so consumed with who was going to play the Yellow Rabbit that I kind of just stopped and was like, ‘That’s not the part. But are you familiar with “Five Nights at Freddy’s?” I think this would be right up Matthew’s alley.’ And thankfully, he was [familiar with it], because Matthew is iconic in the genre and 100% gets the tone of this villain.”
Credit: Patti Perret/Universal Pictures
On casting Cronin’s 2026 “The Mummy”
Another exciting project the CD has been working on for Blumhouse is Cronin’s original take on “The Mummy.” “[Cronin’s ‘Mummy’] is totally clean-slated,” she says. “It’s not connected to the Universal Film. It’s two different worlds. And it is a fresh new take on ‘The Mummy.’ ”
Taylor calls working with Cronin “the real deal, as he’s an amazing storyteller.”
“I really hope to learn something from all of our directors, and I think it’s fair to say I do; but Lee is so good with actors,” Taylor explains. “In our audition process, I would take notes because I always loved his word choice. It was always perfect. It was efficient, and I really did learn so much from him. Lee was a great collaborator, and he was really articulate about what he was looking for.”
The casting challenge for the film, Taylor shares, was building a family: “This family that traveled for work—they felt displaced from their home, but they were at home because they were together, so it was kind of playing with that.”
The “Insidious” audition scream that’s still ringing in the horror CD’s head
Naturally, we had to ask the veteran horror casting director if any specific audition scream still gives her goosebumps.
“There is one scream that is coming to mind,” Taylor says. “And it’s for an ‘Insidious’ audition. Spencer Locke [who plays Melissa Rainier in 2018’s ‘Insidious: The Last Key’] is screaming in terror, but the story is that the demon KeyFace turns off her vocal cords. So it was this incredibly intense scream that, mid-audition, turns off—and that effect, you know by [the] performance, was chilling.”
The actor everyone should watch to learn more about the genre
“James McAvoy is one of my favorite actors of all time,” Taylor says. “It’s the truth. I didn’t work on ‘Split,’ but I often [get asked] a recommendation of what to watch, or an actor that I love, [and] I always tell them to watch ‘Split’ and James McAvoy. I’m now adding ‘Speak No Evil’ to that, because he is incredible.”
The CD’s best acting resource + where to find casting calls
What’s Taylor’s best advice for auditioning for a horror role? “It is really about accessing something that you experienced or witnessed.
“We have ‘Horror’s New Wave,’ [Blumhouse’s behind-the-scenes look at some of its biggest films] and for me, that’s a book [I] recommend [to] aspiring actors and young casting professionals when they want to learn a little bit more about this genre,” concludes the CD.
For those hoping to join a horror project of their own, be sure to check out these resources:
